While I'm not an expert on warranties, I am the daughter of a mother who took advantage of them for small home products. With three daughters in the house, she purchased a few blow dryers especially when her three teenagers cared enough to wake up early and style our hair. I remember our mother packaging up a non-operating Conair blow dryer and shipping it to take advantage of the product warranty at the time (today it’s three years). Decades before the internet, there is no doubt she kept the product literature to reference the important warranty and shipping information. In her last months of life, she once instructed me to look up warranty and replacement information on her favorite Ottlite sewing lamp she had in her office that wasn’t working. She loved this lamp and was determined to have it in use again. I remember lovely conversations with the customer service person explaining the issue, what we should do next and even a friendly follow-up email! In that spirit, and with the ease of the internet, I have taken advantage of a few product warranties. My research and approach are based on my love of the product itself and doing a quick cost-benefit analysis, including product quality, time and shipping costs. However, I have found the first step is to create a simple warranty tracking system for my favorite products – whether through browser bookmarks, email folders or paper files – just as I’m sure our mother did with her product literature as there wasn’t a piece of paper she won’t hold on to “just in case.” "A Customer is never out of warranty, even if his product is." Seth Godin

On a downhill ski trip this winter, I skied with three fellow boomers. One of the skiers was sporting the same lightweight puffer jacket I’ve worn and treasured for years. As we compared notes, we realized all three of us had the exact jacke t (color, style) circa early 2000s. We laughed about our shared attachment to our well-worn piece, each telling stories on why we wear the jacket today – a warm layer with a shell, a light work jacket, etc. While all of our trusty puffers had seen better days (a total of 70 years of use or more), we weren’t giving up on them. Back at home, I sent these women a picture of my own jacket with it's repairs. Using patches, I’ve given my puffer a new life and a new look – and have created a few stares. The shapes, representing the outdoors, perfectly adhere to the tears to prevent the jacket from further disrepair. ... outdoor enthusiasts were keeping, repairing, and proudly wearing their well-worn gear ...

While texting back and forth about The Silver Thread , I invited my friend Rita Meyer to write a guest post. Rita and I met when our children were classmates at Saint John's Preparatory School, but I knew of her life before then through her monthly column in our Catholic newspaper. Her approachable writing about home life, daily running routine, and adventurous spirit had always resonated with me. Before we met, I also learned about Rita and her husband Marv's impressive feat of hiking the entire Appalachian Trail. After we became friends, I watched in admiration as their family of six embarked on a summer adventure, living in a motorhome in Alaska from the end of one school year to the start of the next. Leaving behind her home, gardens, and routine to capture precious time with her family exemplified living intentionally and simply. Rita is a baker and cook extraordinaire for family, fundraisers, and events, a dedicated volunteer, and a kindred spirit. I'm delighted to share her perspective with you today. Dear Silver Thread Readers, I can so relate to trying to live a simpler life. A more sustainable life. A life of less stuff and more peace. Margaret has come to embrace what her mother taught by both word and action. I think our moms could have been besties, such similar values. The more I read Margaret’s posts, the more I realize that I too have adopted a lot of my Mom’s ways and I am proud of this simpler lifestyle. Oh sure, my kids sometimes get on my case for reusing Baggies (for lunch pail packing, they definitely can be used more than once depending on the contents) or Ziplocks (didn’t know about the cool-looking wooden stand Margaret featured last week; I just put mine over water bottles sitting on the countertop) or even perfectly good containers (I buy the Quaker Oats at Sam’s Club and then pour it from the bags into the saved round containers from earlier days). Know what though? I think my kids get it and are replicating what they have seen and heard as they start flying out of the coop. Our moms could have been besties ...

Growing up as part of a large family meant heaps of laundry. As the daughter of a home economist (now called family and consumer sciences), our home often felt like a laboratory. While some of our mother’s laundry practices remain with me today, others no longer suit modern lifestyle. After doing laundry for my family of six — before becoming an empty nester seven years ago — I've developed sustainable practices that extend the life of fewer, high-quality clothing items. Patric Richardson , Minnesota-based author of Laundry Love and House Love and host of The Laundry Guy TV show, advocates investing in quality essentials year-round and adding a few seasonal pieces instead of fast fashion. He notes: “If you really love your garments, both classic and trendy, you’ll be more motivated to take care of them and make them last. In sum, you’ll be buying both more thoughtfully and less.” I've learned ... laundry is more than just cleaning clothes — it’s about sustainability, simplifying life ...

