Summer’s here, the kids are home from school, and if you’re like me, your house seems to feel more full than usual. Thankfully, it doesn’t take much to downsize a little and make a big impact. Here are five easy ways you can live with less.
1. Glass reusable containers
Pyrex has some nice reusable glass containers available, but my favorite way to store food is in mason jars. They are inexpensive, you can reuse them forever, and they are beautiful – especially in comparison with the ugly, cheap plastic containers you find everywhere. Also, the lids always match and are easy to replace. Why choose anything else?
2. Recycle
Your local garbage and recycling company has a list of what you can and cannot recycle. Print it out and put it above your mini waste management center to make recycling faster and easier.
3. Compost
Composting can be intimidating for the uninitiated, but it doesn’t have to be complicated! Here’s a link to a basic composting guide to get you started.
4. Buy in bulk
Cut out packaging, and your garbage stream gets reduced fast. Most grocery stores will let you bring in your own containers to fill with bulk goods as long as you bring an extra one so they can zero their scale. If you’re not sure, you can call and ask what their policy is. (Ask them in a way that makes them sound progressive, and you’re gold.)
5. Host a clothing swap
Lose weight recently? Have kids that are outgrowing all their clothes? Send out a dozen emails and host a clothing swap. Offer to take everything left at the end to a local thrift store (or maybe a consignment shop to earn some extra cash!)
Ready to make even more room? Check out my book Conquer the Clutter, now available on Amazon, and downsize your entire home in two weeks flat. (Seriously.)
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Dusti Arab, Fractional CMO
And the founder of the reinvention co, a marketing consultancy specializing in working with personality-driven companies with small teams.
Intense, fun, and relentlessly practical, Dusti understands the lives of small business owners are deeply intertwined with their businesses, and if their marketing is going to be sustainable, it can't get in the way of why they do what they do. (And honestly? It should be fun so they actually want to do it.)
She is the host of Referral Worthy, a podcast for small business owners ready to go from "best kept secret" to the go-to name in their niche.