No-Buy Low-Buy Update

Summary

Feminist Survival Project: Episode Summary - "No-Buy Low-Buy Update"

Release Date: May 15, 2025
Hosts: Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski

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Introduction to the No-Buy Low-Buy Challenge

In this episode of the Feminist Survival Project, hosts Emily and Amelia Nagoski delve into their ongoing No-Buy Low-Buy initiative—a strategy aimed at reducing unnecessary purchases while addressing essential needs sustainably. The conversation primarily revolves around their recent shopping experiences, challenges posed by supply chain disruptions, and strategies to maintain a minimalist yet functional household.

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Sustainable Household Solutions

Amelia shares her recent endeavor to organize her deck on Cape Cod:

“So I finally just did it. I spent $300 on the exact right thing with the exact right measurements made of metal, not plastic, so that it's at least metal, not plastic. [03:00]” – Amelia

Amelia discusses her quest for a secondhand deck box to minimize environmental impact but ultimately opts for a new, durable metal option from IKEA. The difficulty in resisting IKEA's enticing designs is humorously highlighted when she introduces a catchy No-Buy song:

“You don't need that thing. You don't need that thing. Don't buy that thing to put in your house. Cause you don't need that thing.” [04:49]

This mantra underscores their commitment to avoid impulse purchases, even in stores known for their appealing products.

Emily contributes by mentioning her recent acquisition of a wool travel bra, emphasizing sustainability:

“So that's one of the reasons is because bras are some of the least sustainable things you can buy by and wear.” [18:36]

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Navigating Supply Chain Challenges

The episode delves into how recent supply chain disruptions have impacted their ability to maintain their No-Buy goals. Emily highlights specific products that were discontinued, forcing her to stockpile essentials:

“My face cream that I've been using for the past 25 years or more was discontinued.” [11:05]

Similarly, Emily shares struggles with her preferred leggings being phased out, which she relied on for comfort and functionality:

“They have been discontinued. And also my antidepressants last year and again this year already this year were out of stock and unavailable for three months.” [12:16]

These challenges illustrate the broader issue of product availability and the necessity of adapting shopping habits accordingly.

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Strategies for Building a Reliable Backstock

Both hosts discuss practical strategies to ensure a steady supply of essential items without falling into hoarding:

• Building a Chest Freezer:
  Emily explains her investment in a chest freezer to store bulk purchases of meat and fish, ensuring she has a reliable food supply despite potential future shortages.

  “I had to buy a chest freezer... think that it was worth it to have a little chest freezer so that we were definitely gonna have meat.” [30:00]

• Creating Specific Storage Solutions:
  Amelia elaborates on organizing her freezer with designated baskets for different types of meat, streamlining her storage and retrieval process.

  “I have containers... for fish and a container for beef and a container for chicken.” [35:36]

• Expanding Backstock Appropriately:
  Both emphasize the importance of purchasing a reasonable extra of essential items to bridge gaps during shortages, without overbuying.

  “Not hoarding, but maybe like a little extra backstock.” [52:50]

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Sustainable Personal Care Practices

The conversation shifts to personal care products, where Emily introduces her sustainable choice of a wool travel bra aimed at reducing waste and avoiding persistent odors associated with synthetic materials.

“It's not one that like, I would wear as a... It's a low support sports bra.” [20:56]

Amelia discusses her transition from traditional toothpaste to more sustainable alternatives, emphasizing the importance of eco-friendly personal care routines:

“I'm using enzyme odor... it's super concentrated.” [43:00]

They advocate for minimalistic and sustainable approaches to personal care, highlighting products that align with their environmental values.

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Embracing Secondhand and Sustainable Buying Habits

Amelia and Emily share their experiences with secondhand shopping and sustainable brands. Amelia praises platforms like Thredup for their sustainable offerings, while Emily emphasizes the benefits of buying durable, ethically produced items.

“Feel free to take this as an opportunity to go to secondhand stores and buy used stuff.” [40:26]

They encourage listeners to explore secondhand options and invest in quality products that offer longevity, thereby reducing overall consumption and waste.

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Managing Essential Consumables and Personal Needs

The hosts address the importance of managing consumables like toothpaste, soap, and cleaning supplies sustainably:

“If you have the option of joining a CSA or farm share... it is good for the earth.” [28:05]

They advocate for local sourcing and community-supported agriculture to ensure access to fresh produce while supporting sustainable farming practices.

Moreover, Emily highlights the necessity of flexible shopping habits to accommodate personal needs without succumbing to unnecessary purchases.

“I've been very strict about saying... You don't need that thing.” [50:19]

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Conclusion: Balancing Needs and Sustainability

In wrapping up the episode, Emily and Amelia reinforce the core message of No-Buy Low-Buy:

“You don't need that thing. Don't buy that thing to put in your house. Cause you don't need that thing.” [54:25]

They emphasize the importance of intentional purchasing, sustainable practices, and adaptability in the face of supply chain challenges. By focusing on essential needs and supporting sustainable brands, listeners are encouraged to reduce clutter, minimize waste, and foster a more mindful consumption lifestyle.

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Notable Quotes

1. Amelia: “You don't need that thing. You don't need that thing. Don't buy that thing to put in your house. Cause you don't need that thing.” [04:49]
2. Emily: “My face cream that I've been using for the past 25 years or more was discontinued.” [11:05]
3. Emily: “It's not one that like, I would wear as a... It's a low support sports bra.” [20:56]
4. Amelia: “Feel free to take this as an opportunity to go to secondhand stores and buy used stuff.” [40:26]
5. Amelia: “I've been very strict about saying... You don't need that thing.” [50:19]
6. Emily: “You don't need that thing. Don't buy that thing to put in your house. Cause you don't need that thing.” [54:25]

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This comprehensive episode provides valuable insights into sustainable living, intentional purchasing, and adapting to supply chain uncertainties. Emily and Amelia Nagoski offer relatable experiences and practical advice, making it a beneficial listen for feminists navigating the complexities of modern consumerism.

Transcript

[Amelia]

Hi, this is Amelia. I'm going to be doing lives again Fridays at 4 in May and June at our YouTube channel, YouTube.coministsurvivalproject I'll be answering questions, singing songs, and talking about Murderbot. I hope you can join us. This is a an update on the no Buy, low buy. That's what we're doing.

[B]

The only thing I really have to contribute is that I finally found what I believe to be a genuinely acceptable wool travel bra.

[Amelia]

What you have. I'm gonna need that link.

[B]

Yes. Finally. A like D cup specific wool bra. Because most wool bras are like for A to C cups.

[Amelia]

Yeah.

[B]

Which there's plenty of people for whom that is an appropriate size.

[Amelia]

Uh huh.

[B]

Sure. Yeah. Neither of us is that person.

[Amelia]

No, not for decades.

[B]

So I will. I will look for the link and send it to you.

[Amelia]

Yeah, I'm gonna need that. So my plan was not to buy anything before we went to Disney World. And I did wash my sun hat, thinking I'm gonna wash my hat so that it'll be all ready to go for the trip to Disney. And I washed it and I ruined it washing it. So I did have to buy a.

[B]

New sun hat, but that was necessary for the trip.

