Every purchase you make has an impact on the world. If you aren't careful, your shopping choices contribute to climate change and social injustice. But when you align the contents of your shopping cart with your personal values you slowly but surely shape the market.

Here's a preview:

[4:00] 70% of the U.S. economy is driven by consumer spending. We citizens control the market!

[13:00] 3 easy-peasy shopping principles to guide you when you're feeling overwhelmed

[17:00] Should you listen to the angel on your shoulder, or the devil? Here's what to remember in those moments you want to backtrack

[21:00] *Exactly how* to avoid products made with forced labor or child labor

[28:00] Buying small, local, and diverse has the power to "chip away at systemic inequality". Here's how

Resources mentioned:

• Your Shopping Superpower: Follow Your Values and Better Your World One Purchase At A Time
• The Chocolate Scorecard
• Remake
• U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol

• This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting!
• Join our (free!) Facebook community here.
• Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Instagram, Substack + Youtube @sustainableminimalists
• Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.

Influencer marketing is a case study in how easy it is to sell things to followers who trust their favorite online personalities. But offering that elusive 'personal recommendation' for EVERYthing has normalized both inauthentic endorsing and impulse shopping. It has normalized the buying and selling of your precious attention, too.

Here's a sneak peak of today's episode for subscribers. Listen to the whole episode by becoming a paid supporter! On Apple Podcasts hit the "Try Free" button or, if you listen elsewhere, sign up via Substack. Thanks for considering!

There are few things more satisfying than completing a proper spring cleaning. Deep cleaning when the weather warms is a biological imperative that's rooted in centuries of tradition because the practice lightens moods and improves health. It also symbolizes renewal as we come out of hibernation and back into the sunshine.

You aren't alone in your seasonal desire to deep clean. On today's show: Opening the windows, deep-cleaning those closets, stripping the beds, and vacuuming those oft-ignored places just in time for the Spring Equinox.

Here's a preview:

[5:00] The evolutionary reasons that may explain why humans have "shaken their houses" for over 3 thousand years

[8:00] Using newspapers to clean your windows, mopping every week, and other cleaning myths

[18:00] Yes, you do need to spring clean your appliances! Here's how

[24:00] Exactly how to deep clean your bedding in 4 steps

[30:00] Love a good spring cleaning and want extra credit? Don't forget about these 5 oft-overlooked areas

Resources mentioned:

• Episode #487: Big Cleaning
• Episode #257: Spring Cleaning for Home, Head, and Heart
• Should You Use Your Oven’s Self-Cleaning Setting? It Depends. (via Wirecutter)
• The Ultimate Guide on How to Clean Your Washing Machine (via Good Housekeeping)
• How to Wash Pillows Properly, According to a Cleaning Expert (via Good Housekeeping)
• Tip jar, and thank you! buymeacoffee.com/sustainableminimalists

• This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting!
• Join our (free!) Facebook community here.
• Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists
• Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.