transcript

Speaker 1:
[00:02] Hi, I'm Sarah.

Speaker 2:
[00:03] And I'm Meagan. We're two women in our 40s who live in different states and have lots of different interests between us.

Speaker 1:
[00:10] On this show, we talk about all the Midlife Lady Leisure Pursuits we're enjoying at this stage of life, like travel, hobbies, food, wellness, style, and more.

Speaker 2:
[00:20] I'm excited today to talk about cheap and inexpensive luxuries, those little things we can do for ourselves, for comfort, that don't cost much, or maybe anything.

Speaker 1:
[00:31] Today's episode is brought to you by our exclusive season sponsor and a long time partner of ours, Vionic Shoes. I just got the EV Knit Slide Sandal, and Meagan, wow, I've been wearing Vionic Shoes for years and they're always so comfortable. But the footbed on these sandals is seriously so supportive. And of course, they're super cute and they come in a bunch of colors for spring and summer. Use the promo code MIDLIFE at vionicshoes.com for 15% off when you log in to your account. And be sure to check out the special page we've set up where you can see our favorite Vionic styles. Look for those in the show notes for this episode.

Speaker 2:
[01:06] Well, thank you to Vionic for sponsoring this episode. And let's dive right in to talking about cheap comforts.

Speaker 1:
[01:15] I love it.

Speaker 2:
[01:15] So Sarah, this idea came as I was working on a post for my substack and I'll link to that. But basically, you know, you and I shut down an entire business last spring, and it had been a full-time income for both of us for years. And it had been dwindling, but like kind of just stopped. It was like the dwindling, you know, fire hose just basically cut right off. And I knew I didn't want to step right into another full-time gig right away. What I really wanted to do instead was to scale back my life a little bit to buy me some time and space. And for me, that often doesn't really look like budgeting. I'm not that great at budgeting. It's very restrictive and I have a hard time sticking to a budget. It doesn't feel active enough. It feels too much like, here's all the stuff you can't do.

Speaker 1:
[02:01] Sure. I can see that.

Speaker 2:
[02:02] Yeah. But what I am really good at is adapting. And I'm really good at like making whatever the new normal is interesting enough that I want to sort of follow that thread. And so recently I did take another full-time job and was kind of looking back at our expenses over the last year. And I was like, wow, I really cut my spending a lot over the last year. And I realized it's because so many of the things I used to spend money on, I just don't anymore. And it's because I actually kind of created a preference for other things that don't cost money. So I kind of just have been thinking about like, why is that? Why do we think that it's more comfortable or comforting or luxurious or whatever word you're looking for to go some place and have a beverage on someone else's patio than our own patio? And that's just one tiny example. What is going on in our bodies or our minds or whatever that tells us one thing is comfort and luxury and the other is not. And I really think we can tweak that. So we all know right now there's a lot of anxiety about the economy, costs are going up, there's a lot of uncertainty, and we can't change our basic needs. Like we all need food and water and clothing and shelter. And there's nothing we can do about that. But I do think we can change how we perceive comfort and luxury because it's subjective.

Speaker 1:
[03:26] Yes, I am nodding along to everything you're saying. And I want to add another layer to this, which is I think a through line of this podcast and sort of leaning into midlife leisure is in a lot of ways discovering very simple and analog practices that have been around for generations and that kind of exist outside of the capitalist system to some degree.

Speaker 2:
[03:48] To some degree, right.

Speaker 1:
[03:49] Not entirely. We've talked about travel and we've talked about certainly some things. But I just think there's some synchronicity or it lines up nicely with other things you and I have both been exploring, which is maybe spending a little less time online or on social media, leaning into more analog and physical practices like knitting or yoga or walking. There's like, it's not a coincidence that those things are also budget-friendly. I think because the world we live in is going to really want to influence us as much as it can to spend and consume. And I just, I'm noticing a lot of women in my life, not just you and me, who feel like resisting that. Sometimes it might be because money is tight. Sometimes it also might be because that just feels better somehow.

Speaker 2:
[04:42] Yeah.