[Amelia]

Yeah. Also, we went to Disney and I wore a bathing suit and I discovered my bathing suit is too small. I have not replaced it. So since I went up the most recent size. So when we got back, I did buy another bathing suit the same style.

[B]

Oh, God damn it. The bra's on sale now.

[Amelia]

I got the same style bathing suit in a different color and a larger size. And that was. I did that. And then, and then I've lived in this house on Cape Cod for four years and we have a deck and we spend time sitting on the deck. We do that quite a lot. And we've got like outdoor furniture, but like, not a lot. And we. I really want to be able to like put it someplace in storage. Like a storage box on our deck. Like you have a storage box on your deck, right?

[B]

We do have a storage box on our deck.

[Amelia]

Yeah.

[B]

It's literally called a deck box.

[Amelia]

It's literally called a deck box. We got like a standing cabinet box thing. But I've been trying for four years to find like a secondhand something so I didn't have to buy a new thing. Trying to get like an environmentally more responsible alternative. But I've been doing that for four years. And in those four years, our deck furniture stuff that I would like to be stored has like deteriorated.

[B]

Sure. It gets ruined by the weather in Cape Cod. Right.

[Amelia]

So, like, it's a thing I have to get. Yeah. So I finally just did it. I spent $300 on the exact right thing with the exact right measurements made of metal, not plastic, so that it's at least metal, not plastic. And unfortunately, I got it from ikea, which, if you've ever bought something from ikea, you know, you never just buy the thing you need at ikea. Right.

[B]

So it's a. It's such a long for you. It's a long way. There are people who live, you know, 20 minutes from an IKEA.

[Amelia]

Yeah. Even so. Even if you live right near an Ikea, it's like Target where you go in and you just like, something surprises you and you're like, oh, I want that.

[B]

And it's so affordable. I could totally afford that thing that I could just get that.

[Amelia]

Ikea's the same way. And they have like such cute design things. Oh, God, they're so ikea.

[B]

So cute.

[Amelia]

There was a watering can that looked like a cactus with arms. One of the arms is the handle and the other arm is the spout. And I was like, I could put that over by my aloe and it could be the watering can I use by my aloe, which is on the other side of the house from where my spider plants are. I could have like two watering cans. And I was like, it's only like, it was like $9 or something. And I was like, it's only $9 and I could have another watering can.

[B]

Was it metal?

[Amelia]

Yeah, it was metal. I think it was metal. I don't know. I'd have to look it up.

[B]

It's probably powder coated metal.

[Amelia]

It was so cute. But you know what? I didn't need that thing. So while I was placing this order on ikea, I came up with a song that I think everyone should know.

[B]

You wrote a no Buy song.

[Amelia]

I. It's not a long, like, ballad of the no Buy. It's the ditty you need stuck in your head when you're shopping at Ikea.

[B]

Or Target or, let's face it, Costco.

[Amelia]

It goes, you don't need that thing. You don't need that thing. Don't buy that thing to put in your house. Cause you don't need that thing. And that's it.

[B]

That's pretty good. That's pretty good. Yeah.

[Amelia]

So I'm going through ikea.com because of course I'm shopping online to go pick it up because I'm not walking through ikea. I can't even walk from the parking lot in the door at ikea.

[B]

IKEA pickup is so terrible.

[Amelia]

Yeah, IKEA pickup is bad. It went well this time. It was much better than the last time I tried.

[B]

It's literally the only time I've ever heard IKEA pickup going well.

[Amelia]

Yeah, I went and they brought the thing out and, you know, I helped put it in my car and you know, I had to like, whatever. It was fine. It went great.

[B]

Great.

[Amelia]

So I did that for the cactus watering can. And then there was an eye mask in like a gray green color. They don't have any other, like, sleep eye masks. They had a sleep eye mask in, like a gray green color. And it's the exact color that is the accent color in our third bedroom. And I like to keep an eye mask in a guest bedroom so that the people who stay here could have an eye mask because. Sure, you know, you get a lot of. There's like three windows in a very small room.

[B]

I have some extras. You could have asked me.

[Amelia]

I also have extras, but this one matched perfectly the accent color in that room. So I was like, it's only $4. $4. You know what? You don't need that thing. You don't need that thing. Don't buy that thing to put in your house. Cause you don't need that thing. They also had bookends and.

[B]

Oh, God, bookends.

[Amelia]

Most of our bookshelves are in that third guest room. Like we. There's a huge, like, built in bookshelf thing in that room.

[B]

Bookends are infinitely useful. Yeah.

[Amelia]

And you know what? They were that same gray green color. We've had books on those shelves for four years. And you know what? You don't need that thing. You don't need that thing.

[B]

Thing.

[Amelia]

Don't buy that thing to put in your house. Cause you don't need that thing.

[B]

Nice.

[Amelia]

Yeah, the hamper in my bathroom has. Is like. What's it called? Rattan or straw or wicker?

[B]

Probably rattan.

[Amelia]

Yeah, one of those. Yeah. And like the lid, the like, final edge trim is.

[B]

Is.

[Amelia]

Has broken off. So like there's just like sticks sticking out on the end and. And it's a little annoying, but it's fine. It's fully functional. But you know what they have a lot of at ikea?

[B]

Oh, baskets.

[Amelia]

Baskets and hampers. And there were so many cute ones. But you know what? Oh, God. You don't need that thing. You don't need that thing. Don't buy that thing to put in your house. Cause you don't need that thing.

[B]

No wonder you had time to write a song. There were so many things to buy.

[Amelia]

IKEA had so many things.

[B]

I had so many things to buy that I wanted.

[Amelia]

Another thing that I absolutely needed was a deck umbrella. Because our. The deck umbrella we've had for three years is ripped and rusty and literally no longer functional.

[B]

So we.

[Amelia]

That's the thing.

[B]

Let the record show you actually texted me I need to replace the deck umbrella. And to my knowledge, that is the thing you were going to get at ikea.

[Amelia]

That is, that was my primary motivator to shop at Ikea because the original deck umbrella was also from Ikea. And I thought I can just upgrade to the next most expensive version. So that's maybe bigger or potentially higher quality and may last longer, but not like deck umbrellas can be crazy expensive. And I was like, we don't use it that much that we need it to be like the fanciest. Anyway, that was my primary motivation for going to Ikea, was to replace the deck umbrella. And then I thought, while I'm at it, I'm just going to go ahead and buy this container storage thing that is the same color and it matches the umbrella. And I've needed this for four years. And I'm just going to do it in order to preserve a thing that I already have so I don't have to buy more of that. My deck furniture, sure. Just little end tables and like folding chairs that we can just put in this thing. And then our beach chairs also fit in there because we live close to the beach and we have beach chairs that need to go someplace convenient to grab on the way out the door. I did also buy a new beach chair. Cause I go to the beach and the old chairs are fine. They're fine. But this is a beach chair that's like a chaise where you like, you sit on it and it just less rests flat on the sand. But then it has like a, like a back that sits up. And I was like, that's the perfect thing for me. That's the position that's most comfortable for me. So I did spend $45 on that white and yellow striped with like a bright blue strap.

[B]

It's so cute.

[Amelia]

And I live at the beach. Like I live less than a mile from the beach. And yeah, so I did, I did cave that one time. But I did not buy the gray green candles that were the same shade to go in the guest room because I didn't need that thing. Basically. We're doing this episode because I had to shop at Ikea and it was very difficult. Like I, it was, it was a strain, it was a challenge. Yeah, yeah.

