#142: The Kitchen Is Grosser Than You Think

So it turns out there are some weird spots in the kitchen where germs go to party – so we are learning more about that (and what you can do about it), as well as talking about why we gave up on those meal delivery kits and found a better solution for our family. We are also talking about how shopping for your home can be lively, but it can also be frustrating and time-consuming. So we are sharing our pointers for how to streamline your hunt and pick things with confidence. Plus, you will hear how our backyard is at last winning the war against our hungry deer, and what new face thing Sherry is obsessed with now.

You can also find this episode on your go-to podcast listening app, like Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, TuneIn Radio, Stitcher, and Spotify.

What is New

• We originally took a bunch of meal delivery kits for a spin in Episode #66. You can hear more about what we thought in that episode, but I think our general conclusion was that Hello Fresh was our go-to of the bunch – the recipes were good, not too complicated, and not too pricey.
• We hadn’t tried Home Chef’s boxes at the time, but below is a peek at one of the a la carte, single box meals we picked up at the grocery store lately. Remember, none of these are sponsored, we buy them ourselves, simply to see what we like (and what we do not).

• And you can hear about last year’s landscaping massacre in Episode #99 and how we were trying some weird/gross techniques to deter the deer from munching on our new landscaping any further. You can see below how they stripped off any new growth that was within their reach.

• This is what those same bushes and trees are looking like now, after all of our faithful applications of Liquid Fence over the last year-ish (as discussed in Episode #105).

• I know it is kind of hard to see in pictures (it all simply turns into a blob of green) but we are extra relieved that our cherry tree and gingko tree not only survived, but came back even better than before.

What is Not Game

• Here is Real Plain’s article that we based this game on, entitled The Five Germiest Places In Your Kitchen Are not What You Think (Plus How To Clean Them)
• Their article was based on this 2013 National Science Foundation study. Meanwhile in this 2011 NSF study, they found the cutting board had one of the lowest concentrations of germs among all of the kitchen surfaces tested. Go figure.

Listener Question

• When you feel like you are burning hours and hours shopping for the “ideal” thing for your home (whether it is a light fixture, sofa, table, basket, bathroom tile, etc) we ultimately think it is worth it to hold out for something you truly enjoy and not settle…
• …buuuuut we also talked more in Episode #130 about how sometimes it is helpful to buy a low-cost placeholder to hold you over and give you more time while you keep your eyes peeled for the ideal solution (like the current secondhand coffee table in our living room).
• In short: do not settle for something meh or basic & hold out for “the one” that makes you feel especially elated. But if you’ve looked for a while, and still cannot find it – a low-cost secondhand option can assist you hold out longer for the right thing to come along (so you do not rush into buying something you are only feeling warm about because you are simply tired of not having one at all). Note: you can typically resell that secondhand thing on Craigslist later – once you find your long-term go-to – so it does not ultimately have to cost you much at all.

• We also mentioned that we have been using the Google Shopping search function a lot more lately (it is simply the “Shopping” tab on the regular Google results page) because it helps us browse plenty of sites at once – which saves us a lot of time versus searching something like “fabric shade pendant” on 10 individual home websites.

• Like any Google search, it is not ideal, but it does offer some helpful filters. Sites like Overstock and Wayfair are also good for searching a lot of options of something if you simply plug in a keyword or two – they simply will not return results for other retailers like Pottery Barn, Target, Crate & Barrel, West Elm, etc…. which is where that Shopping tab comes in.

We are Digging

• Here is a link to Highlights Magazine and Highlights High Five (the preschool version our son gets). They are both a bit more than my random guesstimate of $12/year (more like $35 – oops!). But they still make a strong gift, so much so that we got one for our 4-year-old nephew right after we recorded this episode!
• Our kids are also truly loving the specialty Hidden Pictures books, we have the Pet Puzzles one shown above, but there is also Adventure Puzzles, Playtime Puzzles, and Barnyard Puzzles.

• And that is Sherry ice roller that she uses on days when her regular jade roller simply is not sufficient (she says it is for when she’s feeling extra puffy or did not sleep well). You literally store it in the freezer so the roller part is like a cold ice pack on yo’ face.

If you are looking for something we have dug in a past episode, but do not remember which show notes to click into, here is a master list of everything we have been digging from all of our past episodes. You can also see all the books we have recommended on our Book Club page.

And lastly, a big thank you to Agility Bed for sponsoring this episode. For Memorial Day you can get 15% off your WHOLE ORDER. Simply visit AgilityBed.com and enter your email address to unlock the discount. And after the 28th, you can still use the code YHL to get $200 off a hybrid mattress of any size.

Thanks for listening, folks!

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