Joshua and Ryan talk about giving gifts, getting gifts, and sometimes refusing gifts as a minimalist during Christmastime, and they answer the following questions:
How do I address the guilt I feel when I don’t get a Christmas gift for someone that expected one? (01:13)
Can gift-giving be a love language? (21:49)
What are some clutter-free gift ideas? (25:46)
What are the three types of fun? (28:02)
What is the minimalist approach to Christmas stockings? (32:51)
What are some good charities for children? (36:50)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan talk about expired food, expired medications, expired possessions, and expired daily habits, and they answer the following questions:
How can we appropriately manage the expiration dates of everything in our lives? (00:00)
Is the expiration date listed on food the last day it can be used? (06:57)
How do I appropriately let go of perishable items that no longer serve me, especially when there was a degree of expense involved? (13:45)
What do you consider clutter? (15:21)
What can we do about expired sources of content, such as a blog with dated viewpoints, narratives, and opinions? (17:42)
How do we determine when we’ve entered a new season in life and it’s time to let go of hobbies, friendships, and dreams of past seasons? (21:41)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan talk about so-called luxury items—desiring them, purchasing them, clinging to them, understanding them, and letting go of them—and they answer the following questions:
How do you define “luxury item”? (01:10)
How do we differentiate between luxury, elegance, and trendy? (06:04)
As my fiance and I are creating our wedding registry, how do we ensure we don’t fall into the trap of exploiting the kindness of others for luxury items that will just fill the areas we just decluttered? (11:09)
What is “expensive pain”? (13:23)
What is an “alternative registry”? (15:44)
Is crowdsourcing a reasonable way to fund a honeymoon? (17:07)
Why do some pursue luxury instead of living within their means? (20:29)
What is “low-grade misery”? (36:02)
What is the ultimate luxury? (36:49)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan talk about earning a living doing work that matters with career expert, author, and Ramsey personality Ken Coleman, and they answer the following questions:
Does one have to have a “purpose” at work? (02:16)
What three elements make up one’s purpose? (03:13)
Must a purpose be a lofty pursuit? (09:33)
What do you recommend as the best options for making money on the road for those of us that want to travel and see the world? (16:00)
How do I balance pursuing a purpose with the responsibilities and obligations of being a parent and a spouse? (24:01)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan discuss The Minimalists’ Spontaneous Combustion Rule as it applies to material possessions, relationships, and homes, and they answer the following questions:
What is the Spontaneous Combustion Rule? (01:00)
How do we determine when it’s appropriate to let go of friendships, and how do we address the aftermath of loneliness when there are no new friendships to fill the void? (04:12)
What are the three types of relationships? (07:39)
How do we address the overwhelm we feel from others’ stuff when we’re living in an environment that’s not our own? (13:42)
How do we know if the desire to move to a new place that may “fit us better” is a genuine feeling and not just escapism? (24:30)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support