[B]

May I talk about my purchasing situation?

[Amelia]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

It's been sort of the opposite of yours. I haven't been tempted by any particularly wonderful, attractive, novel thing, but I have been thinking about supply chains.

[Amelia]

Yes.

[B]

Which are the timing of this episode. We'll begin to see.

[Amelia]

Empty shelves.

[B]

Empty shelves. And look, in this past year, in the past six months, my face cream that I've been using for the past 25 years or more.

[Amelia]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

Was discontinued.

[Amelia]

Yeah, yeah. You had to find a new one.

[B]

And when I asked the Internet, hey, what face cream do you use? Mine got discontinued. I've been using it for like 25.

[Amelia]

Years, my whole adult life. Yeah.

[B]

People are spending.

[Amelia]

I know.

[B]

$30 an ounce.

[Amelia]

I know, it's. It's bananas.

[B]

Minus $12 for 4 ounces.

[Amelia]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

So Rich found some on ebay.

[Amelia]

Uhhuh.

[B]

So I'm, I'm stocked enough to get me through the year, but I'm going to have to find a new face cream. Also, the leggings that are the primary kind of leggings that, like, it's what I wear. They have been discontinued.

[Amelia]

Yes. That is a serious hit to your wardrobe. You wear those leggings every day.

[B]

And I wear them out. Like I go through at least two pair a year. Like, because. Thank you. Chub rub. They get holes in the thighs.

[Amelia]

Yeah. No, they're very, very soft. Which means they wear down quickly.

[B]

Yeah, they're soft, so they wear out. But the thing about them being so soft is they're extremely comfortable. And unlike almost all leggings, they are totally non binding around the abdomen and waist.

[Amelia]

Right. They're not like comp compression anything.

[B]

And I'm very sensitive to compression anything. I experience digestive distress in response to Spanx.

[Amelia]

Yeah. Most people. A lot of people do. That's pretty cool.

[B]

A lot of people do. I'm one of those people. And I finally found back in like 2014, these leggings. And so for more than 10 years, they are the main thing that I have worn when I don't have to like, dress up for work.

[Amelia]

Yeah. I think I'm the one who, who told you about those leggings.

[B]

No, no, no. I told you.

[Amelia]

Okay. You're the one who told me. But I have also gone through several pairs of these. A bunch of pairs of these leggings in multiple sizes. And when I went up sizes I bought new leggings. Bought new leggings in this particular legging. Yes.

[B]

Yeah. I found them because I knew I was going to be traveling a lot for book tour in 2015 and I wanted super comfortable leggings to wear on planes and while driving and stuff. And so I found these. And it's very hard to find leggings that stay opaque, I mean, until you just like wash the bejesus out of them.

[Amelia]

Right, right, right. But like their, their leggings, you can, they're so soft, you can sleep in them and they don't leave like a, they don't have a seam that's so dense that it leaves a mark on your leg while you sleep on it.

[B]

They're really great. But they've been discontinued.

[Amelia]

Yeah.

[B]

And also my antidepressants last year and again this year already this year were out of stock and unavailable for three months.

[Amelia]

Oh.

[B]

So for a big chunk of time last year and this year I was undermedicated for depression.

[Amelia]

That's super bad.

[B]

That's. It was really bad. So the combination of these three totally unrelated things resulted in me buying back stock.

[Amelia]

Yeah.

[B]

So I bought quite a number of pairs of these leggings. It'll last me about, I'm like 10 years.

[Amelia]

Yeah. I also stocked up on leggings.

[B]

Yeah. I had to buy them from two different places.

[Amelia]

Me too.

[B]

Because like black was not available at the actual website and blah blah. Rich got me my face cream off of ebay. And I also bought underwear. There's only one kind of underwear that I wear and it might be the sort of thing that goes out of stock. Maybe though that's a longer term thing than the kind of thing that's really at risk.

[Amelia]

I've been trying to expand my underwear possibilities to buy more sustainable underwear. Like to find a brand, a sustainable brand that makes plus sizes, plus sizes almost impossible, almost actually fit and are.

[B]

Such a secondary thought for a sustainable brand to be like, oh, let's make sure we include people who are, you know, more than half the population.

[Amelia]

Right. For some reason. Yeah. So I've been trying to like, there's a company called Thunderpants which is, they're made in the USA, they're 100 cotton, they come in like super fun patterns and they make like an ultra high waisted uber granny panty that is just chef's kiss, but it's cotton. And I have been avoiding cotton. But I, you know, I, I got a couple pair and they're very comfortable and very stretchy and very soft, but.

[B]

They get wet and stay wet.

[Amelia]

And they cost like 30 bucks a pair. $30 for a pair of underwear? Yeah. I bought three cotton underwear.

[B]

Yeah.

[Amelia]

They're made in the USA.

[B]

They're.

[Amelia]

They're non sweatshop underwear. That's like what underwear costs if you don't. If it isn't made in a sweatshop.

[B]

How long does it last?

[Amelia]

I mean, I'm hoping for freaking effort.

[B]

It better?

[Amelia]

Yeah, it better. They're very well made. The stitches are, like, perfect.

[B]

It's.

[Amelia]

They're very good. But yeah, we'll see how.

[B]

Because I. I pay $10 a pair for underwear.

[Amelia]

Yeah. Tomboy X also had a sale, so I'm trying Tomboy X again.

[B]

More cotton.

[Amelia]

Because I, I had Tomboy X underwear, and then I grew two sizes, and I haven't replaced it because it's expensive, but I, I. They're a certified B corp, so I like Tomboy X. So I was like, all right, I'm gonna try Tomboy X again in my new size. And they are very good. They're so much better than, like, the exact same thing that I would get on Amazon. Like, it looks the same, but they're. They're actually so much better, but they cost five times as much. But they were on sale. It was actually Tomboy X had like a, like, screw the tariff sale specifically. They called it that. So that was. And actually, the. Also the bathing suit company I bought is from a company called Beefcake. They are made in the usa. And they sent an email like, hey, just a heads up, like, our supply chain is changing. Our supplier for this fabric is changing. So, like, we might have to raise prices, which we've been trying to do, you know, and they're also sustainable brand. They make small batches, so there's no waste. And so that I was already like, I need a bigger bathing suit because I live at the beach. And the. So I was like, all right, I'm just going to go ahead and buy one now. And they had limited options, so I got the color they had in stock. Sure. Anyway, yeah, no, the supply chain thing has affected, and I've been thinking also.

[B]

About, like, can I have your one that's a size smaller?

[Amelia]

No. I mean, maybe. Yeah. Yeah. But, like, I don't think I'll. I'm not sure that this is my new defended weight. So, like, I'd like to hang on to it because it is super cute.

[B]

Right? It is a super cute.

[Amelia]

So I want it. Yeah.

[B]

So the reason I bought a. A wool bra.

[Amelia]

Yeah.

[B]

So bras Are they. Are you cannot donate them anywhere.

[Amelia]

Nope.

[B]

You cannot obviously consign them anywhere. The best you can.

[Amelia]

I don't know. Sometimes I have my bras on ebay.

