Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Speaker 1: Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 1: Today's tip is to buy those snow pants. That is,
Speaker 1: if you have realized that a certain purchase would enable
Speaker 1: a fun experience or make life more enjoyable, go ahead
Speaker 1: and get it. Even if you are worried about clutter.
Speaker 1: As long as it doesn't break the bank, you will
Speaker 1: probably be happy you did. I recently moved, and during
Speaker 1: the month long process of unpacking my family's possessions, I
Speaker 1: have definitely been feeling like we have more than enough stuff.
Speaker 1: I am not sure that we ever need to buy
Speaker 1: more stuff. But then I remember that stuff comes in
Speaker 1: different categories. There is this stuff that feels mostly like clutter.
Speaker 1: I'm thinking of all the glassware we never use. But
Speaker 1: then there is stuff that enables experiences, for instance, snow pants.
Speaker 1: If you live somewhere where it snows, you know that
Speaker 1: snow can, of course be wet and cold and miserable.
Speaker 1: It can also be a lot of fun to stomp
Speaker 1: around and play in. The difference tends to be good gear.
Speaker 1: Most of us own coats and hats and mittens. You
Speaker 1: likely have snow pants for your kids, But do you
Speaker 1: have snow pants for you? If not, you might be
Speaker 1: subtly avoiding outdoor snowy situations, not wishing to become damp,
Speaker 1: which makes sense. But sledding down a hill is lots
Speaker 1: of fun. Snowball fights and building snowmen can be lots
Speaker 1: of fun too. All that stands between you and doing
Speaker 1: those things is a good pair of snow pants. Well,
Speaker 1: and I guess boots, but it is far more likely
Speaker 1: that you already own boots. Snow Pants tend to be
Speaker 1: the missing piece, so why not get a pair? Now
Speaker 1: is a great time of year to do so if
Speaker 1: you live in a cold and snowy climate. Retailers are
Speaker 1: probably putting their winter stuff on sale in preparation for spring.
Speaker 1: But whatever the groundhogs says, we still have a lot
Speaker 1: more winter left to go. Snow Pants are often a
Speaker 1: good item to buy a secondhand, too, as they tend
Speaker 1: to get worn just a few times per year. You
Speaker 1: might even score an old pair for free on your
Speaker 1: local buy nothing group. If you try, then when it
Speaker 1: snows next, you will be prepared to go dive into
Speaker 1: the stuff. You can make memories and have a lot
Speaker 1: more fun one item can enable that the same is
Speaker 1: true with various other things. I am so happy that
Speaker 1: we wound up doing gas fireplaces in the new house.
Speaker 1: It is so lovely to simply turn on the fire
Speaker 1: for thirty minutes when I want to feel cozy. It's
Speaker 1: making me almost enjoy winter. A baby backpack has enabled
Speaker 1: perhaps a hundred family hikes over the years. We used
Speaker 1: ours for all five babies and have been able to
Speaker 1: enjoy lots of outdoor exercise even when we've had kids
Speaker 1: too young to move themselves. That one purchase made about
Speaker 1: fifteen years ago enabled that. Now I know, it is
Speaker 1: possible to buy stuff and then not use it. This
Speaker 1: happens all the time. Probably most stuff is like that.
Speaker 1: Ask the great many people who have some piece of
Speaker 1: exercise equipment functioning as a place to store clothes that
Speaker 1: they also don't wear. M We have to be careful
Speaker 1: with these things, and even if you determine you would
Speaker 1: use something, you might not need to buy it. Some
Speaker 1: experiences can be enabled by borrowing things. For instance, it
Speaker 1: is just as easy to rent ice skates at our
Speaker 1: local outdoor ice skating rink as it is to buy
Speaker 1: our own, probably easier since the kid's feet keep getting bigger.
Speaker 1: The ice skating rink has all sizes. But as the
Speaker 1: season's change, it's a good time to reflect on what
Speaker 1: might be missing and if a simple purchase could enable
Speaker 1: a lot more fun. If so, do yourself a favor
Speaker 1: and make that happen. Joy is worth investing in. Much
Speaker 1: stuff is clutter, but if stuff enables making memories, that
Speaker 1: is an entirely different thing. In the meantime, this is Laura.
Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of
Speaker 1: our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you.
Speaker 1: You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.
Speaker 1: Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at
Speaker 1: Before Breakfast pod. That's b E the number four, then
Speaker 1: Breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me an
Speaker 1: email at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media dot
Speaker 1: com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.
Speaker 1: Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch.
Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is a production of I Heart Radio. For
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