‘Tis the season for back-to-school door busters, price slashes, and closeouts. On today’s re-air: How to reduce clutter, save money, and help the planet by shopping for back-to-school with greater intention. Here's a preview:[6:00] Let’s pull back the curtain on back-to-school marketing, shall we?[11:00] Here’s what it actually means (and what it actually looks like!) to shop your own home[18:30] Revisiting the kids’ capsule conversation[26:00] Thoughts on teacher wishlists (from a former teacher) Resources mentioned: Episode #391: Predictors Of Back To School Success Episode #006: The Ultimate Kids' Capsule Blueprint   This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! Join our (free!) Facebook community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.

Welcome to Back To School Week 2024!In many homes, back to school season means back to packing lunchboxes. It's a stress-inducing chore, sure, as many parents find it difficult to think up new, creative lunch ideas that are actually healthy (and will actually get eaten!).On today's show registered dietician nutritionist Megan McNamee offers up her tried and true lunchbox formula; she also suggests simple lunch ideas that will make prepping lunches a breeze.Stay tuned for Thursday's Back To School episode about acquiring school supplies, clothes, and gear like a sustainable minimalist.  Here's a preview:[4:00] Is there anything "wrong" with school lunches?[8:00] Pack when your kitchen is open! (And other practical ways to make lunchbox packing easier)[13:00] Add balance and variety by following Megan's Lunch Formula[20:00] Lunchbox ideas you've never heard of before[26:00] Must lunchboxes have a dessert?[33:00] How to best use after school snack time as a sneaky way to supplement your child's diet Resources mentioned: Feeding Littles Lunches: 75+ No-Stress Lunches Everyone Will Love Episode #391: Predictors Of Back To School Success   This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! Join our (free!) Facebook community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.

Scientists have found unsettling details about the potential health risks of common household cleaning products. And yet Big Cleaning capitalizes on fear of germs, bacteria, and disease to sell us home cleansers with traditional chemical compounds on the regular.It behooves us to ask ourselves whether the ways things have always been done align with our own values. On today's show Zac Kieffer argues it's high-time we redefine what it means to clean. Here's a preview:[3:00] Three reasons why it's important to perpetually question the way we clean and disinfect[8:00] Are you disinfecting correctly? (Answer: Probably not.)[16:00] Ammonia! 2-Butoxyethanol! BACs! Here's what cleaning companies don't want you to know about the (very powerful) chemical compounds in traditional cleansers[21:00] Big Cleaning and fear-based marketing[28:00] Does microfiber = microplastics? Resources mentioned: Episode #417: How To Buy Soap  E-Cloth (Minimalists15 for 15% off site-wide) Cleaning Products Emit Hundreds of Hazardous Chemicals, New Study Finds (via EWG)   This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! Join our (free!) Facebook community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.

If you're like me, you're likely dealing with constant, low-grade clutter situations, and that's because once a purchase is made, the item is ours to maintain, manage, and store. Sadly, consumerism never talks about the negative wellness effects of buying (I'm looking at you, cortisol!).If clutter keeps piling up despite your best efforts, my guest today argues that it's time to dig deeper. Not deeper into the piles, of course. Deeper into yourSELF.On today's show professional organizer Jenny Albertini argues that decluttering is an act of self-care; it can also become a habit that enhances wellness. Put this episode on while you tackle an oft-forgotten space in your home and get to work! Here's a preview:[4:00] Why do we clutter?[5:30] Breaking down the bidirectional exchange between clutter and wellness[12:00] Our personal thresholds for clutter tolerance ebb and flow throughout life (and that's totally normal)[24:00] Tangible ways to stop the many clutter streams coming into our homes[27:00] Thoughts on right-sizing other people's gifts and hand-me-downs with our own space confines[31:30] The quiet genius of the "Someday Maybe" technique Resources mentioned: Decluttered: Mindful Organizing for Health, Home, and Beyond This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! Join our (free!) Facebook community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com. Thanks to E-Cloth for being the feature sponsor of this episode! Use my code "Minimalists15" for 15% off sitewide: https://us.e-cloth.com/

In our hyper-capitalist society, it's often implied that the only things worth savoring are the really fancy, really shiny, really new, and really exotic. Let's push back against that narrative by finding the glimmers, also known as those simple moments of pleasure that pop up during our days.We minimalists already know that it's in the small things that beauty lies. On today's show: Research-backed ways to spot life's glimmers and reap the most joy possible from every instance. Here's a preview:[8:00] Glimmers are all around us all the time. Are you paying attention?[16:00] Savoring offers many wellness benefits. One of them? It's an active way to fight back against our innate negativity bias[26:00] Introducing savoring's evil cousin, dampening (plus: how to stop it right this second)[32:00] Add in some effort! Determine a glimmer in your life and get optimizing[37:00] Downtime is a necessary part of life (it's also a time when we are most available to catch the glimmers)[42:00] Say it loud and say it proud! Verbalize the simple pleasures as a means of extending and expanding the pleasure Resources mentioned: Episode #439: The Negativity Bias Aro   This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! **If you're a financial supporter over on Apple Podcasts and want to join book club, please email me and let me know! For privacy reasons, Apple won't share your contact info with me. Just email me and I'll happily add you!** Join our (free!) Facebook community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.  