[B]

Yeah.

[Amelia]

I have in the past.

[B]

By the time I get rid of a bra, it's.

[Amelia]

Right. No, you can't. You can't do anything with it.

[B]

Yeah. My bras just get worn out.

[Amelia]

Right.

[B]

And then there's nothing you can do. I put them in the textile recycling that goes to the Red Cross where they sell it to scrap, blah, blah, blah. And for all it very likely just ends up in a landfill anyway. So that's one of the reasons is because bras are some of the least sustainable things you can buy by and wear. The second reason I wanted to get a wool bra is in addition to being a natural fiber, the unnatural material gets what's called a biofilm. And if you've ever experienced perma stink in your bras.

[Amelia]

Yeah, yeah. Perma stink.

[B]

Which many people do because that specific area under your boobs, it's like its own colony of bacteria and dirt and oil and it like cakes onto the fabric and it's virtually impossible fully to get rid of it. Lumi sells a laundry product where, like, you scrub really carefully and it breaks down the colony. But, like, it is very effortful. And it's like this bra that I bought cost $10 and I'm just gonna put it in the textile recycling.

[Amelia]

Yeah.

[B]

And that's how that is. So I thought, if I'm gonna buy a bra, let me see if I can get a bra that's not gonna get perma stink. And I'm gonna go ahead and spend $60, which is not how much I usually spend on a bra.

[Amelia]

Yeah.

[B]

Especially just like a sports bra, travel bra. A bra so that I'm wearing a bra instead of not wearing a bra.

[Amelia]

Yeah.

[B]

And so I've been looking for a long time for a wool one, and.

[Amelia]

I've never seen a wool one that would work for above a D cup.

[B]

So it's not, you know, it's a. It's like a sleep bra. It's a travel bra. It's a. It's. It's not one that like, I would wear as a. It's not a work bra.

[Amelia]

No. Yeah, yeah.

[B]

It's a low support sports bra.

[Amelia]

The other thing that was my primary goal in the no buy was, was not to shop and like to save my eyeballs for being in the world. And I must say I have not done that. I've just started shopping for Things that I need in a more time consuming way. So I need coffee. And I spent a long time shopping for coffee and are the sustainable brands and the sustainable company and the bl. And finally I just texted you what coffee should I get and you sent me a link and I bought that coffee.

[B]

Yeah.

[Amelia]

But I did spend a lot of time shopping for coffee. I also went through stuff that I had been. I did like subscribe and save on Amazon to get stuff that like I can't get locally because it's like role specific. I went through that list and googled other places where I could buy that stuff to find other, you know, better brands to buy from that weren't double the price. And it turns out there are other resources for where I can get that stuff. And I just had to do some effort. But I did, I did spend time, I spent time shopping. I didn't save my eyeballs. My eyeballs. I didn't, I didn't. I'm still recreationally, like not purely recreationally, like I don't need this thing. I'm just going to go look at pretty stuff. But I am still investing time in looking for stuff that I need and that I would have bought anyway. But like now I'm shopping for sustainable retailers.

[B]

Yeah.

[Amelia]

Also I have bought a lot of sports bras on Thredup. There's a bunch. There's always sports bras on thread up.

[B]

I hate sports bras.

[Amelia]

I mean like low, low support. Like just every day I'm wearing a bra. Like just a gesture towards containment bras. Yeah, yeah, just that's the kind of, it's comfy, soft, stretchy, secondhand. So it's, I don't know, slightly more sustainable.

[B]

So the context for this is both an update on what's been going on with us. Again, like I had very specific categories of things I wasn't going to buy. The fact that things I really rely on have been discontinued.

[Amelia]

Yeah, the supply chain is a thing. It's making a difference.

[B]

So I did, I did buy some stuff as a result of that. And I am not spending time shopping because that was not a thing for me. But I have been thinking about like I've been reading articles just as Rich has been reading articles about the kinds of things that are likely to have shortages and intense increase in prices. A lot of the things I'm reading about are like baby stuff and don't have babies.

[Amelia]

Yeah.

[B]

There are electronics which we don't need to upgrade any of our electronics. But if people listening to this are like my, whatever Electronic device has been on its last leg for a year and I've been putting off replacing it. Now is the time.

[Amelia]

Yeah.

[B]

Before. Before the thing dies and you need one urgently.

[Amelia]

Yeah.

[B]

Because electronics and baby stuff and also like everyday household stuff and like toothpaste and soap and that kind of stuff. Back in November, right after the election, I was like, I listened to the economists who were like, there's going to be a recession by six months into the Trump administration. And I was like, okay, so let me buy some things.

[Amelia]

Yeah.

[B]

And I didn't. I got like eight months worth of toothpaste. So I just now bought enough toothpaste probably to get me through the next year.

[Amelia]

Wow. Toothpaste is one of those things I've had on subscription.

[B]

Yeah.

[Amelia]

And I moved my tooth. I used like the dental tabs. Like, no waste, no plastic packaging. Yeah, I really like them. I prefer them over paste. Paste is gross. Like. Yeah.

[B]

I could not stand the tabs before.

[Amelia]

I started using the tabs. I was making my own tooth powder. But it's messy to use powder. Like the little. The little tablets are actually. The pressed, you know, hard tablets that you break up in your teeth are actually way superior to powder. But anyway, so I have had those on subscription. I just get as much as I need for. It's like a three month supply. And then the next three months I get another. I have not stocked up on tooth things, is what I'm saying. Is that a thing you think that I should probably.

[B]

I think having a backstock of the kind that you like in particular, if the kind that you like is not the kind of thing that's like Crest and you'd be perfectly happy to replace it with literally whatever's on the shelf.

[Amelia]

Yeah.

[B]

So I use Uncle Harry's Remineralizing Toothpaste. It comes in a glass jar.

[Amelia]

Yeah, I. I have. I made. When I was making toothpaste, it was remineralizing toothpaste. Tooth powder.

[B]

Yeah. I can't stand powder. I can't stand that. I really just need a toothpaste. And so I use Uncle Harry's. And while I was there, I also got. Because. So you and I have both tried using the thing you'd use to brush a baby's teeth, which is like a little, like finger cut. You cover your finger with and you brush your teeth with a sort of very slightly scrubby, very slightly minty thing. I cannot stand putting my finger in my mouth like that. It just. Nope.

[Amelia]

Oh.

[B]

So Uncle Harry's has basically a mascara container with A little spoolie, but it's got like toothpaste in it. You shake it up real good. And like you just do a little quick scrubby and it's minty and scrubby and you're just very gentle and so. So I have some of those for like, I'm going to bed. I brushed my teeth at like noon. I'm going to bed. Like I'm not gonna get back out of bed and fully brush my teeth.

[Amelia]

Yeah.

[B]

So I'm gonna give them a quick scrubby with the, with the spoolie. So Uncle Harry is. If people are like, I'm looking for toothpaste, that's the kind I use. Hashtag not sponsored. We'll never gonna be sponsored by anything or anyone ever.

[Amelia]

Yeah.

[B]

This is just, this is just the thing that I went and bought enough to get me through a year. Because uncertainty is looming.

[Amelia]

Yeah.

[B]

If you have the option of joining a CSA or farm share of any kind in order to have vegetables.

[Amelia]

What's a csa?

