Christmas often works against our efforts to declutter and simplify our homes. This year we tried four practical strategies to reduce excess while preserving the joy of Christmas morning — and for the most part it worked. We had one notable misstep, but the experiment still felt like a win. We also shared our different approaches to New Year’s resolutions and a few specific goals we’re setting for 2018. On top of that, our big duplex renovation has already run into a snag before work began, and a surprising reality show featuring people with very few possessions has inspired us to rethink how we manage what we own.
You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, and Spotify — or listen to it using the player below. Use this page to find links, notes, and photos we referenced. Note: if you’re viewing in a feed reader, you may need to open the post to see the player.
What’s New
- We originally discussed the duplex — the roofline changes we’re considering and the approval process with the town’s historic review board — in Episode #76.
- Below is the current appearance of the duplex so you can see what we’re working with.
- We also talked about how minimalism found its way into our family Christmas in Episode #30, and how the book Simplicity Parenting helped us manage our kids’ toys in Episode #45 (embedded below).
- We shared an Instagram photo from Christmas morning and received several questions about items pictured: the 20″ bike and a smaller balance bike were the large gifts from grandparents, and we included a pretty set of books for our daughter.
- Santa also delivered a Coji coding robot to our daughter, which has been a big hit. Our son’s gift, however, proved less successful.
What’s Not Quiz
- We referenced the Pinterest 100 trends for 2018, which highlights patterns and design directions to watch.
- We also mentioned a specific “rug stencil” example Pinterest identified back in 2015 as an early trend illustration.
Resolutions
- In Episode #30 we compiled listener-submitted “house resolutions” from voicemail and shared our own goals for the year. If you want to hear the conversation, it starts around the 13:15 mark in that episode.
We’re Digging
- We’ve been fascinated by Stripped, a social-experiment reality show that explores how people respond when they temporarily give up most of their possessions. The premise prompted us to think about which items in our home truly matter.
- We also played the adult party game What Do You Meme? over the holidays and had a lot of laughs — if you enjoy irreverent card games like Cards Against Humanity, you might like this one.
If you’re trying to find something we mentioned in a past episode but can’t remember which show notes to check, we maintain a master list of the items and topics we’ve highlighted across episodes.
Finally, a thank-you to You Need A Budget (YNAB) for sponsoring this episode. They offered a free trial at the time of airing.
Thanks for listening and for following along as we balance family life, renovations, and the occasional experiment in minimalism.
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