Downsizing our family home in 2021 meant "editing" my wardrobe for a year shuffling between temporary housing, an overcrowded office, and storage space. To protect and move my wardrobe, I invested in quality storage bags that I still use today — just fewer of them!  Our new closet is one-third the size of our previous one. Despite initial downsizing, I still had work to do after leaving a long career, adapting to lifestyle changes, and holding onto special pieces too long. The final step in organizing my closet was a virtual styling session with my niece Krysta, a professional stylist ( Styled x Krysta ). Thanks to Krysta my closet contains only items I truly want to keep. This Closet editing journey taught me there's often more to let go ...

I have written about my mother’s everyday routines – quiet, small practices, some taught and some untaught. My father, a physician, had grand, energetic routines centered around gardening, travel and 35mm photography. I particularly remember his gardening this time of year as he waited for spring to arrive. His gardening was prolific, with multiple flower and vegetable gardens at his different properties. For decades, until his early 90s, he planned more gardens, more bulbs to plant, more supplies to get and more ornamental and water features to place. A master gardener, his unceasing drive to create colorful views and conduct gardening tours for friends and family (and a reason to have a party) was unmatched. He made plans this time of year inspired by travels and by attending the spring Bachman’s Flower Show . While his gardening wasn’t simple, a greenhouse he added at our family home was remarkably sustainable – saving and protecting plants year after year instead of replacing them. In a picture recently used for my younger sister’s milestone birthday, the greenhouse setting (see pictures below) perfectly captures those memories: fall crisp nights digging up plants, the humid greenhouse air with geranium scent, and the anxiety of freeze alarms during our parents’ travels. ... a greenhouse ... was remarkably sustainable ...

At a recent social event, I met a woman who helps families downsize their parents' homes. We clicked instantly over our shared passion for simple living. Our brief conversation confirmed what we both knew: the kitchen is where simple living often begins — eliminating duplicate storage containers and saying no to large gadgets because of space, etc. That conversation made me reflect on my own kitchen essentials – the simple tools that I use every day. I’ve discovered that humble little tools, not fancy hard-to-store gadgets, are the extraordinary helpers for simple, sustainable living. Many were inspired by, or came from, family and friends, and I treasure them, not only because of their purpose, but their small size and mighty reuse. The kitchen is where simple living begins ...

Twelve years ago, we hosted, “Loodles” (not her real name but a family nickname her host brother loved to use), a 16-year-old Austrian exchange student from Melk Abbey, just as our eldest daughter left for college. She shared a room with our younger daughter becoming part of the sophomore class friend group and our family. Her perspective on sustainable living, shaped by her Austrian-Dutch upbringing, has influenced my daily habits. Now a psychotherapist after traveling and teaching in the Congo and El Salvador, Loodles taught us valuable lessons about simplicity that remain relevant today: Air Dry Clothes – Loodles shared how dryers are less common in Austria, showing us how her family hung clothes to dry inside year-round. I adopted this practice, saving energy while adding humidity during winter and extending the life of my clothes. Rethink Single-Use Items – Her gentle critique of our K-Cup coffee maker created a lasting change – I switched back to a traditional drip maker focusing on sustainability over convenience. Connect Through Art – During a trip to Chicago, Loodles researched one of her father’s favorite artists, David Hockney, at the Chicago Art Institute. While I knew of David Hockney’s work (mostly in the poster print format), she taught me to experience art as a way to connect with family across distances. her perspective on sustainable living ... has influenced my daily habits ...

After last week's longer “Year of Wisdom” post, I’m returning to quick and inspirational ideas on living simply by sharing a few ERW Life Hacks. ERW, my tiny and determined mother, lived a remarkable 93 years. Throughout her life, she quietly exemplified resourceful living, teaching our family through her daily example. With family providing daily caregiving during her at-home 18-month hospice journey in the pandemic years, I observed some of her clever shortcuts and methods that made her daily living and efforts easier. While I’m sure she was using her life hacks through her life, watching more closely (and sometimes gently directed) during that time in her home helped me see and admire her practices and rituals. ... I observed some of her clever shortcuts and methods that made her daily living and efforts easier ...