[B]

A CSA is community supported agriculture.

[Amelia]

Oh.

[B]

It is good for the earth. It's good for the community. Our particular farm share. Anything that doesn't go to members of the CSA goes to the local food bank. So that people who are getting food assistance from the food bank are not just choosing from things that are canned and boxed and otherwise shelf stable. There's fresh locally grown produce.

[Amelia]

Cool.

[B]

Yeah. A couple of years ago there was a giant flood and we went two months with no farm share produce at all. Because that is, that is the nature of things. And it was this very stark reality check of like how dependent people were on the weather.

[Amelia]

Like, yeah.

[B]

People would have gone hungry if we didn't live in an industrialized global food supply chain.

[Amelia]

Yeah.

[B]

So if you have, if that is a possibility for you, it is not inexpensive. If you are not already spending that kind of money on produce. And I experience it as a challenge. Like what am I going to do with all these tomatillos? What am I going to do with really a lot of kale? What are you going to do with hakure radish? What. What are you going to do with celeriac?

[Amelia]

Yeah. So hatefully react.

[B]

Oh, I really like it.

[Amelia]

Oh.

[B]

I mean I would eat it raw. People vary.

[Amelia]

Another thing I bought, okay. So I had covet in February.

[B]

Yeah.

[Amelia]

And I could not eat protein at all. But my fish farm share thing where like you pay in advance and then like as time goes by, you buy the fish you want and need. I that that's all protein. Obviously. And I couldn't eat it for like, through the end of March for sure. And a little into April, it was very low protein for me. But I had spent, you know, a couple of hundred bucks on fish I expected to buy by the end of March. So, like, at the end of March, I was just like, I guess I'm gonna spend, I'm gonna like, get all the fish that I already paid for, but, like, I don't have room in my freezer for it. And I had also, I had just ordered meat and I buy that like in bulk from like a happy cow farm.

[B]

Yeah.

[Amelia]

And I had all this, like frozen stuff that I was not eating because I could not eat it. So I bought a chest freezer. I thought it was a worthwhile investment, not only for this moment when I was, you know, had more meat than I could consume, but also thinking in terms of, like, future supply chain issues, maybe it wouldn't be bad to have a little chest freezer so that we were definitely gonna have meat, you know, in the future, no matter what, for at least several weeks.

[B]

Yeah, we did the sort of like western Massachusetts equivalent of that. Back in like summer of 2020, I went to our local butcher and saw that they did quarter and a half beefs.

[Amelia]

Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

So this is like a cow that grew up a few miles from my house and was humanely processed. We're going to use as a verb.

[Amelia]

Yeah, You've talked about this.

[B]

Yeah. So again, back in November of this year when after the election, we got ourselves on the list.

[Amelia]

Yeah.

[B]

And finally in March, our beef came through and we got a front quarter. And so we have, we also have a check. Like, we bought this trust fees in 2020. This is the third quarter beef that we've bought. I have learned a lot about how to cook all the different cuts, all the different. Yeah. Because there's so many different types.

[Amelia]

I tried so hard to buy a second hand chest freezer, but finding someone who lives near enough, who's selling their chest freezer that's small enough to fit in my car and close enough that my car can get there. I have an electric car. So, like, you know, I don't want to have to like drive two hours to go pick up a used chest freezer. Like, at what point does the sustainability weigh that I should have just bought a new chest freezer at the Best Buy, which is what I ended up doing.

[B]

Yeah.

[Amelia]

I did try to do it sustainably and to get a secondhand one, but I mean, the best I could do was I Bought one that was energy star rated.

[B]

Yep.

[Amelia]

And not larger than we needed.

[B]

Yeah. And the moral of the story absolutely is, like, do the best you can with the resources available to you.

[Amelia]

Yeah.

[B]

And while it is a big chunk of upfront cash to do something like buy a quarter beef, the cost per pound, considering that it is, like, grass fed, organic, humane. If you are a person who believes that it is possible humanely to eat mammals, this is like, the most humane option. And we're going to talk about food.

[Amelia]

In a separate episode.

[B]

$10 a pound is pretty good. How much we pay for ground beef at the grocery store? That's as humane as you can get it at the grocery store. And we're getting roasts, brisket, steaks for $10 a pound. Brisket. I am so good at brisket because another thing I bought in 2020 is a Sous vide hot water circulator.

[Amelia]

Yeah.

[B]

And if you want to cook brisket at home. Yeah. You can braise it. But if you want, like, magical brisket at home and you have, like, two days to cook your brisket.

[Amelia]

Try sous vide. Okay. So I had not thought of this, but yeah, you're right. That the supply chain stuff has also influenced my purchases of things that I decided I needed. Like, it was a hundred dollars for the chest freezer, but I had a hundred dollars worth of fish that I couldn't fit into my regular freezer. So it was kind of like, I'm either gonna have to throw this fish away or, I don't know, what do you do with frozen fish? That's not. So anyway, I was like, so that I can keep this fish. Hundred dollars worth of fish that I.

[B]

Chest, and they're like, fish. There will be future fish also.

[Amelia]

Yes. Yes. There will be future fish.

[B]

Yeah. This is not the last time you'll need it. And also, like, buy the beef in larger portions.

[Amelia]

But right now. So a really good thing. Let's go back to Danny K. White for a hot second. The really great thing about the chest freezer, I also bought baskets that are specifically made for the chest freezer. It comes in the exact sizes that fits. Like a Tetris puzzle. Yep, exactly Right. So now I have containers, and I have, like, a container for fish and a container for beef and a container for chicken, so I know how much of each thing I can have. Like, when I get low on beef, I can buy more beef. When I get low on fish, I can buy more fish. I have two fish baskets, one beef basket, a chicken basket, and a prepared meals basket.

[B]

Yeah. No vegetables.

[Amelia]

No, the vegetables we put in our regular freezer, it could be.

[B]

So another thing, because of the impact on farms that this could have, is very gradually and gently building up a backstock of frozen vegetables, which last forever. They are just as nutritious as fresh.

[Amelia]

Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

Unlike canned, which you lose a lot of nutrient.

[Amelia]

Nutrient. Yeah.

[B]

So having a basket just for some backstock of, like, frozen leafy greens in.

[Amelia]

Particular, well, we go through vegetables kind of fast, so we just, like, keep them in our regular freezer, and then the chest freezer serves as backstock for the meats.

[B]

Did you not have experience during the pandemic, like, deep in 2020. 2021, where there were some frozen vegetables that just weren't available?

[Amelia]

Not ones that I cared about.

[B]

Oh, we did.

[Amelia]

Or if something wasn't available, I would just eat something else, like, I didn't care about. Like, I don't know. It could be getting.

[B]

There's only so many things, like, I like spinach, and I like frozen kale, and occasionally I'll use snow peas or peas. But, like, I want broccoli, and I want spinach, and I want to make sure that I have access to broccoli and spinach. Please. Yes. And thank you.

[Amelia]

Spinach is super high histamine still.

[B]

That's not a thing for you so much.

[Amelia]

I mean, I love frozen spinach. I make a. I make the. The palak feta. That.

[B]

Oh, that sounds good.

