Christmas often works against our efforts to declutter and simplify our homes, so this year we tried four strategies to minimize excess without losing the magic of Christmas morning. It mostly worked—there was one memorable misstep—but overall it felt calmer and more intentional. We also have very different approaches to New Year’s resolutions, so we share a few things we’re committing to for 2018. On top of that, our big duplex renovation already hit a snag before it began, and a surprising TV experiment featuring nudity has made us rethink our relationship with possessions.
You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, and Spotify — or listen to it below. Use this page to find the links, notes, and photos we mention. Note: If you’re reading in a feed reader, you might need to click through to the post to see the player.
What’s New
- We originally discussed the duplex, the roofline changes we’re proposing, and the approval process with the town’s historic review board in Episode #76.
- Below is the current look of the duplex:
- We also talk about how a minimalist approach crept into our Christmas in Episode #30, and how the book Simplicity Parenting helped us manage our kids’ toys in Episode #45 (embedded below).
- Here’s a photo we shared from Christmas morning. A few people asked about items pictured: the 20″ bike and the smaller balance bike were the larger grandparent gifts, and we also picked up a pretty set of books for our daughter.
- Santa delivered a Coji coding robot to our daughter and it’s been a big hit—just beware of the less-successful toy our son received.
What’s Not Quiz
- We mention the Pinterest 100 trends for 2018 and the resurgence of patterned plants.
- We also reference a rug-stencil image Pinterest highlighted on a prior trends list—an example of DIY inspiration that’s been floating around for a few years.
Resolutions
- In Episode #30 we compiled listener-submitted “house resolutions” from our voicemail and shared some of our own goals for 2017; that segment begins around the 13:15 mark if you want to listen in.
We’re Digging
- We’ve been watching Stripped on Bravo, a provocative social experiment that’s surprisingly thought-provoking about what we own and why.
- Over the holidays we played What Do You Meme? with friends and had a blast. If you enjoy irreverent games like Cards Against Humanity, this one is a lot of fun for grown-up game nights.
If you’re trying to find something we mentioned in a past episode but don’t remember which show notes to open, we keep a master list of everything we’ve covered across episodes.
Finally, a thank-you to You Need A Budget (YNAB) for sponsoring this episode. Sign up at YNAB.com/YHL to get your first three months free.
Thanks for listening!
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