Can we go an entire month without buying anything unnecessary? That’s the challenge we’ve set for ourselves: a self-imposed month-long shopping ban. This week we talk about how Cait Flanders’ book The Year of Less inspired us, how we’ve adapted her rules to fit our lives, and what we expect from our experiment. We also share updates on the duplex renovation—which is finally moving fast—and answer some of your most common questions. Plus, a behind-the-scenes confession: filming our April Fool’s video was even more awkward than it looked on camera. And, somewhat surprisingly, a makeover show has given Sherry a little hope that the world might become a kinder place.
You can download the episode from your favorite podcast provider. Use this page for show notes, photos, and the resources we mentioned during the episode. If you’re reading in a feed reader, you may need to click through to the post to see the audio player.
What’s New
- If you missed the updates on social media, that skeletal structure in the photo above is our duplex in its completely gutted state. There are no interior walls, no roof in parts, and it looks nothing like the house we first fell for. Plenty of readers asked why we stripped it back so far, and we go through the whole thought process and timeline in the episode for anyone curious about that decision.
- Shortly after we recorded, our contractor reframed and covered the roof, which made the place feel a lot more secure. Even so, walking through rooms that were open to the sky was an unforgettable experience.
- We’re putting together a detailed progress post, but if you want a closer look at the demolition, interior layout decisions, and our plan for the new floor plan, we referenced several photos and notes during the episode that will be posted in the project archive.
That’s Embarrassing
- If you missed our April Fool’s post and the short video we made, it led to a painfully awkward interaction with the delivery guy. As we suspected, we haven’t spotted him on our route since. It was one of those moments that was mortifying in the moment and embarrassingly funny in retrospect.
Our “No Shopping” Month
We previously discussed Cait Flanders’ shopping ban and her book The Year of Less on an earlier episode, which gave us a lot of useful perspective. After thinking it over, we created our own set of rules for a month-long spending pause tailored to our family, our renovation timeline, and the needs of our kids. Below are the specifics of what we permitted and what we decided to avoid.
Things We Are Allowed To Buy
- Food, groceries, and essential kitchen supplies when we genuinely run out.
- Toiletries and household cleaning supplies, but only to replenish items we’ve actually used up.
- Gifts for others when required for birthdays or special occasions.
- Materials for home improvement projects that have already been started or planned—nothing new and unplanned.
- Children’s necessities such as school supplies or items required for their wellbeing, not optional extras.
Things We Are Not Allowed To Buy
- Books and magazines—our library and existing subscriptions cover leisure reading during the ban.
- Clothes or shoes, unless something genuinely breaks and must be replaced.
- Cosmetics and nonessential beauty products.
- Decorative household items, candles, or furniture—this is likely to be the hardest category for us.
- Electronics and new appliances that aren’t required for daily life or ongoing projects.
- Takeout coffee, specialty drinks, and impulse snacks from cafes or convenience stores.
Note: We allowed the option of using a few gift cards we already had if it became truly necessary. So far we haven’t used them; there’s a surprising psychological barrier to spending those, even when it’s permitted.
We’re Digging
- I probably should have waited to plant our outdoor planters until pollen season was over and the porch cleanup was finished, but we went ahead and started. You can still see the general idea in the photo above. Full disclosure: the three ferns shown were purchased before the shopping ban started, so buying decorative plants is not on our approved list during the month.
- One of our large planters is no longer sold at the original source, so we gathered several similar options for reference. For context, our planters measure about 21 inches tall and 18 inches square at the top. We included a short, curated list of alternatives that closely match the size and style we used.
- On the entertainment front, we mentioned a streaming reboot that moved Sherry to tears and laughter in equal measure. One particular episode about a police officer had a big emotional moment for her—if you’re curious about that episode, it’s worth watching the whole season for context, not just the single clip.
If you want to revisit any past episode topics we’ve covered, we maintain a master list of subjects and episodes that we’ve “been digging” into over time. It’s a handy reference if you want to find the show notes for a specific discussion.
Finally, special thanks to our sponsor for supporting this episode and helping make the show possible. We truly appreciate the continued support from companies that align with the projects we love and the small businesses we celebrate.
Thanks for listening and following along with our projects, experiments, and the little moments that make this all entertaining. We’ll keep sharing progress and honest updates as we go.
*This post contains affiliate links*