[Amelia]

That was from the. It's so good. I used to eat a lot of it, and then I discovered it was making me itchy, and I was like, oh, I should stop eating so much of that. It was super good. But anyway, like, so I am not as picky about what vegetables. Like, I'm just like, I need a vegetable. I'll just grab a bag and roast them or steam them or whatever. Yeah, No, I didn't notice particular vegetables going out of stock, but that's some good ideas maybe, like, I should get. Because our actual, like, freezer we use now, like, in our kitchen freezer is much less full and much easier to find the things that we want to find and we just keep in it, like, the things we're going to use pretty soon. But yeah, a basket for vegetables is. I actually have an empty basket on the bottom because I. I don't have enough stuff in the freezer yet to put. I just put, like, some ice packs in the empty freezer on the bottom so I could have a veggie basket.

[B]

Yeah, I. I think that's worth doing.

[Amelia]

Okay.

[B]

One of the categories that I read about is sex toy shortages.

[Amelia]

Oh.

[B]

But like that's not the kind of thing people go through. Like I'm mostly worried about like, you know, household metabolism. The thing I talk about on the regular.

[Amelia]

Lube.

[B]

Yeah. I'm much more worried about lube than I'm about sex toys. Because sex toys should last you a long time.

[Amelia]

Quite a long time.

[B]

Yeah. Many years.

[Amelia]

So for people who are like, I don't know, I've got eight vibrators but I really want this new one. You know what? You don't need that thing. You don't need that thing. Don't buy that thing to put in your house. Cause you don't need that thing.

[B]

There you go.

[Amelia]

My step kids for their birthdays this year, I gave them stuff. I already had stuff that was the thing that I had that was like nice and a thing that they would like. And I didn't shop, I didn't buy birthday presents this year.

[B]

So to conclude or to wrap up, essentially, if you are thinking about supply chain and shortages, our recommendation are totally non expert recommendations based solely on the things we have read that you absolutely also had access to reading. This is not insight. We're just like if you're the kind of person who's worried about it but doesn't have the time or attention to go read about it. We read about it and replace clothes that need replacing kid stuff. Baby stuff if it needs replacing kids. The thing about kids is they grow. But you know what? People are always donating kid and baby stuff. Goodwills are overflowing with kid and baby stuff. You don't have to buy that stuff new. You are not going to run out of it. We have already mass produced more stuff than humanity will ever be able to use.

[Amelia]

Yeah.

[B]

Feel free to take this as an opportunity to go to secondhand stores and buy used stuff. We grew up in secondhand clothes. Oh yeah, it's fine.

[Amelia]

And it's kind of chic now. When we were kids it was for sure like just we got made fun.

[B]

Yeah. It was the 80s.

[Amelia]

Yeah, it was, it was bad but like vintage and, and I thrifted this like that's actually like a cool thing now.

[B]

Like a cool thing. People with money are doing that because they know they can get unique things that they'll be able to tell the story about. When it comes to stuff like food, which you can't thrift when it comes to stuff like cleaning products and personal care products, consumables. Yeah. That's worth very gently we're not hoarding a five year supply. We are buying one more than we need each time we go shopping when it looks like shelves are starting to get empty. Be flexible about which thing can work for you. If you are interested in finding less mainstream homemade, oh, cleaning supplies, there's truly no reason to buy almost any kind of cleaning supply. You can make them at home very easily.

[Amelia]

There's some stuff that I buy that you cannot make at home. Like enzyme odor.

[B]

Like, oh my gosh. Let me tell you about the struggle we had buying exo, which is the odor control thing that you introduced me to.

[Amelia]

Yeah.

[B]

In the way, way back. In the way, way back to control animal smells stank. Yeah, yeah. Like if a pet pee is on your thing, EXO is like the thing.

[Amelia]

Yeah.

[B]

It seems not to be available anymore.

[Amelia]

Oh, I think it got bought by.

[B]

Like a horse and animal company.

[Amelia]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

And is now like super expensive and only available in super concentrated small bottles. So fortunately it's super concentrated. So a little goes a very like it's a one to seven ratio. One of EXO to seven parts water.

[Amelia]

Yeah. That's the way to buy liquids.

[B]

Oh, yeah, absolutely. 100%. Why pay to ship water? Yeah, so that's, that's, that's a thing. So. Yeah, you're right. There are some things that you can't make yourself.

[Amelia]

You introduced me to back out.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[Amelia]

Smells Better than XO.

[B]

7Th generation.

[Amelia]

Is it made by 7th generation? I don't think so. It's made by Bio Clean with a.

[B]

K. Oh, Bio Clean. You're right.

[Amelia]

You're right. Bio Clean is like the general company and they make a cleaner. But Backout is their enzyme stank remover. And it's expensive. Yeah.

[B]

I've been using that and effective and it smells awesome since 2003.

[Amelia]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Back out.

[B]

Yep.

[Amelia]

But like you again, it comes, you know, super concentrated and it lasts forever. So.

[B]

Yeah, a lot of things can be cleaned with a dilute vinegar solution.

[Amelia]

Yeah. Which also works for snag removing. Not quite as well as the enzyme.

[B]

No, no, no. Not as well as the. Not as well as the other things. But like if you're just cleaning surfaces.

[Amelia]

We have dog blankets that are made of polyester and they hold that snake. Unless you use an enzyme cleaner.

[B]

I use Grove, the Grove Collaborative, which does sort of what we're doing here, which is like we aggregated the information. They aggregate like sustainable ethical products.

[Amelia]

Yeah. That's what Thrive Market is.

[B]

They have 100% recycled plastic trash bags. They're still plastic trash bags.

[Amelia]

Right.

[B]

But they are at least recycled plastic and they say on them 100% recycled plastic. So that like when you take that trash bag to the dump, you're like, this is recycled plastic. I'm not just putting like virgin plastic into a dumpster. Yeah.

[Amelia]

I think theirs are also labeled post consumer waste, which is like the gold standard of recycled plastic. So.

[B]

But they're still, they are still plastic trash bags that get used the one time and then they're gone forever.

[Amelia]

Yeah. But like, you do the best you can with the resources you have and the resources you have demand that you put your trash in plastic.

[B]

And a plastic bag. That is just, that is just the reality of the situation.

[Amelia]

Yeah. I also had bought recycled plastic post consumer waste ocean bound plastic trash bags on Amazon because I hadn't been able to find them. But like, the world has changed in the past several years and there's a lot more availability of like eco friendly products on other places.

[B]

Yeah.

[Amelia]

So Thrive Market has trash bags that are made of recycled plastic and also compostable plastics, bioplastics, as does Grove. And you can compare, like, which ones are I. This is a thing that I did. I spent my time shopping for a new place to buy my trash bags and I landed on the ones from Thrive Market.

[B]

Yeah, that's a thing I haven't tried is the Thrive Market situation.

[Amelia]

It's a subscription. You gotta pay.

[B]

That's why I can't do it. Because you have to pay to shop someplace.

[Amelia]

Yeah, I know, I know. It's. I'm not, I don't recommend it in particular. I'm not like, oh, this is a thing everyone should do. But like, I decided I would try it and it turns out they have a lot of availability. Like my magnesium supplements that I take a very specific kind of magnesium supplement. I used to have to get them on Amazon because if I got them from like the supplement website, they were like, they cost 30% more, which is many dollars that I take three of these pills every day.

