Young House Love Has A Podcast

Wanna know what our next big renovation project is? Well, it’s actually something that we’ve been contemplating for years but finally have the courage to do (thanks in part to selling our duplex). So this week we’re breaking down why we want to do it, why we think now is the time, and why it has us feeling excited, sad, and inspired all at the same time. Plus it’s really going to put our fondness for simplifying to the ultimate test. And some recent travel hiccups led us to a few new books that we’re loving - and one that I’m looking forward to loving… as weird as that sounds.  Be sure to check out younghouselove.com/podcast-163 for notes, links, and photos from this episode.

That’s right, there’s a new personal shopping challenge going on at our house - and this time Sherry has committed to skipping any purchases in a specific (and pretty wide category) FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR. We’re also talking with simplicity expert Emily Ley about how she combats “busyness” and creates more time and space in her life. She’s giving us tips on everything from tackling your family calendar to fun ways to get the kids involved in streamlining your days. And we’re sharing our favorite way to hang heavy objects quickly, without a lot of dust or tools - along with our new favorite guilty pleasure show that makes us laugh out loud (and even made Sherry tear up a few times).  Be sure to check out younghouselove.com/podcast-162 for notes, links, and photos from this episode.

This week we’re sharing the mystery of how half of the power in our house suddenly went out when we were just about to leave the country on vacation. We’re also catching you up on the highs and lows of getting our master bathroom nearly completed, including how the flu, a surgery, and a sudden deadline kept us on our toes. Plus, an illuminating update to our upstairs hallway and what we learned about “life admin” and how to better tackle it.  Be sure to check out younghouselove.com/podcast-161 for notes, links, and photos from this episode.

It’s our first episode of 2020 and WE BOY DO WE HAVE NEWS! We’re excited to share it because it not only means good things for us, our friends, and the duplex itself, but it’s also connected to our continued efforts to simplify, and it involves a twisty tale of switching tables with a stranger. We’re also sharing a special gift that we gave this holiday season that can help your family honor a loved one. Plus, a check-in on our bathroom reno progress, the Instagram account that keeps us laughing, and our favorite geography-based game we’ve ever played. Be sure to check out younghouselove.com/podcast-160 for notes, links, and photos from this episode.

Have you ever thought about your approach to making decisions? It turns out that humans tend to have two distinct styles (and they even have fancy psychological terms to go along with them). The funny revelation is that Sherry & I each exemplify a different one. So this week we’re sharing what we've learned about each type of decision maker, and how it can impact everything from how we choose items for our home to how we booked our first international family vacation. We’re also outlining five ways you can refresh a room without spending ANY money whatsoever. As in zero dollars (Sherry would add a "holla!" right here). Plus, the new kid-friendly kitchen activity that we’re loving, the exciting-ish conclusion to our Color of the Year predictions, and how far people will go for bread. Be sure to check out younghouselove.com/podcast-159 for notes, links, and photos from this episode.

After hundreds of submissions from Australia to South Africa, we’ve rounded up some fascinating (and extremely charming) ways that you guys dress up your homes all around the world to celebrate a variety of holidays. We loved hearing about everything from colorful Diwali decorations in India to elaborate Nativity scenes in Colombia, along with a wide range of tales about who brings the gifts (Santa isn't the only game in town!). And we realized there's one common theme that ties pretty much every holiday together across the globe! Plus we’re sharing the painful wrench that was thrown into our master bathroom progress, and why we need to have a word with Taylor Swift. Oh and the movie that you should run, not walk, to go see.  Be sure to check out younghouselove.com/podcast-158 for notes, links, and photos from this episode.

Don’t we all want mo money without mo problems? Today we’re talking with personal finance expert Tanja Hester about how value-driven spending and setting a “money mission statement” can help you reach even your biggest financial goals - whether you’re saving up for a home in your dream neighborhood, a big renovation, or even early retirement, which Tanja herself has accomplished. She’s sharing easy ways to trim your budget, painless ways to put more in the bank, and why she thinks most of us have more financial freedom than we think. Plus, we’re discussing a new holiday decorating epiphany that Sherry recently had (oddly enough it was inspired by Halloween and not Christmas) and why you may want to grab an often overlooked painting tool that can save the day. And your back. Be sure to check out younghouselove.com/podcast-157 for notes, links, and photos from this episode.