Speaker 1:
[04:43] Yeah.

Speaker 2:
[04:43] Yeah. 100% agree. And I think there's been times in my life when I've really been very, I'm not going to say, like, we're all consumers. We're all consumerists. We're living in a consumerist society. Like, how do we actually not be that? But where I've been so susceptible to that marketing and to those messages because I felt so tapped out and like I had no time to even think about how I would care for myself. Like, there was not even a moment where I could think, well, wait, if it's not spending money, what is there that I have time or space in my life to do? And I do think that as the time and space has been opening up for me, I've realized that a lot of the ways I used to try to get those little dopamine hits were actually a little hollow in the end. They were just like a temporary little fix, but they felt like a promise that probably wasn't actually delivered on. And we're getting wise to that, right? And now we have the time to do something about it. So I know everyone's in a different place. Just because you're a midlife lady does not mean you don't have young kids or a hectic job or whatever. So if you're still in the stage of life where convenience is a super premium, that might just be where you're at and that's okay. But I do still think there's just little ways to just bring different ways of finding pleasure, comfort, luxury, however we're defining it. And today I think we're just going to talk about some of those ways that we have found in our lives. So I'll start with one that is near and dear to my heart, no surprise here. And that is to choose a favorite food or a beverage and then really nerd out on making it at home. Obviously, one that I love is tea. And even really expensive tea is cheap when you make it at home. It's just that kind of product. But I've also gotten into making sourdough or cheese or yogurt. I don't think it's the specific thing you're making, and I think it can truly just be one thing. It's the immersion in it that I think gives me that feeling of sensory richness or comfort, luxury. Now, it can become expensive if you feel like now you have to go out and buy all the gear. And I think even finding ways around that can be very satisfying, like finding ways to truly DIY or look for the equipment, whatever it is. Like, let's say your thing is coffee and you need a roaster or grinder. Maybe there's a way you can do that on a very small scale that actually can feel more satisfying than it does to just acquire the accoutrement of doing that thing. But there's the actual practice of it, and then there's the outward facing trappings, I guess. And I'm talking about the art and the soul of it.

Speaker 1:
[07:42] I love that you used the phrase nerd out, because I think something that maybe stops some people. So let's say you wanted to learn to make your latte at home instead of spending $6 or whatever it is. I think what can get in the way sometimes is, like you said, there can be an upfront sort of investment, maybe in money or time in learning. But if you stick with the learning and get to the point where it is satisfying, what I have found is you're really treating yourself to exactly the way you like something. And I think it flips for me into, okay, now this is a lot of work and mess, and I spent money on this milk frother to actually like, almost like you're cheating the system. I'm going to make this better than I-

Speaker 2:
[08:28] Why would I go get it? That's how I feel about tea all the time now. Why would I pay someone else to make this for me? Yeah, but that takes time, you're right.

Speaker 1:
[08:35] So I think that's the lesson. I make cold brew coffee in the summer, spring, summer, whenever our weather is warm. So my cold brew contraption, it's not a machine you plug in, but it is sort of a large strainer contraption. It'll go away in this cupboard for four or five, six months at a time. And when I get it out and make a batch of cold brew concentrate, it smells different than hot coffee brewing. And I love the smell of hot coffee brewing too, but this has a different smell. And I just get so excited for warm weather and spring and summer and iced coffee. And so it is, it is a treat for yourself and like you said, a sensory experience that maybe is even better than what you could get for your $6. Okay, well, a few of mine that I brought to talk about today are a little more aspirational than things I'm already doing. So everyone listening take that as, this is things I would like to do. And this one is included in that category. But I think that having a standing date or phone date or FaceTime date with a family member or a friend that you want to stay connected to, something that you can look forward to and that works into your natural rhythm and natural schedule. I am just aware at this stage of life, how much those relationships mean and how busy we get. And we assume we're keeping up with our friends and family. But I have experienced a few different, the pleasure of a standing date in a few different ways. And I would like to do more of this. I also spend a ton of time driving around in my minivan. And I can just think of a few windows of time where it would be like, every Friday afternoon, I'm going to call this person. Or whatever, Sunday mornings, I FaceTime this person. So I just think that costs nothing. Maybe takes a little bit of finagling and coordinating to get going. But the recurring factor is so satisfying when you're building on conversations. And it's not just the like, we haven't caught up in so long, so now we got to cover all of the like, how's each kid doing and how's work. But like, you're actually like sort of layering that relationship building with the people already in your life. So I would like to do more of this.