[B]

Day two.

[Amelia]

So like, you know, but on Thrive Market they had them for the same prices on Amazon and they have a thing that's like, if you find this at a lower price, we will, we will, you know, let us know and we will charge you the same thing that the other company charges. So like, yeah, that was worth doing.

[B]

Who owns Thrive Market?

[Amelia]

It's a certified B Corp. Certified B.

[B]

Corp. And it ends up being worth it for you to pay the subscription because ultimately, because I can buy stuff.

[Amelia]

At the Same price as Amazon. Not from Amazon or Whole Foods. Also, when certain cuts of beef that I really want, like brisket are not in stock at the Happy Farm, Happy Cow Farm that I usually buy from, they have, you know, grass fed, pasture raised meat, which is a different approach.

[B]

If you do not have a local butcher who will sell you.

[Amelia]

Right.

[B]

Bulk, quarter, half or whole beefs.

[Amelia]

Right. Which most people don't.

[B]

Right. Yeah.

[Amelia]

You live, you live in. In quite. You know.

[B]

Yeah. I have access to more things than you have access to, which is strange because you live in like shishi fufu. Not really.

[Amelia]

I don't live in. The thing is that the people who live here are not chichifufu. The people who have vacation houses here are chichifufu.

[B]

Yeah. And they have their delivered by.

[Amelia]

Yeah.

[B]

People who do their shopping for them.

[Amelia]

Yeah. Which is, I have to say, I have people do my shopping for me and that's a service worth paying for. For me for sure.

[B]

Because you've limited mobility. Yeah.

[Amelia]

For like my physical disabilities and my sensor sensory issues. And like, I also think, like, for people with kids, like, grocery shopping with kids is. I can't imagine, like, of course it's worth $4 or whatever to like place your order online and go pick it up and the kids are in the car with you the whole time. And you never have to like. Oh, it seems like.

[B]

And you never have to like fight over the stuff they see on the shelves and have like a meltdown in the checkout because they want a packet of Rolos and you're like, I feel.

[Amelia]

Like that's worth four bucks for people who have four bucks to spend on that.

[B]

Yeah. And I feel like the amount of money and aggravation you save by not having to fight your kids or give in and buy the $4 box of candy cereal.

[Amelia]

Yeah, exactly.

[B]

Bruise everybody's quality.

[Amelia]

And also like your time. It saves you like an hour and a half. Is your time worth $4 an hour and a half?

[B]

Yeah.

[Amelia]

Minus.

[B]

Some people really enjoy shopping. They love the browsing, they enjoy the hunt.

[Amelia]

In which case have at it. You'll enjoy the fact that the rest of us aren't there.

[B]

Exactly. Maybe being in the store is a better experience because all the people who hate being in there, out there, people.

[Amelia]

Walking around with their sunglasses inside. Like me in a grocery store. I can't wear my regular. I need to cover my eyes in a grocery store because that light is bad.

[B]

Yeah, I do too. I have been wearing glasses in stores since I was a teenager and did not Know why?

[Amelia]

Yeah. Is the undiagnosed autism.

[B]

To conclude. To conclude, Amelia has not successfully stopped shopping online as a way to, like.

[Amelia]

As a hobby, just entertain myself. Yes.

[B]

Yeah. Is there a way to reframe. This is not a wrap up question, but is there a way to reframe your online shopping not as dysfunctional, but as like some cope or like, could it be okay that you're shopping online? Browsing?

[Amelia]

I mean, I think what I'm doing now is better because it's not just tempting me to buy a thing that I would not ordinarily have bought. I've also been very strict with myself.

[B]

Because you don't need that thing.

[Amelia]

I've been very strict with myself about not that thing. I've been very strict with myself about not buying a thing because it's a good deal.

[B]

Oh, that's a big one.

[Amelia]

That's a big one. Not to be like, oh, my God. That thing I've had on my favorites list at thredup is now 60% off. And, you know, it's a linen tank top. And I wear linen tank tops almost every day, like underneath my other shirts. If I'm out in the world, I've got a tank top on underneath whatever shirt you can see. And increasingly I. Linen is my fabric of choice. So when I see one on Thredup.

[B]

People in the 18th century knew what was up. Linen on.

[Amelia]

Yeah, linen is good stuff for wearing.

[B]

Great things to wear against your skin.

[Amelia]

Yeah. I mean, we have modal now, which is also lovely, and we also have wool like these. I have tank tops in old school.

[B]

Yeah. Wool technology has improved so much since the 18th century.

[Amelia]

Yeah. So I have. I have increasing numbers of linen tank tops, though. And I see one on sale. I've already got two white linen tank tops. I do not need three. So even though there's one and it's super on sale, I've been very strict about saying, you know what? That thing is a really good deal. But guess what? You don't need that thing. You don't need that thing. Don't buy that thing to put in your house. Cause you don't need that thing. I'm glad I wrote that song. It's so useful. So useful.

[B]

So the only things to worry about in terms of the tariffs and potential shortages in a recession are electronics that can break, that are like, about to break in your life and stuff you consume that just gets used up.

[Amelia]

Yeah.

[B]

The more local, the shorter you can make your supply chains around food in particular. And if you have particular Dietary needs or ethical. We will talk about food again, I promise. So the only things to worry about with the supply chain, I have already said richly, so I'm just reiterating to get my brain back on track, is electronics that could be worn out in the next year or so and stuff that you use up. Shorten your supply chains wherever you can. I've already said all that stuff.

[Amelia]

It's worth. Not hoarding, but maybe like, a little extra backstock.

[B]

Yeah, not hoarding a little extra backstock.

[Amelia]

In case anybody's like, what's backstock? It means that like, like you have a bar of soap in your shower and then you have another one in the cabinet ready to go for when that bar of soap is not big enough anymore to use.

[B]

And what we're recommending is two bars of soap in the cabinet, two bars.

[Amelia]

Of soap in your cabinet instead of just one. That's all.

[B]

So that when one runs out and you take one out to replace it, you still have one. And then you go buy one to make sure you still have two. And if there isn't one available at that time, no worries. You have one as a backup for when this one runs out. And, like, there's no rush. It will come back. Things are just going to be lower.

[Amelia]

Yeah.

[B]

You might have to be flexible on the kind that you use. If you have flexibility around the kind that you use.

[Amelia]

That's all. Yeah.

[B]

Nothing to worry about. And if the thing that has been, like, the thing that you use for 10 or 20 years gets discontinued, as has happened twice to me in the last six months.

[Amelia]

Yeah.

[B]

Go ahead and hoard.

[Amelia]

Hoard.

[B]

This is your last opportunity. If it is the thing that, like, works, and it's the only thing that you know for sure works, buy a bunch of that thing so that you have a big window in which to find something else. There is going to be something else that works.

[Amelia]

Yeah.

[B]

But it's going to take time to find it, just like it took you time to find the right thing. That has now been discontinued.

[Amelia]

Allegra has pointed out to me that not everyone feels this way about their things of, like, here's the perfect thing. I need to have this thing and only this thing. This might be a slightly autistic inclination. So what you're saying might not be super relatable to a wide audience.

