Life lately

Abby’s enjoying the unseasonably warm weather in North Carolina.

Sarah’s family’s been feeling creative–writing for her, painting for HP, and children’s book making for Neil.

Reading lately

Abby’s reading Lab Girl, a memoir by Hope Jahren. She provides a window into the world of science academia, with specific attention to what it is like to be a woman in such a male-dominated field.

Sarah needed a break after A Little Life and flew through Lauren Graham’s Talking As Fast As I Can. While the celebrity memoir was not particularly memorable, it was fun to read after watching the recent Gilmore Girls Revival.

Housing: Our experiences and thoughts on renting vs. owning

We describe our experiences renting and owning, what we’ve learned, and the benefits and drawbacks of both housing situations.

Resources we mentioned:

• Mr. Money Mustache, Rent vs. Buy: If you have to ask, you should probably rent
• Jim Collins: Why your house is a terrible investment and Rent vs owning your home, opportunity cost and running some numbers
• Mad FIentist podcast: Denouncing the cult of home-ownership
• New York Times rent vs. own calculator

Eating lately

Sarah’s been making lots of soups (it’s soup season!). One of her favorites is similar to this African Peanut Soup if you add kidney beans.

Abby’s been cooking breakfast burritos with peppers, eggs, cheese, beans, and potatoes. They are perfect for brunches that require a gluten-free option.

If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!

Life lately

Sarah and Abby recap their winter breaks which, included snow, travel, and unfortunately, sickness.

Reading lately

Sarah is reading A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, which is a beautifully written character-driven novel. The descriptions of abuse are hard to read and it is pushing her to the edge of what she can handle as a reader.

Abby is reading The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, a classic dystopian novel that feels particularly relevant given our country’s political climate.

You can find Kady’s book cover papercuts, including one of The Handmaid’s Tale, at By the Cover Project. You can also check out her website or follow her on Instagram to see more of her amazing art.

Stuff, minimalism, and letting go

We describe the history of our relationship with stuff, what books have influenced our journey, whether or not we consider ourselves minimalists, what our partners have thought of our purging, and whether we have ever regretted getting rid of something.

Books mentioned in this segment:

• The Happiness Project: Or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun by Gretchen Rubin
• Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo
• Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui: Free Yourself from Physical, Mental, Emotional and Spiritual Clutter Forever by Karen Kingston
• Everything that Remains: A Memoir by the Minimalists by Joshua Fields Milburn and Ryan Nicodemus
• You Can Buy Happiness (and It’s Cheap!): How One Woman Radically Simplified her Life and You Can Too by Tammy Strobel
• Clutterfree with Kids: Change Your Thinking. Discover New Habits. Change Your Home by Joshua Becker

Eating lately

Abby has discovered the Kitchn’s stovetop mac and cheese. It only has five ingredients and turns out perfectly cheesy every time.

Sarah is happy to have rediscovered a cookie of her childhood Liegnizter Bomben. Special thanks to her sister for reviving the family recipe!

If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!

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