SUAY, Reading, Slow Shopping
Welcome friends and readers:
Joan Didion kept an infamous packing list taped inside her closet door: two skirts, two shirts, one sweater, two pairs of shoes, stockings, underwear, a robe, slippers, toiletries, a mohair throw, legal pads, files, a typewriter, cigarettes, bourbon, and her house key - all in two bags, one to check, one to carry. While this list may feel dated, it speaks to an essential truth: there is power in decisiveness, simplicity, and order. After an amazing vacation to Patagonia this past winter, with its constant packing and unpacking, I was reminded that having fewer choices was both mentally and physically beneficial. Less heavy lifting, less decision fatigue, less time wasted - and more joy. This same principle applies perfectly to our homes. If you can get past the paywall, this article brilliantly explores these ideas. Here are a few things I've been thinking about lately...
Suay
As a professional organizer, dropping my clients' unwanted clothing and home goods at Goodwill is a weekly ritual. While it's important to me to keep items out of landfills, Goodwill only accepts clean items in good condition. For pieces that don't make the cut, there's SUAY. “SUAY IT FORWARD is a fully circular textile recycling program that collects textile waste from the community, repurposing it into remade apparel and home goods.” They accept most everything - even clothing with rips, stains, or holes. The process is simple: purchase a bag, fill it with clothing, and mail it back free of charge. As a bonus, you receive $20 in store credit (the cost of the bag) to use on their upcycled products. I have my eye on some amazing pillows and a jacket. I am also obsessed with their community dye bath. Through a monthly rotation of color palettes, you can send in your faded, stained or tired textiles to be overdyed in their communal baths. Definitely check it out!
Reading
For many readers, nothing compares to the experience of holding a new book—the smell of the paper, an artfully arranged bookcase, or a dog-eared corner. For me, however, my heart belongs to my Kindle. As an avid reader, if I were to buy and house all the books I read in a year, I would certainly run out of space almost immediately. While I could visit the library instead of the bookstore, my Kindle and Libby app combination offers better access and a convenient way to organize my reading. Libby keeps track of what I've read, what I want to read, and when my next book will become available. It's especially helpful when traveling, eliminating the need to carry multiple heavy books. Though browsing a bookstore and coming home with something special remains a treat, digital reading has become my preferred way to consume books. Looking for your next great read? Here are some of my recent faves: "Wellness" by Nathan Hill, "The Husbands" by Chandler Baker, "My Murder" by Katie Williams, "Before the Coffee Gets Cold" by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, "No Two Persons" by Erica Bauermeister, "The Rachel Incident" by Caroline O'Donoghue . If you have any recs, please pass along. Happy reading!
Slow Shopping
With the world spinning so quickly, many are finding comfort in slowness: slow food, slow travel, slow fashion, slow living - and now, slow shopping. At its core, slow shopping is a mindful approach that prioritizes careful consideration over impulse, quality over quantity. It means resisting the constant pull of sales, point-of-purchase items, Instagram ads, abandoned cart reminders, and emotional spending. This deliberate approach benefits not just the environment and your finances, but your living space as well. When we declutter our homes, we are ridding our space of items that do not serve us. This is often a challenging process due to the emotional, physical, and psychological weight of facing all we've spent money and time on. Now imagine if those items were never purchased in the first place. Clutter begins at the point of purchase. While you can spend countless hours sorting and organizing your belongings, if you don't transform how you consume going forward, the clutter will inevitably creep back in. While some members of my family have embraced a "no-buy" year, you can start with simpler strategies: waiting 24 hours before making a purchase, keeping (and sticking to) a shopping list, or unsubscribing from marketing emails.
