I love a good end of the year countdown, and on this blog, I do two – a top 10 post countdown list and a recap of all the books I’ve read (coming soon but you can read past ones here)!

This past year on the blog has been a fulfilling one. I wrote a new post every week with the exception of the month of August and half of December, started freelance writing, started working very part-time as a virtual assistant, invested in a amazing SEO course that provided almost instant results, came thisclose to my monthly traffic goal, and continued to grow on social media and my email list, redesigned and rebranded (no small feat) AND, was a guest on two different podcasts and have a recording lined up in a couple of weeks, and appeared in publications such as Earth911, Thrive Global, Eco-Warrior Princess, Apartment Therapy, Realtor.com, Mind Body Green, and more! All while working my regular ‘day’ job, and being a mom and wife!

All of this couldn’t be done without YOU! And as cliche as it may sound, I truly, honestly, and deeply appreciate you reading and supporting from the bottom of my heart. You are what keeps me going, so thank you!

Without further ado, let’s get into the countdown!

10. The Ultimate Guide for a Zero Waste Halloween

Holidays, as they stand, are pretty wasteful. It wasn’t surprising to me to see this being one of two holiday posts in the top 10. This post talks about all things Halloween – decor, costumes, what to hand out, what to do with leftover candy and candy wrappers, etc.

9. The Eco-Friendly Magic of Tidying Up

I, like you (possibly), got sucked into Marie Kondo’s series on Netflix at the beginning of this year. I enjoyed the series and took away a few things to try in my own decluttering journey, however, one thing stuck out to me like a sore thumb.

The sheer amount of things people were throwing away, and also how much was being donated to secondhand shops – to the point where there were numerous articles coming out about how shops could no longer keep up. I’ve talked before about how up to 40% of donations end up in the landfill, so the fact that shops were completely overwhelmed likely meant that this number was higher.

I was drawn to more eco-friendly ways to get rid of our clutter, but realized it took a lot of time just to research where to donate certain items, and that a lot of people simply wouldn’t take that time. To remove one of the obstacles, I poured hours into this post researching exactly where to drop off certain items so you could have a one-stop-shop when you’re getting rid of stuff.

8. How a 100 Things List Can Help you Live a More Intentional Life

This post was published at the beginning of 2018 and has been in my top 10 ever since. It was a guest post written by Maegan from This Blue Dress and contains an easy but super useful way to figure out what your values and priorities really are.

7. Have Yourself a Merry Zero Waste Christmas

Here is the second zero waste holiday post that made it into the top 10. Like Halloween, Christmas (and the other Decembers) can be incredibly wasteful. The good news is that there are lots of things you can do to reduce the amount of waste created this time of year! This post acts as a comprehensive guide to all things Christmas, and provides useful tips on how to reduce waste (and clutter, and save money).

6. 8 Lies My Anxiety Tells Me & How I Move Past Them

One of my more vulnerable posts where I share the irrational things I regularly fear due to my anxiety. The response when I first posted it was overwhelmingly positive, and seeing it show up on my top 10 for the year was also really validating. How so? Validating in the sense that people are looking for honest and real conversations about the mental health issues that so many face – often in silence.

5. 5 Guilt Free Ways to Get Rid of Sentimental Clutter

As someone who once got mad at my grandma for throwing away a gum wrapper of mine with writing on it, writing this post seemed like a total 180 from who I used to be. I know firsthand how hard it can be to try and sort through sentimental items. However, I can happily say I’ve done it, and I share all my top tips in this post to help you through your sentimental items!

4. 10 Ways to be Happy in a Job that Makes You Unhappy

This is another post that I wrote in 2018 but since then it has continued to be in my top 10 posts. The kicker? I RARELY actively share this post – meaning people are seeking out the information on their own.

It’s easy for someone to say ‘find a new job’ to someone who is unhappy in their current position. But often, it isn’t that easy. This post is for those who are stuck in their current position for whatever reason, or to hold out until you DO find something new.

3. 10 Unexpected Things that may be Triggering Your Anxiety

It took me years to figure out that there were often times that I wasn’t feeling anxious for no good reason. Discovering these things that were triggers for me not only helped me be proactive in managing my anxiety, but it also allowed me to calm down a little bit if I was feeling extra anxious for whatever reason. I share 10 of my triggers that I have identified, in case they may be triggers for you as well.

2. Two Things You Need to do to Reduce Waste in 2019

I wrote this post because I wanted to share the two things that made the biggest impact on our individual, at home waste reduction efforts. I never imagined it would be as popular as it was! Stay tuned for the sequel – Three Things You Must do to Reduce Waste in 2020 – coming soon!

#1. The Ultimate Zero Waste, Eco-Friendly, Minimalist Friendly, and Mindful Gift Guide (with over 100 gift ideas!)

When I first started my reduction based journey, gifts were one of the harder aspects to change. I put together this massive list to provide a one-stop shop for ideas on what to give to those on your list any time of the year!

This post is always changing and being updated, so be sure to save it and check back for even more clutter free and eco-friendly ideas.

Again – I thank you so much for being here. Did your favorite post make the list? What was missing?

Want to learn how to adopt a reduction based lifestyle (through mindfulness, minimalism, anxiety management, and zero waste living but not sure where to start?

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