2022 was a year of change for my family and I.

At the end of 2021, we downsized our belongings by half. Of the remaining half, put half in storage, and packed the remaining items for a move five hours away to a town where we knew no one.

We moved into a very small rental unit, sold our old house, bought a new house, moved out of the rental unit, into our house, then had to move our stuff in storage to our new house.

My husband started a brand new huge job. I left a job I had been at for almost 17 years.

I started a new job and was finally able to go full time with my freelance writing services.

There’s more, but I think you get the point.

It was a big year.

And that’s coming off of two year trying to remain afloat during the pandemic.

I’ve been running this blog since 2017, and every year I’ve done a top 10 recap. Partly because they’re my own guilty pleasure this time of year, but also because I like to see what things you found useful.

This year some of the top 10 posts are not surprises – they’re ones that have consistently been in my top posts since publishing them (no gifts, advent calendar, fiver party). Some I spent time on updating this year. The others are on my list to do ASAP.

But others were surprising – particularly the non-eco-minimalist ones. How to be happy in a job, how to practice self-compassion, guided meditation (I believe this is the first time one of my guided meditations made it to the top 10). To me, this speaks volumes to the mental state many of us have been at this year.

For 2023, I’m planning on a few exciting things that will help you live with less in a sustainable way – so stay tuned (the best way is to sign up for my email list below).

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The top 10 Reduce Reuse Renew blog posts of 2022

#10: 2-Minute Guided Meditation for Mindfulness – Grand Tetons

I started publishing these 2-minute guided meditations when the blog first started (you can see that photo is one I took in 2014), and they’ve never ended up in the 10 top. Maybe you, like me, needed short moments of pause this past year?

Find the post here.

#9: How to host a toy swap or toy exchange (with swap invite wording)

A post that’s been consistently in the top 10 since I posted it. However, with the pandemic happening shortly after I hosted this swap, I never felt right about really getting it out there.

However, this past year, I hosted a community-wide toy swap. I will be updating this post with things I’ve learned during that event.

Find the post here.

#8: How to practice self compassion (with actual examples)

This is one of those more surprising posts. I wrote this one a few years ago as a way to hold myself accountable to start practicing more self-compassion (per my therapist). Fast forward to today, and it’s something I still struggle with and am working on. I’m planning on updating this post ASAP!

Find the post here.

#7: A Minimalist and Zero Waste Advent Calendar (with 58 Kindness, Traditions, and Activity-Based, Non-Candy Ideas)

A favorite and one that’s usually in my top 5 most popular posts, this advent calendar is one that’s flexible, customizable to you and your family, and contains no trinkets or candy (unless you want it to). Updated this fall.

Find the post here.

#6: Why is it so hard to get rid of stuff? How our emotions get in the way of decluttering

With my recent major downsize, I’m planning on writing more decluttering content – and that goes beyond the normal “how-to” posts I and others have already covered. That includes updating this post, because the biggest roadblocks I’ve encountered decluttering have come from emotions around items.

Find the post here.

#5: 10 Ways to be Happy in a Job that Makes you Unhappy

Another one on the ‘to-be-updated’ list, especially after leaving a job earlier this year that had become not a good fit any more. The tips in this post are all things I’ve had to do in previous jobs, because we spend a lot of time working and we deserve to not have all our mental energy sucked dry doing so.

Find the post here.

#4: A Comprehensive DIY Beeswax Wraps & Use Guide

A consistent top 10 – if you’ve ever wanted to make beeswax wraps, or had questions about making beeswax wraps, this guide is for you. An update shall be coming (and perhaps even a new post with another beeswax craft) soon.

Find the post here.

#3: What is a fiver party and how to throw one (includes a party invitation wording guide)

The divisive post – people are either for a fiver party or think you’re a horrible human being if you have one. I share my experience hosting one: what happened, how people reacted, and if I’d do it again.

There is also a link to listen to the Raising Eco Minimalist podcast episode I did on the topic if you prefer.

Find the post here.

#2: What to put on a vision board and how it works (with an example and checklist)

In this post, I share allllll you need or want to know about vision boards – including how and why they work.

I share an example of my own vision board I created a couple years ago, and how it ended up working for me.

This post was consistently number one for a while, until the current #1 post came along….

Find the post here.

#1: 10 ways to graciously tell someone: ‘no gifts, please’ (with actual examples, wording, and alternatives)

Since first publishing this post, it has consistently been in the top three Reduce, Reuse, Renew posts – mostly remaining in the top one or two year round.

I was really surprised at how popular it was when I first wrote it, but I think it speaks to an issue that many people are afraid to address, which is: that people don’t want gifts but don’t know how to talk about it.

Find the post here.

Did your favorite make the list?