Speaker 2:
[10:54] I love this. And I'm going to quickly just add on that I think, yes, like a phone date or a FaceTime date are absolutely free. I think even with in-person get-togethers, if they become a standing thing or a recurring thing, don't you feel like it opens up more possibility for planning ahead a little bit for an inexpensive date? And what I mean by that is, if I'm getting together with a friend last minute every once a year or six months or something, because neither of us put it on our calendar and now it's like, let's just do something, whatever, it's almost always going to be something we pay to do. It's almost always going to be, let's go out for a drink or let's meet up for dinner because in the moment it feels easy and you didn't have time to plan. But if you knew that every Friday afternoon, never every Friday afternoon, but let's say every second month, second first Friday of the month or something like that, you were going to get together with a particular friend, you have time and it's exciting. Now you can plan ahead. What is this adventure we could go on and maybe it's a hike or maybe it's just something that takes a little bit more of a lift. To even make sure you have the right shoes on.

Speaker 1:
[12:09] Yeah.

Speaker 2:
[12:10] Yeah.

Speaker 1:
[12:10] Absolutely. I think automating, ritualizing does free up a lot. And you're right, I think allows it to be less expensive than just dinner out. Yeah.

Speaker 2:
[12:23] So this one is something you and I have talked about before on the show and maybe not super recently. We both love the library. And I think the thing I neglected to do for a very long time is to truly shop the library because there are many offerings at the library. Yours probably has a library of things that you can check out. It could be anything from yard games I've seen. So if you're planning like a Fourth of July backyard party or a graduation party, at my local tiny little library, because I go to many libraries, but the smallest one near me, they have like badminton, you know, those little sack games, you toss the sacks, the kind of thing that you might be tempted to run out and spend 50 bucks on at the last minute because you need something for the kiss to do. Yes. And then it falls apart. They're not usually all that well made. And you know, so like things like that, or mine has a seed exchange, so you can borrow checkout seeds. And then, you know, you're supposed to, at the end of the season, bring back the seeds you've saved. But like really, how will they know?

Speaker 1:
[13:35] Right?

Speaker 2:
[13:36] You're not saying you should screw the system over on purpose. But if you're nervous that you might not have seeds to save, I wouldn't worry about that yet. I think I would just start and see where you get. And I think they'll understand if you can't for whatever reason, because your garden fails or something. Mine has passes that you can check out. There's just all kinds of things. And there's free meeting space. If you got to make a phone call or work and you need quiet, and you keep going someplace and spending $15 on lunch so you can use their Wi-Fi, you can do that at the library.

Speaker 1:
[14:11] Yes, you can.

Speaker 2:
[14:12] You can use their printers. You can use copy. Like, there's all these services and they're just there. And you get that sort of dopamine hit that you get from shopping and also the one that you get from getting away with something. It's like you get them both in one. Yeah, it's so true. It's a comfort for sure. I also just wanted to put in a quick little plug for reciprocal memberships. That is something that it's not exactly the library because that's something more like where you'd have to go to a local art museum or history museum and see if the membership comes with a reciprocal membership because if it does, you might be able to get for free into museums and other cities.

Speaker 1:
[14:52] Yes, I've always wanted to utilize this more than I have. So you just mean like if you are a member at one place, check to see where else that might get you in for free.

Speaker 2:
[15:04] Yeah, there's something called NARM. There's probably other ones too, but the one I'm familiar with is called NARM, and it's N-A-R-M, and we can link to that in the show notes, but they have a whole directory of participating. I think there's this mostly history and art, but so let's pretend that you belong to your local art museum as a member, and they're a participating member of this reciprocal arrangement. If you have the right kind of membership, sometimes it has to be a certain level, but that would get you that same level of entry, let's say, into another. If you have a family membership at one, it should get you family membership benefits to another.