We talk an awful lot about "climate science" and "what climate scientists predict" on this podcast. Today, I'm talking to one of them. What exactly are the next 100 years likely going to look like for humans? What needs to happen for the US to mobilize for real? On today's show: A conversation with Michael Barnard about climate solutions, with an emphasis on that pesky air conditioning problem.  Here's a preview:[9:00] When it comes to cooling the planet, here's why my guest is "cautiously optimistic" despite the impending "ugly process"[14:00] Why climate change must first become impossible to ignore[20:00] The hotter it gets, the cooler we need our homes to be. And yet cooling our homes demands energy, which heats the planet more[27:00] Do we need to worry about mass electric grid failures in summer months?[32:00] Exactly why heat pumps are our collective heating and cooling future Resources mentioned: The New Climate War: The Fight To Take Back Our Planet (by Michael E. Mann) Proven Climate Solutions: Leading Voices on How to Accelerate Change   This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! Join our (free!) Facebook community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com. Thanks to E-Cloth for being the feature sponsor of this episode! Use code "Minimalists15" for 15% off sitewide: https://us.e-cloth.com/

When it comes to environmental concerns, there's certainly plenty to worry about at the moment. Whether you and your family is eating microplastics on the regular may not be your list of top concerns.But it’s an important topic to cover. While the health effects of microplastics on humans are not fully understood, common sense measures that reduce our exposures to both the plastic itself and also the endocrine-disrupting chemicals that are on and in such particles are certainly prudent. On today's show: How to eat, drink, and inhale fewer microplastics as you go about your days. Here's a preview:[6:00] Synthesizing the latest research into the effects of microplastics on human health[11:00] Stop eating microplastics! 3 practical action steps in the kitchen[27:00] Inhalation and absorption matters: Why vacuuming and dusting helps[35:00] 3 (super easy) ways to reduce your plastics exposure when you're out and about Resources mentioned: Episode #393: Single-Use Poison Episode #466: Toxic Fashion E-Cloth Numi Tea   This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! Join our (free!) Facebook community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.

In 1901, American families spent 20% of their income on non-necessities.  But 123 years later? These days that figure has risen to 50%. Many of us spend hard-earned money in hopes of acquiring things that money can't buy, and the result? Nearly 3 and 4 of Americans identify finances as a top stressor in their lives.Marketers have created consumer desire, sure, but it's entirely possible to spend in alignment with your values. In a world of disposable incomes, global warming, and far too much cortisol, we need values-based spending now more than ever, because spending on your core values benefits your wallet, your sanity, and the planet all at once.On today's show author Jill Sirianni encourages us to drill down our core values so we spend less, save more, and recenter our lives around what's actually important. Here's a preview:[8:30] The Number One reason not to buy to solve your problems (It rarely works!)[15:00] Faith, Family, Friends, and Fulfilling work: Identifying core values and the Four Fs[18:00] It's not deprivation, but it could be sacrifice ... How does self-care fit into the values-based spending conversation?[26:00] Nailing down your values and curb impulse spending for good Resources mentioned: Buy What You Love Without Going Broke Frugal Friends Podcast Thanks to E-Cloth for being the feature sponsor of this episode! Use my code "Minimalists15" for 15% off sitewide at: https://us.e-cloth.com/  This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! Join our (free!) Facebook community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.  

Once upon a time (oh, about 175 years ago) we were epic creators. Human hands made things, grew things, built things, and even invented things on the regular. But these days? By and large, we identify as consumers, and our hands are mostly used for typing and swiping.And yet, when we consume too much, many of us experience stress, anxiety, and depression. We know it because we're living it: Our possessions can possess us. If we create more, we may very likely consume less. On today's show: Moving the needle of contentment away from over-consumption back to self-sufficiency by highlighting what research has to say about the wellness benefits associated with using our hands to create. Here's a preview:[4:30] Exactly when and how did we lost our collective abilities to create (Here's lookin' at you, mail-order catalog)[9:30] Our hands are marvels. Marvels, I say![15:00] Crafting is good for you, so pick up those knitting needles, woodworking tools, or art supplies[20:00] In defense of active leisure (and I do mean active!)[24:00] Puzzles, board games, and the wellness benefits associated with "supercharged socializing" Resources mentioned: Book Club is August 5! 2 meetings this time around at 12pm EST and at 7pm EST. Join us! Working With Your Hands Is Good for Your Brain (via The New York Times) Handmade (by Gary Rogowski)   This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! Join our (free!) Facebook community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.  

Tomatoes, green beans, peaches, and so much more: Our great-grandmas knew a thing or two about food preservation, and yet these days few of us can. It's a time- and labor-intensive practice, sure. But it's also a self-sufficient life skill. Whether you grow some or all of your own food or seek out bargains at the store and farmers' market, canning the season's bounty means you'll be eating well all year round. You'll also be participating in a nearly waste-free practice (no plastic to see here!). Back to our great-grandmas for a hot minute: They infused love in every jar, and so can you. On today's show author Sarah Thrush invites us to go back to food preservation basics with advice on how to integrate canning into a self-sufficient, money-saving, and sustainable lifestyle. Here's a preview:[10:00] Say it loud, say it proud: There's no self-sufficiency without community![15:00] The #1 Rule of canning, plus: why it's super important to start small[19:0o] The One Week, One Month, One Year principle: Here's exactly how Sarah keeps enough food on hand to feed her family for an entire year[25:00] Troubleshooting the most common canning conundrums[33:00] Take it outside and make it a party! The benefits to canning outside with your familyThanks to E-Cloth for being the feature sponsor of this episode! Use code "Minimalists15" for 15% off sitewide: https://us.e-cloth.com/Resources mentioned: Preserving With A Purpose: Next Generations Canning Recipes and Wisdom Sarah on TikTok @peeliesandpetals Superb canning lids This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting!  Join our (free!) Facebook community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.