We can't live intentionally while never taking time to pause and reflect on our lives. Through this purposeful evaluation, we are able to consciously decide our next steps, what to keep, and what to let go.

Even if resolutions aren't your thing, this is a great time of year to do this practice of reflection -- so let's walk through 8 questions together and see what adjustments it's time to make (or not)!

Paring Down Instagram: ⁠⁠@paring_down⁠

Episodes mentioned:

How Living with Less Inspires Generosity with Ultralight Backpacker Glen Van Peski

Tidy Up Your Life with Tyler Moore aka Tidy Dad

Paring Down Newsletter: The L.E.S.S. Express

Paring Down Webiste & Blog

Paring Down YouTube

PARING DOWN RESOURCES:

Complete Guide to Decluttering Kid Stuff⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠Free 15 Clutter-Free Gift Ideas⁠

Free Gift Request Email Template

⁠⁠⁠⁠Free Know Your Why Worksheet ⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Free Baby Essentials List⁠⁠⁠⁠

CODES:

20% OFF any AquaTru water purifier when you go to AquaTru.com and use promo code PARING

This show is brought to you by BetterHelp. Get 10% off your first month of Better Help therapy: www.betterhelp.com/paring

40% off luxurious bedsheets & loungewear from Cozy Earth: https://cozyearth.com - use code PARING

Ethical, luxury women's clothing at Quince.com/paring for 365-day returns, plus free shipping on your order!

10 Free Meals from Hello Fresh: www.hellofresh.com/paring10fm

$300 off Air Doctor Pro air purifier: https://airdoctorpro.com/ - Use code PARING

15% off your first order at PACT (sustainable, ethical clothing): https://wearpact.com/ - Use code PARINGDOWN

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we welcome Erin Port of Simple Purposeful Living to the podcast! I LOVE Erin's "big sister energy" (her words) that so gently remind us that we don't have to be extreme with our choices in order to simplify our lives.

In a season of overwhelm (Merry Christmas Eve, btw!), I think you'll absolutely love this episode that helps you find ways to make your life easier through the littlest tweaks.

Paring Down Instagram: ⁠⁠@paring_down⁠

Erin Port Instagram: @simpllepurposefulliving

Simple Purposeful Living website

Simple Purposeful Living podcast

Paring Down Newsletter: The L.E.S.S. Express

Paring Down Webiste & Blog

Paring Down YouTube

PARING DOWN RESOURCES:

Complete Guide to Decluttering Kid Stuff⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠Free 15 Clutter-Free Gift Ideas⁠

Free Gift Request Email Template

⁠⁠⁠⁠Free Know Your Why Worksheet ⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Free Baby Essentials List⁠⁠⁠⁠

CODES:

20% OFF any AquaTru water purifier when you go to AquaTru.com and use promo code PARING

This show is brought to you by BetterHelp. Get 10% off your first month of Better Help therapy: www.betterhelp.com/paring

40% off luxurious bedsheets & loungewear from Cozy Earth: https://cozyearth.com - use code PARING

Ethical, luxury women's clothing at Quince.com/paring for 365-day returns, plus free shipping on your order!

10 Free Meals from Hello Fresh: www.hellofresh.com/freeparing

$300 off Air Doctor Pro air purifier: https://airdoctorpro.com/ - Use code PARING

15% off your first order at PACT (sustainable, ethical clothing): https://wearpact.com/ - Use code PARINGDOWN

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Birthday parties are a great example of how the true power of a “minimalish” life isn’t in less for the sake of less, rather it’s about intentionality.

In this episode, I share how our family personally approaches birthday parties - from why we do them at all, to how many kids are invited, to gifts and goody bags and themes!

Biggest takeaway: Minimalism isn’t the lens through which I view life. It’s a symptom of living intentionally…because inevitably, only the essential will shine. But I don’t look at life as a challenge to do or have the least possible. There’s a difference there, and the former is much more freeing!