Speaker 1:
[15:42] Cool.

Speaker 2:
[15:43] Just an example. And I would love to one day do a whole episode about solo dates with ourselves, because all of these things are so rich for that kind of exploration. But yeah, grab your reciprocal pass and head 30 minutes away to another town, and you can go to their museums for free.

Speaker 1:
[16:02] Yeah, I love this. On the library note, well, first of all, I want to say I have not been a very good library patron the last six months or so. I don't know why. I'm just out of the habit. But I read my libraries, my Public Library Systems email newsletter. They do a really nice job with their email marketing. It's nothing fancy, but every time it pops in my inbox, I'm like, wow, like the number of things they're doing, like lectures, gardening, like tutorials, things outside, things in the community. So if you are a little rusty on your library usage, like go get yourself a card and or sign up online and even just start paying attention. If all you did was pay attention to what they're offering, I bet there's some really cool things happening in your public library.

Speaker 2:
[16:50] Can we make a quick comment about getting a library card? Because I feel like if you didn't grow up going to libraries, even that can seem much more like a scary thing than it is. At least at my library, it is super easy. You just go in, show them your driver's license, and they just give you a purpose. It's not hard at all. You don't have to do a credit report. You know, they're not going to like, they're not going to check. You don't have to bring in pieces of mail. I mean, some places might be different, but in mine, it's very, very easy. And it's immediate.

Speaker 1:
[17:23] Yeah. Yes. No, they want you. They want you using that right away.

Speaker 2:
[17:27] Yes. Yep.

Speaker 1:
[17:28] Ours even has a certain level of library membership you can sign up for online and get immediate access to some of their online resources. And then I think I think it's sort of like a limited, like if you wanted to do library of things or some of the other things you would have to go in and probably show your residency or something. But yeah, they want it to be easy. So this is reading related, and I'll just mention it now. This is not something I've done, but this is completely free and something I would like to do. And that is to read the same book as a friend and talk about it. Again, it could be a long distance friend, it could be worked into your weekly phone chats. But doing a buddy read, I think this is becoming a little more trendy, almost like a book club, but way lower stakes than a book club. But just like, oh my gosh, let's read this same book at the same time and chat about it. So I feel like my mom and I have read a lot of the same books, not always at the same time. You and I have read some similar books at similar times. It wouldn't take, it's not a heavy lift to do that a tiny bit more intentionally. And I just think it could be a fun thing to keep you reading, keep you connected to a friend. I still aspire to book clubbery at some point in midlife. I just haven't done it. So this feels like a baby step that I would like to do.

Speaker 2:
[18:46] I love that. And I bet you and I have accidentally done this a couple of times where we just happened to be reading the same book around the same time.

Speaker 1:
[18:53] Yeah, we did it with that.

Speaker 2:
[18:54] It would have been more fun.

Speaker 1:
[18:56] That Facebook memoir, that was really close. I think I read it and you read it like a week or two later, and we chatted about it. Yeah.

Speaker 2:
[19:03] But then sometimes if you wait too long, you forget. So like, yes, having a plan to actually read at the exact same time is a good idea.

Speaker 1:
[19:10] Yeah. Okay. Well, I'm switching to a very sensory luxury, and that is an evening shower or bath. And maybe you do this all the time. Maybe this is not out of the ordinary. But for me, an evening shower is kind of an occasional thing. And the way I would make it like extra pampering is just take, you know, the showers or baths where you do all the things, all your legs, maybe you have an extra conditioning treatment or a mask or something that like you don't do every time. For me, I might like remove any old polish from my nails and toenails and file those after I get out. Like literally like the full reset, like the full meal deal. And doing that in the evening is such a nice physical wind down. I know we talked about heat and cold therapy, so this is a little like slight repeat from a recent episode. But the best thing would be to do that early in the evening and get into bed at an absurdly early time, like 7.45 or 8 or something with a book. And then if I had cleaned, if I had just washed my sheets that day, that would be, that entire thing would cost nothing, because I would already have the products. I'm not talking about going out and getting products or anything. But just gifting yourself like a super long wind down, ignoring everything else that's happening in your house and getting into bed by 8 o'clock in clean sheets with a book and a clean body. That just sounds so nice. I want to do it today.