[B]

There are people who really enjoy, like, novelty. Like, they don't want to use the same skin cream. They, like, want to try a new thing. Let me try a new thing and see how that is. But I do for skincare products in particular. I feel like people, when they, they explore and they search, they find a thing that really works, but then they try something else because they're like, who knows? And then they like try other things, but then they go back to the one that worked so well and eventually they do get married to one thing that works.

[Amelia]

I think that's less common than you.

[B]

Think it might be. Yeah, it might be very strange that I have been using the same skin cream since approximately 2002.

[Amelia]

I think you are a bit of an outlier in that.

[B]

And yeah, the formula has changed, but.

[Amelia]

Yeah, it's creamier instead of like foamy, fluffy.

[B]

Yeah. And it has less tea tree in it. So I end up adding.

[Amelia]

That's okay, you can just add tea tree oil to it.

[B]

That's easier.

[Amelia]

But you know what, you can add.

[B]

Tea tree oil to anything. That is ultimately the conclusion that I have come to is that I could add tea tree to anything.

[Amelia]

Yeah, that's what I do.

[B]

I'm going to try half a dozen things. I'm gonna try and find one that's not fucking $30 an ounce.

[Amelia]

See, that sounds great to me because that's time to spend shopping for a thing.

[B]

Shopping for a thing.

[Amelia]

That's a thing I've always enjoyed.

[B]

It has to be a cruelty free company, not owned by a company that does animal testing. Yeah, it has to be petroleum free because I don't want to use fossil fuels. It'd be great if it doesn't come in a plastic jar. But comes. That's the. My, like my current cream does come in a plastic jar. Be great if it could come in a metal or glass jar. That'd be awesome.

[Amelia]

Or in a, in a pouch instead of a jar. That's a lot less plastic.

[B]

I hate using a pouch.

[Amelia]

Okay, all right.

[B]

Is there anything you have ever used in a pouch where I was like, I'm so glad this isn't a pouch?

[Amelia]

My dishwasher rinse aid.

[B]

Yeah, we don't use one of those. You know what I have you should.

[Amelia]

Is a dishwasher work better of citric.

[B]

Acid, which is what Lemishine is essentially.

[Amelia]

Yeah.

[B]

So I just use citric acid instead of. All right, so if anybody has a face cream that they love that is less than 15 a ounce if you have a face cream, especially if you have sort of like perimenopausal postmenopausal skin, I would really love to know about your affordable, cruelty free, petroleum free, not exorbitantly expensive face cream. I don't need to have good skin for a living. I just. I just want to take care of my skin.

[Amelia]

And I can't help you because the, the stuff I used was from the body shop and they're gone now.

[B]

And they are gone. So. Aren't you also looking for a good face cream?

[Amelia]

I use a lot less moisturizer because I switch to serum.

[B]

Is that enough?

[Amelia]

Yes, because serum actually gets absorbed into your skin, whereas moisturizer creates a barrier between your skin and pollution.

[B]

Yeah, I want the barrier.

[Amelia]

Okay, Well, I, I don't use the barrier as much.

[B]

Yeah.

[Amelia]

And. Oh, I did start using a face cream with spf, which my old stuff did not have.

[B]

Oh, yeah, I have to use an SPF separately.

[Amelia]

Yeah. So I'm using. Right now, I'm using elf.

[B]

Which is an. A cruelty free, petroleum free line. Yeah, yeah. And it's very affordable. Very affordable. What do you. Rich, what, what is the. What is the face cream you're using?

[Amelia]

It's the one I currently have. Is the, like silicone moisturizer, primer, SPF all in one tube?

[B]

Is it a chemical spf?

[Amelia]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

I can't use chemical sunscreens on my face.

[Amelia]

Oh.

[B]

I have to use a mineral sunscreen. And one day we can talk about how hard I had to shop to find a fucking mineral sunscreen that was. Okay.

[Amelia]

Yeah. Okay. So to conclude.

[B]

Again.

[Amelia]

To conclude again. All of the things we said are the things that you should remember, I guess, but not, not all of them because some of them were pretty specific to our.

[B]

Very specific to our needs. And look, I am not worried that the people who are listening to this are going to be just fine.

[Amelia]

Yeah, absolutely.

[B]

Especially if you have been on this sort of like, no buy low buy exploration with us. You're getting comfortable, like using up the stuff you have and allowing yourself to, like, run out like socks. Is there anybody on earth who doesn't have enough socks to get them through the next year? I don't. Is there anybody on earth who doesn't? Is there anybody listening to this?

[Amelia]

Yeah.

[B]

Among the people who would listen to this. Yeah. Socks are the kind of thing where they might get sparser on the shelves.

[Amelia]

But you probably got enough socks.

[B]

You probably have enough socks to get you through.

[Amelia]

Here's the thing, here's the problem with me, is that I buy socks thinking, okay, this is the kind of sock I need. Turns out that's not the kind of sock I need. So I have to buy more socks. And it's not like you can, like, just Return an open pack of socks.

[B]

You can't return an open pack.

[Amelia]

Well, I don't got a lot of socks that are not the right socks, but.

[B]

So get rid of the socks that are not the right socks. And it's like face cream. You gotta try them.

[Amelia]

And they're within my clutter threshold, so.

[B]

Okay. But you'll never use them. They're like.

[Amelia]

You do wear them for, like, at night or. I just don't wear them much. And so I went through a thing last year where I only had two pairs of compression socks that I only wore when I really needed to wear compression socks. But, like, I should be wearing compression socks most of the time. So I bought, like, eight pairs of compression socks. And so now I have enough socks of the right kind of socks. Great.

[B]

And if you ever find. And I gave you two pairs, those.

[Amelia]

Are the two pair I had.

[B]

Yeah. I have another pair that if you're like, oh, crap, I actually wore out a pair of socks, come to me first.

[Amelia]

I have. I have eight pairs of compression socks now, so that's not likely.

[B]

Not likely, though. Do you do the thing I do where you, like, just, like, rotate through a small number and keep some. As you're. Like, when I wear out these, I'm going to rotate in these other ones. I do do that.

[Amelia]

But for the compression socks, I bought them in specific colors for specific situations and specific shoes.

[B]

Sure.

[Amelia]

So I wear my white ones with my white shoes and my tan ones with my tan shoes and my black ones with my black shoes. Yeah. My gray ones with my gray shoes.

[B]

And the benefit of that is that it evens out. It slows down the wear of any specific pair. As long as you're not, like, always wearing your white shoes.

[Amelia]

Shoes. And I always know which socks to wear with which shoes.

[B]

Yeah. So it reduces decision fatigue. I love that so much of this is not relatable. So to conclude whoever's listening to this, if you did not listen to it on, like, 2x speed, I apologize.

[Amelia]

You definitely should have listened to this on 2x speed.

[B]

Definitely. This is an episode you could have listened to at, like, unless you just really needed to kill the entire time it takes you to fold laundry for a family of eight.

[Amelia]

All right. If you listen to this on 2x speed, here is the song once. Listen to it at regular, normal speed, so it sounds normal. You don't need that thing. You don't need that thing. Don't buy that thing to put in your house. Cause you don't need that thing.

[B]

And that is our episode. Thank you so much for listening. We'll be back. We're probably gonna talk about food again. And cue the ukulele.

[Amelia]

You don't need that.

[B]

Stop it.

[Amelia]

To conclude.