Paring Down Instagram: ⁠⁠@paring_down⁠

Paring Down Newsletter: The L.E.S.S. Express

Paring Down Blog

Paring Down YouTube

PARING DOWN RESOURCES:

Complete Guide to Decluttering Kid Stuff⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠Free 15 Clutter-Free Gift Ideas⁠

Free Gift Request Email Template

⁠⁠⁠⁠Free Know Your Why Worksheet ⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Free Baby Essentials List⁠⁠⁠⁠

CODES:

20% OFF any AquaTru water purifier when you go to AquaTru.com and use promo code PARING

This show is brought to you by BetterHelp. Get 10% off your first month of Better Help therapy: www.betterhelp.com/paring

40% off luxurious bedsheets & loungewear from Cozy Earth: https://cozyearth.com - use code PARING

Ethical, luxury women's clothing at Quince.com/paring for 365-day returns, plus free shipping on your order!

10 Free Meals from Hello Fresh: www.hellofresh.com/freeparing

$300 off Air Doctor Pro air purifier: https://airdoctorpro.com/ - Use code PARING

15% off your first order at PACT (sustainable, ethical clothing): https://wearpact.com/ - Use code PARINGDOWN

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

THE ONE THE ONLY Tyler Moore aka Tidy Dad is on today's episode! Tyler is so engaging, positive, and honest-- three attributes that have led him to features on Good Morning America and in The New York Times, Apartment Therapy, and more. You'll love listening to his insights that inspire us all to tidy up our homes and lives!

Plus you MUST get your hands on his book, Tidy Up Your Life, which releases January 7th. I got an advanced reader copy and you can read my review in my "Nonfiction" highlight HERE in my profile!

Paring Down Instagram: ⁠⁠@paring_down⁠

Paring Down Newsletter: The L.E.S.S. Express

Paring Down Blog

Paring Down YouTube

Tyler Moore's Instagram: @tidydad

Order Tyler's book, Tidy Up Your Life

thetidydad.com

PARING DOWN RESOURCES:

Complete Guide to Decluttering Kid Stuff⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠Free 15 Clutter-Free Gift Ideas⁠

Free Gift Request Email Template

⁠⁠⁠⁠Free Know Your Why Worksheet ⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Free Baby Essentials List⁠⁠⁠⁠

CODES:

This show is brought to you by BetterHelp. Get 10% off your first month of Better Help therapy: www.betterhelp.com/paring

40% off luxurious bedsheets & loungewear from Cozy Earth: https://cozyearth.com - use code PARING

Ethical, luxury women's clothing at Quince.com/paring for 365-day returns, plus free shipping on your order!

10 Free Meals from Hello Fresh: www.hellofresh.com/freeparing

$300 off Air Doctor Pro air purifier: https://airdoctorpro.com/ - Use code PARING

20% OFF any AquaTru water purifier when you go to AquaTru.com and use promo code PARING

15% off your first order at PACT (sustainable, ethical clothing): https://wearpact.com/ - Use code PARINGDOWN

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we talk through 5 ways to keep traditions from becoming overwhelming -- from focusing on the big picture instead of the details, to creating a fair divide of responsibilities with your partner.

Here's to a less stressful, more magical holiday season!

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Other Paring Down episodes:

Avoiding the Christmas Clutter

Making Holiday Decor Meaningful

What the Bible Says About Our Stuff

Leaning Into the Season of Giving

Why We Celebrate the Birth of Jesus

Where Do Popular Christmas Traditions Come From?

Paring Down resources:

⁠Free 15 Clutter-Free Gift Ideas⁠

Free Gift Request Email Template

Complete Guide to Decluttering Kid Stuff⁠⁠⁠⁠

MORE OF PARING DOWN:

Paring Down Podcast Instagram: ⁠⁠@paring_down⁠

⁠⁠Instagram Growth Basics⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Free Know Your Why Worksheet ⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Free Baby Essentials List⁠⁠⁠⁠

CODES:

This show is brought to you by BetterHelp. Get 10% off your first month of Better Help therapy: www.betterhelp.com/paring

40% off luxurious bedsheets & loungewear from Cozy Earth: https://cozyearth.com - use code PARING

Ethical, luxury women's clothing at Quince.com/paring for 365-day returns, plus free shipping on your order!