It’s no secret that house projects can be stressful. Sometimes REALLY stressful. So today we’re sharing three ways we’re keeping a handle on it during our master bathroom renovation, especially around common stress points like broken budgets, creeping timelines, and decision fatigue. Plus, how you can you stop second guessing yourself! We’re also spilling the details about a part of this renovation we haven’t mentioned much, which oddly enough happens to be one of the things we’re looking forward to the most. We also have some holiday life hacks for you that were submitted by our listeners and why part of Sherry’s childhood has come back to haunt us (in the best way possible). Be sure to check out younghouselove.com/podcast-156/ for notes, links, and photos from this episode.

Today we’re exploring an expert’s theory that your childhood passions (specifically around 5th grade) could hold the key to what you'll love doing most as an adult. It was fascinating to take a look back and see if the idea really held up for us. We’re also confessing to a mistake we made when hiring a pro for a recent house project and sharing what we'll do differently from here on out. Plus it turns out that plants aren’t the powerful air purifiers we were promised, and the nerdiest decorating project you’ve ever heard in your life. Be sure to check out younghouselove.com/podcast-155/ for notes, links, and photos from this episode.

Getting rid of stuff is hard, especially when it comes to kids and their creations. So this week we’re sharing the simple trick we use to keep everything from arts and crafts to forts and cardboard box villages from taking over our house, without putting a damper on creativity. Spoiler alert: this trick works for adults and our favorite things too! Plus, armed with an expert’s advice and a new guideline for how much indoor greenery a home should have for optimal air quality, Sherry doubles down on our home’s plant collection. Also, why things got weird when we switched sides of the bed - and the embarrassing dangers of moving furniture.  Be sure to check out younghouselove.com/podcast-154/ for notes, links, and photos from this episode.

You guys submitted your favorite life hacks over the last few weeks, so today we’ve got an episode bursting at the seams with all of those cheap & simple tricks for making your home run smoother and your day a little less frustrating. We’ve got everything from clever cleaning tips and unconventional storage ideas to both high and low tech ways to keep you more organized. We’re also sharing why we’re giving a BIG EYEROLL to the latest part of our master bathroom renovation and a new money saving tool that we got for our kids. Be sure to check out younghouselove.com/podcast-153 for notes, links, and photos from this episode.

In honor of Halloween, we’re sharing a spooky occurrence at our beach house that we legitimately couldn't explain for a few months (even I, the perennial skeptic, was like... "how did that just happen?!"). We’re also chatting with author Miranda Anderson about how her entire family took on a yearlong shopping ban, and how that choice led to more gratitude, patience, and a sense of adventure for the entire family. Plus, an update on how things are getting real (and real messy!) in our master bathroom reno - and a tool we’re using to help keep our sanity throughout the process. Be sure to check out younghouselove.com/podcast-152/ for notes, links, and photos from this episode.

Today we’re sharing how two recent treat yourself moments in our house turned sideways on us and how it shed some light on when to splurge and when to make like Elsa and let it go. One even involves a feature in our bathroom reno that we’ve dreamed about for years, but suddenly can’t seem to justify in actual practice (although it sounds great in theory!). Also after nearly 11,000 people took our “Side Of The Bed” survey, we have some surprising insights about why people sleep where they do. Plus there's been another Color of the Year development and we find the silver lining to a recent personal event that shook us up. Be sure to check out younghouselove.com/podcast-151 for notes, links, and photos from this episode.