Speaker 2:
[20:39] There is nothing to me more luxurious than getting into bed early enough that you can read sitting up. And that means by what I mean by that is I always read in bed before I fall asleep. But often it's like I get in horizontal.

Speaker 1:
[20:55] Yeah, me too.

Speaker 2:
[20:56] And I'm just reading on my Kindle for like 10 minutes and zonking. So it's not the same as when you get in there early enough that you're like, okay, I'm going to fluff the pillows. I'm going to turn on my bedside lamp. I'm going to get myself real snuggly and cuddly and like spend some very intentional time in bed. And if you did it after having taken a long bath or shower with all the things and like, I don't know, you know, maybe have a tea with you or something, like make a whole thing of it and just spend like an hour sitting up in bed. It feels amazing.

Speaker 1:
[21:31] Yes.

Speaker 2:
[21:32] I was going to add about while you're in the bath, I find that using a Gua Sha tool on your whole body in the bath is nice. I get really tight calves and my shins, and you can kind of use that, you know, the little edge of the Gua Sha tool that kind of pokes out.

Speaker 1:
[21:47] Yeah.

Speaker 2:
[21:48] You know, you can really get into those fascia areas, which feels really nice. And a homemade scrub, you can make it with some kosher salt or any salt or sugar, and a few drops of oil. And if you have like an essential oil, a drop or two of that, and just like it will take you five minutes, and then you will have a spa scrub is basically those ingredients.

Speaker 1:
[22:13] Yeah. I guess I didn't realize. I know people do make their own homemade scrubs. I think even Violet has done it. But I guess I just didn't realize that it's that easy.

Speaker 2:
[22:21] It really is that easy. Now, if you want it to have chunks of rose petals and stuff in it, that's a little bit different. But the basic ingredients are salt or sugar and oil.

Speaker 1:
[22:31] Yeah.

Speaker 2:
[22:31] And then something that smells good. So, just putting that-

Speaker 1:
[22:34] We're recording this on a Monday morning, but I want it to be Sunday night again and just do this whole thing.

Speaker 2:
[22:39] You're like, actually, I'm going to go to bed at 5 o'clock tonight.

Speaker 1:
[22:44] Yeah.

Speaker 2:
[22:45] Oh, my gosh. Okay, so this next one I have is maybe a little bit more, I don't know, it's a little vaguer. I don't have a super, it's not like use a guasha and make a salt scrub. But it's to pair activities together in a way that feels special and maybe a little curated. I mentioned at the very beginning, I love to sit outside with the beverage. Like if I go to a restaurant and the weather, I know you live in California where the weather is often nice enough. But in Michigan, we have a window of time where it's like sitting on a patio weather. And so if it's nice enough to do that, and that restaurant happens to have space available on their patio or their deck, something about it seems to up the luxury level for me like 10X.

Speaker 1:
[23:32] Yeah.

Speaker 2:
[23:33] Now that is something that I will continue to spend money on because I like it and I do that sometimes. But you know, I can also just take a beverage outside my own house. And it still feels pretty luxurious. Maybe it's not 10X, but it's like 5X. Now, say you put that beverage into a travel mug and you take it to the beach or on a hike and then enjoy it along the trail. Now, I feel like I'm up in the 15 to 20X range. Because I'm indulging in multiple sensory experiences together and I'm sort of curating a whole experience for myself in the way we might expect that we have to wait for someone else to do for us.