$300 off Air Doctor Pro air purifier: https://airdoctorpro.com/ - Use code PARING

20% OFF any AquaTru water purifier when you go to AquaTru.com and use promo code PARING

10 Free Meals from Hello Fresh: www.hellofresh.com/freeparing

15% off your first order at PACT (sustainable, ethical clothing): https://wearpact.com/ - Use code PARINGDOWN

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We often declutter from a place of frustration with all of the stuff in our homes, but the process is not only more enjoyable - but more sustainable, too - if we approach decluttering out of gratitude.

In this episode, Deanna Yates from the Wannabe Clutter Free podcast shares some of the ways she takes a gratitude-led approach to decluttering. We also talk about how living with less sparks more thankfulness in our hearts.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Paring Down Blog

The L.E.S.S. Express Newsletter

Wannabe Clutter Free podcast

Deanna Yates Instagram @wannabeclutterfree

MORE OF PARING DOWN:

Paring Down Podcast Instagram: ⁠⁠@paring_down⁠

Complete Guide to Decluttering Kid Stuff⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠Instagram Growth Basics⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Free Know Your Why Worksheet ⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Free Baby Essentials List⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠Free 15 Clutter-Free Gift Ideas⁠

Free Gift Request Email Template

CODES:

40% off luxurious bedsheets & loungewear from Cozy Earth: https://cozyearth.com - use code PARING

$300 off Air Doctor Pro air purifier: https://airdoctorpro.com/ - Use code PARING

20% OFF any AquaTru water purifier when you go to AquaTru.com and use promo code PARING

This show is brought to you by BetterHelp. Get 10% off your first month of Better Help therapy: www.betterhelp.com/paring

10 Free Meals from Hello Fresh: www.hellofresh.com/freeparing

15% off your first order at PACT (sustainable, ethical clothing): https://wearpact.com/ - Use code PARINGDOWN

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If I’ve learned one thing since creating a public platform about decluttering, it’s that a LOT of people have misconceptions about what it means to declutter.

So today, we’re getting into 10 decluttering myths and why they’re not true - from “decluttering is wasteful” to “decluttering means you can’t be sentimental.”

OTHER EPISODES REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE:

Getting Past the "Wasted Money" When Decluttering

Sentimental Items

Finding the Time to Declutter

Home Organization Tips with Kenika Williams

Know Your Why Worksheet HERE under "freebies"

MORE OF PARING DOWN

Paring Down Podcast Instagram: ⁠⁠@paring_down⁠

Paring Down Newsletter The L.E.S.S. Express

CODES:

40% off luxurious bedsheets & loungewear from Cozy Earth: https://cozyearth.com - use code PARING

$300 off Air Doctor Pro air purifier: https://airdoctorpro.com/ - Use code PARING

20% OFF any AquaTru water purifier when you go to AquaTru.com and use promo code PARING

This show is brought to you by BetterHelp. Get 10% off your first month of Better Help therapy: www.betterhelp.com/paring

10 Free Meals from Hello Fresh: www.hellofresh.com/freeparing

15% off your first order at PACT (sustainable, ethical clothing): https://wearpact.com/ - Use code PARINGDOWN

PARING DOWN RESOURCES:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Complete Guide to Decluttering Kid Stuff⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠Instagram Growth Basics⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Free Know Your Why Worksheet ⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Free Baby Essentials List⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠Free 15 Clutter-Free Gift Ideas⁠

Free Gift Request Email Template

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You lucky ducks get to hear from Jen Smith of the highly popular Frugal Friends podcast! In this episode of Paring Down, she teaches us all about values-based spending so that you can Buy What You Love Without Going Broke - which also happens to be the name of her book coming out in January (alongside cohost and coauthor Jill Sirianni).