Our home’s exterior makeover didn’t stop with painting it white last year, so today we’re catching you up on some projects we've completed and what’s still to come (and it involves something we’ve changed our minds about twice). We're also reflecting on a few experiments & interviews over the past 149 episodes that truly changed the way we live in our house - and we're issuing a challenge to help us all find some new ways to improve our household routines and daily lives. Plus, we look into why someone might buy a house they've never seen, located in a town they've never been to (!!!). The idea may be less crazy than it sounds... Be sure to check out younghouselove.com/podcast-150/ for notes, links, and photos from this episode

We’re sharing how our bathroom reno went from zero to fifty percent (that’ll make more sense when you hear what we did) and how we gained a ton of insight about the right layout and the right size for the vanity, shower, tub, etc. Also… the houseplant struggle is real, so we asked plant expert Carmeon Hamilton everything we've ever wanted to know about how to keep inside greenery alive (and happy!). She shared her favorite easy plants for beginners and even laid out when to water, re-pot, and fertilize your indoor greenery (we were like: wait, we should be fertilizing?!?). Plus, we’re shouting out a super handy multipurpose tool that we loved so much we bought two of them. And there was a surprise twist in our color of the year predictions that even we didn’t believe at first. Be sure to check out younghouselove.com/podcast-149/ for notes, links, and photos from this episode.

People are always asking how we keep our projects and our household organized ("do you make lists? use an app?! help me!") so today we’re outlining the three tools that we use every day. Some are digital, some are old school, but the most important part is that they help to keep us on the same page (sometimes literally) about our projects, purchases, and more. We’re also sharing the near completion of a long overdue outdoor update that almost sent one of us over the edge... of the roof. Also, could it be true that some people don’t have a de facto “side of the bed” every night? WHAT?! We have questions.  Be sure to check out younghouselove.com/podcast-148/ for notes, links, and photos from this episode.

What happens when you move into a smaller house in a smaller town for over two months? That’s what we found out this summer when we stayed at our beach house to manage the duplex rentals - AND IT WAS THE BEST SUMMER OF OUR LIVES. The smaller home and smaller town lessons that we learned really stuck with us when we returned home - and they have already inspired us to make 4 changes to our life and habits back in Richmond. So even if you aren't planning to move or downsize, there are some things you could experiment with too. We’re also sharing why we’re fiiiiiinally starting a long-awaited renovation in our house, and one way we're kicking a bad habit to the curb and saving over $500 a year (and creating less waste). Plus Sherry goes on the record with her predictions for the 2020 colors of the year. Be sure to check out younghouselove.com/podcast-147/ for notes, links, and photos from this episode.

We survived our first summer as Airbnb hosts to 23 different families over the course of the last three months - and, more importantly, so did the duplex itself! But our first rental season wasn’t without hiccups, high anxiety moments, and surprisingly frequent learning opportunities. So this week we’re taking you behind the scenes of a jam-packed few months of learning the hospitality ropes while juggling guests and (more literally) a very full jug of laundry detergent. Sherry also celebrates the end of a very long “personal renovation” and we share how something simple led us to rethink our approach to cooking dinner.  Be sure to check out younghouselove.com/podcast-146 for notes, links, and photos from this episode.

This week we’re diving into a survey that reveals the top homebuyer regrets - as in what features their homes have that they ended up not loving (and the results may surprise you!).  A new study also concluded some shocking-to-us things about millennial dads versus their baby boomer counterparts - and we have some big feelings about one aspect of the results. We’re also sharing a crappy situation (literally) at our beach houses, and the weird measures we’re taking to resolve it. Plus, more design norms from around the world and our picks for summer entertainment. Be sure to check out younghouselove.com/podcast-145 for notes, links, and photos from this episode.

We recently made two big changes to our shopping habits that are having both positive and negative repercussions. So we’re sharing what we did, why we did it, and how we’re trying to course correct a few pitfalls that popped up. We also got a refreshing reminder that it’s liberating to acknowledge that you don’t have to be good at everything - especially in a social media world where everyone else seems to have it all figured out. Plus, we share a big hiccup that was narrowly avoided at the duplex, an organizational tool that we’ve fallen hard for, and Sherry’s deep feelings for a certain crunchy green snack. Be sure to check out younghouselove.com/podcast-144 for notes, links, and photos from this episode.