Speaker 1:
[24:21] Yeah, yeah. It just takes that little bit of extra forethought is all. Is like, as you're talking, I'm thinking about in this stage of life, I do still spend quite a bit of time like driving somewhere to get a kid or waiting for a kid somewhere. And every time that I pack myself a little snack to look forward to, or I save a podcast episode or choose a music, like choose an album, like I'm just deciding to make this time a sensory pleasure for myself. And every time I do, it's so much better. It's like sort of, like you said, curating the experience as opposed to letting life just throw at whatever it's got at you.

Speaker 2:
[25:03] And we like to kind of make fun of expensive travel mugs. I get it. Sometimes they're a little bit outlandish, how much they cost.

Speaker 1:
[25:11] Yeah.

Speaker 2:
[25:11] But I think the one I have that I used the most was $40. It's my tea infuser mug. I use it all the time, all the time. I have probably made 200 mugs of tea with me. Now, by the way, it's the same tea I made for myself in the morning. So I had my mug, I sat around, you know, I did my thing in the morning with my morning situation. And then if there's a little bit left, or if I have enough life left in the leaves to re-steep them, I just do it in the travel mug and take it with me when I go. And so now it's like, OK, I've got this thing to take with me. There's no reason for me to go spend money on this particular thing. Maybe there's something else I'd like to spend money on today, but not this.

Speaker 1:
[25:56] Right.

Speaker 2:
[25:56] And now I could take it to the beach and sit on a bench and have a little time.

Speaker 1:
[26:01] Speaking of things that go the distance that you can sit on, I have a blanket. Well, I was thinking like, you've got your mug. I have a blanket that I think I've had it for like six years. It's kind of like a, it's not, I guess it's probably a cotton woven. It almost looks like a throw rug, but it is a beach blanket. Does that make sense?

Speaker 2:
[26:24] But is it one of those ones that shakes out the sand really easily?

Speaker 1:
[26:27] No, it's not high tech. It's almost old school. And when I bought it, I remember feeling like it was a little splurge for myself, but it's nice and thick. It's not water resistant. It's not fancy. It's not high tech. I'll post a link. Like I said, it almost looks like a throw rug rather than a blanket, but it is a beach blanket. And having that and just having that to put on a cold bench or a cold bleacher, if I'm at Violet's Cheer Game, again, is like the thing I bought once that makes those experiences just a notch up.

Speaker 2:
[27:05] All right. Well, I just have one more, and this is the perfect time of year for it because there are flowers everywhere outside. And I just wanted to say that anytime I have fresh flowers on my kitchen table, even if they're weeds out of my yard, it is luxurious. It feels like a comfort. If I can't find them anywhere, for whatever reason, nothing is growing. Sometimes you can find them really cheap, like at a roadside stand. When I go to the farmer's market where we get our milk and a few other things, often the farmer's kids are selling little bunches of flowers for like a buck. So there's places to find them that's not like walking into your grocery store and, you know, getting kind of like spending top dollar on not that great flowers.

Speaker 1:
[27:55] Yeah.

Speaker 2:
[27:55] You can, with a little extra work, find them, but there's probably something growing in your backyard or your neighborhood that you can take, and I don't mean out of someone's yard, but, you know, like out of the boulevard or out of your own yard, out of a public park, if they allow it. There's just, there's lots of wildlife out there, and it feels good to put it on our counters.

Speaker 1:
[28:14] It does, and I love this tip so much, and I go through phases where I'm better at this than others. But if you also have little jars or little bud vases, you can get them at the thrift store for $2. Small vases can really elevate little handpicked things. And so, just putting three or four small bud vases on your counter or on a dining room table, and then filling them even grasses and greenery from your yard. It doesn't have to be florals. The florals are pretty. So yes, I love this tip. If you do have Trader Joe's near you, the hype is real. Trader Joe's florals are very inexpensive.

Speaker 2:
[28:57] Although they're the exception to the supermarket rule.

Speaker 1:
[29:00] Yeah. And often it's not a bouquet that someone else has put together. It's like a whole bunch of like cat tails or pussy willows, or like the things that will last for a very long time. They're almost dried or semi-dried. So you're not, this is not going to wilt in three days. Now that said, I have even stopped buying a lot of Trader Joe's flowers because I so prefer to just do it for absolutely free. From my yard, and yes, I do live in California. But yes, I fully endorse this tip. I love it. And I also need to get back to this as spring is upon us.

Speaker 2:
[29:35] You know, something else I've been doing lately. This happened by accident the first time. I think we went on vacation or something and all the water dried up out of the vase and then the flowers dried really pretty. Oh, that I was like, and then you just keep them forever. You could just truly keep them out, I guess, until they turn into dust. Not all flowers work that way. You know, roses will just often shed all their petals, but sometimes not. I find that like the kind of thicker ones that, I don't know, they just hold together a little bit differently can look really, really pretty if you, the key is to make sure when they start to dry out that you empty the water. I think I just lucked out that they didn't mold because that must have been, they must have been drying out just as the water was drying up, if that makes sense. Yeah, so anyway, that's another fun thing to try. I think it kind of goes hand in hand with that. It's more satisfying to experiment with yourself and to really understand it and sort of see what's happening with it than just to buy something at the store. Then you have no connection to it.

Speaker 1:
[30:39] Yeah. I think this is just like a general reminder as we get close to wrapping up. But there are buy nothing groups are usually run through Facebook and there might be other like buy sell trade. I'm not talking about purchasing second hand because that in itself can be a little bit of an expensive hobby as someone who gets sucked into buying second hand things. I'm talking about spending nothing and just either getting rid of the stuff you don't want, working out trades or getting stuff for free from somebody who is giving it away. So I'm always a little envious of people who have really thriving buy nothing groups because if you're not familiar, the whole structure of these buy nothing groups is that they're hyper local. It should be right in not just your city or your town, but your immediate area. My immediate area is spread out and semi-rural and so mine is not as active. But I know people who are both shedding the things they don't need, which is its own form of self-care, I think when we're lightening our load, but also finding stuff completely for free through their by nothing group. So if you haven't dabbled, that is another way. And we talked about the dopamine hit of the library. The dopamine hit, maybe someone's getting rid of some party supplies or spring decor or something that you might just use for a season or two, but if it's going to brighten your mood or brighten your home, and then you'll pass it on to someone else. It's no harm, no foul in terms of consumerism. So I love that.

Speaker 2:
[32:15] I love that, and I love just the resetting of your brain to look there first or to be open to that as a possibility. I think it can take a little bit of a shift or an adaptation, but once you've made that shift, it really starts to feel like that is the way. That is the way to experience that, and the levels of satisfaction are so high. Now, I have not been in a by nothing group in a long time because I don't really feel like we have great ones here. Maybe I'm wrong. I haven't looked lately. But my experience with by nothing groups or like free cycle groups was very much, it's not like, let's just, for people who aren't familiar, it's not like Facebook marketplace. You're not searching for what you want necessarily. It's more people post what they have.

Speaker 1:
[33:04] Yes, exactly. And you pop in and browse, and I was thinking about these other suggestions we gave today, you might find, you're not maybe looking for a new gardening project, but what if you found that someone was giving away a bunch of cute small pots and some potting soil that they didn't need? Like just the discovery of it, like you said, you're not going on there to search, you're going on there to see what's there. And maybe what's there is a completely free or super cheap little project for you or for your family or for your kids.

Speaker 2:
[33:38] Yeah. Well, this has been such a fun conversation, Sarah. I'm personally feeling really inspired to lean in. I think I'm going to join my By Nothing group. I'm going to see how it is. I don't want to see what's there. I'll give it another fair shake. Facebook has come a long way since I last tried to be part of it. So we'll see. But I also wanted to give everyone a reminder that you can find our expanded episode story with photos and links. And I feel like this one will have quite a few links on Substack at midlifeladyleisurepursuits.substack.com. And that's also where you'll find the special page we have set up with some of our favorite Vionic styles. Use the promo code midlifeatvionicshoes.com for 15% off.

Speaker 1:
[34:18] Thanks for being here, everybody. We'll talk to you soon.