How we spend our money is often directly related to the clutter in our homes and schedules, so you don't want to miss this motivating conversation that underscores my favorite theme that threads together every episode: Intentional living.

Paring Down Podcast Instagram: ⁠⁠@paring_down⁠

Paring Down Newsletter The L.E.S.S. Express

Jen Smith Instagram: @moderfrugality

Frugal Friends Podcast: https://www.frugalfriendspodcast.com/

Buy What You Love Without Going Broke book preorder HERE

40% off luxurious bedsheets & loungewear from Cozy Earth: https://cozyearth.com - use code PARING

20% OFF any AquaTru water purifier when you go to AquaTru.com and use promo code PARING

This show is brought to you by BetterHelp. Get 10% off your first month of Better Help therapy: www.betterhelp.com/paring

10 Free Meals from Hello Fresh: www.hellofresh.com/freeparing

$300 off Air Doctor Pro air purifier: https://airdoctorpro.com/ - Use code PARING

15% off your first order at PACT (sustainable, ethical clothing): https://wearpact.com/ - Use code PARINGDOWN

Paring Down Resources:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Complete Guide to Decluttering Kid Stuff⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠Instagram Growth Basics⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Free Know Your Why Worksheet ⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Free Baby Essentials List⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠Free 15 Clutter-Free Gift Ideas⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Complete Guide to Decluttering Kid Stuff⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn 5 ways to be a conscious consumer, along with some of the dangers of taking minimalism to the extreme in this episode of Paring Down!

Paring Down Podcast Instagram: ⁠⁠@paring_down⁠

Paring Down Newsletter The L.E.S.S. Express

Episode: How to Make Sustainability Less Complicated with Shila Wattamwar

40% off luxurious bedsheets & loungewear from Cozy Earth: https://cozyearth.com - use code PARING

This show is brought to you by BetterHelp. Get 10% off your first month of Better Help therapy: www.betterhelp.com/paring

10 Free Meals from Hello Fresh: www.hellofresh.com/freeparing

$300 off Air Doctor Pro air purifier: https://airdoctorpro.com/ - Use code PARING

15% off your first order at PACT (sustainable, ethical clothing): https://wearpact.com/ - Use code PARINGDOWN

Paring Down Resources:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Complete Guide to Decluttering Kid Stuff⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠Instagram Growth Basics⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Free Know Your Why Worksheet ⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Free Baby Essentials List⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠Free 15 Clutter-Free Gift Ideas⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Complete Guide to Decluttering Kid Stuff⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lala Hairston lives in the Tampa Bay area, which was ravaged by both Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton. She shares her powerful story of coming to terms with the possibility of losing everything she owns, and how that gave her new perspective on living a more decluttered life. She also shares valuable and vulnerable outlooks on the meaning of "stuff" from lessons in her childhood, starting at age 6 when she and her mom arrived in the United States with only 4 suitcases.

Paring Down Podcast Instagram: ⁠⁠@paring_down⁠

Paring Down Website: ⁠theexpertbeginner.com

Paring Down Newsletter The L.E.S.S. Express

Lala Hairston Instagram: @bestofthebaycleaning

10 Free Meals from Hello Fresh: www.hellofresh.com/freeparing

This show is brought to you by BetterHelp. Get 10% off your first month of Better Help therapy: www.betterhelp.com/paring

$300 off Air Doctor Pro air purifier: https://airdoctorpro.com/ - Use code PARING

Paring Down Resources:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Complete Guide to Decluttering Kid Stuff⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠Instagram Growth Basics⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Free Know Your Why Worksheet ⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Free Baby Essentials List⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠Free 15 Clutter-Free Gift Ideas⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Complete Guide to Decluttering Kid Stuff⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices