Table of contents for The Power of Less 2026 in Real Simple

Use what you already have “I don’t encourage anyone to go out and buy things, like a pretty stainless-steel water bottle or organic-cotton shopping bag, in order to go zero-waste,” says Tippi Thole, founder of the zero-waste website Tiny Trash Can. “We should be buying less, not more! If I have a plastic item in good working condition, I use it as long as I can.” Manufacturing reusable tote bags and water bottles tends to use a lot more resources and energy than manufacturing the disposable versions, so don’t churn through them. Refuse first People are constantly trying to give you single-use stuff: a flyer on the street, a sample in the store, a bag of stickers and knickknacks at a birthday party. “No matter how much you reduce, reuse,…

UP TO 40 PERCENT of food in the United States goes to waste, and as much as half of that waste happens at home, per the Natural Resources Defense Council. “When food goes to waste, so do all the resources it takes to get that food on our plates, including land, energy, water, fertilizer, and labor,” says Elizabeth Balkan, former food-waste director for the NRDC. Buy only the amount of food you need to make the meals you plan. If you can’t predict on Sunday what you’ll want on Thursday, that’s OK: Decide on menus for the first half of the week, then give yourself flexibility to do a leftovers night, get takeout, or go on a second round of (intentional) grocery shopping. At the store… “I tell my clients…

TOO MANY OF US MOVE through the world in a body that feels less than great: Maybe you walk around rubbing a sore shoulder or you snap-crackle-pop your way out of chairs. Maybe you’re just generally dragging. Of course, if you have an injury or a medical condition, you should consult your doctor about the best course of action. But if you’re experiencing run-of-the-mill rustiness, it may be that your workout regimen—however intense or minimal it is—is missing a key exercise that will help you move with ease and feel great. Ahead, a few suggestions. For each, use your core and breathe deeply. Oh, and if you combine them all, you’ll get an excellent workout—and you might just feel a little bit amazing. 1. To walk with less discomfort……

Wedding trends come and go, but it seems one particular planning practice is gaining traction among newly engaged couples—the eco-friendly wedding. “More millennial couples are committed to sustainability, and this environmental consciousness is not exclusive of how they go about planning their wedding,” says Jeffra Trumpower, senior director, the Knot Worldwide. “As we learn more and more about the impacts our choices have on the environment, we see people making more responsible choices.” Sustainable weddings range in scope from a few recycled reception centerpieces to carefully executed zero-waste affairs, but now, more than ever, to-be-weds are considering the ecological impact of their nuptials long before they walk down the aisle. For couples looking for eco-friendly wedding options, a lot starts with the vendors they select, according to Trumpower. “Having open…

THINK OF DECLUTTERING as the original resolution, the one move that makes all other goals more achievable. The whole-house, whole-family plan in this story is designed to save time (fewer closet excavations) and aggravation (no more pantry landslides). It might also erase guilt, since clutter reminds us of the decisions, big and little, that we’ve dodged. More shelf space is lovely, but more mental space is the real game changer. What will you do with yours? 1. THE PREP Confer with your team “It’s essential to get everyone in on the process to ensure buy-in. Without collaboration, it’s unlikely anyone will honor your unilateral decisions on where things live,” says Andrew Mellen, a professional organizer based in New York City. Spark your family’s interest by transforming a key shared space,…

STEP 1 ASSESS WHAT YOU’VE GOT Remove all your products from your bathroom, vanity, makeup bag, etc., and lay them out on a large white sheet or towel. “This clean background lets you clearly see and assess what you have, and it’s particularly helpful for seeing the colors and textures of your makeup,” explains makeup artist and beauty expert Jenny Patinkin. Categorize everything: Split up makeup, skin-care, and hair-care items, and then divide each of those piles into subcategories according to type of product. Now get down to business: “If you haven’t even picked up a product in two years, it’s got to go,” says Patinkin. Cast those items aside quickly and without thinking too much; don’t lament over how much money you spent on that pricey serum you never…

WHEN MY DAD DIED, many years ago, he left behind a legacy of love and a terrifying number of frogs. Glass frogs, plush frogs, ceramic frogs, frogs made of glued-together seashells playing tiny seashell guitars. Part of me wanted to keep every last one. These things were a connection to my dad, a connection to my childhood, a reminder of a time when I didn’t know from death. But I live in a New York City apartment. Had I kept all those frogs, my life would be an all-amphibian episode of Hoarders. Oh, but they spoke to me! So did my dad’s old T-shirts; so did the hideous $3 neckties from Lower East Side street corners; so did his old medical textbooks, which, as a kid, I would pull from…

OVER THE PAST DECADE, Marie Kondo has become synonymous with decluttering. The Tokyo native has written four books (and a graphic novel!) on the subject and is a bona fide TV star thanks to her Netflix series, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. Her name has even become a verb. The KonMari Method—outlined in her 2014 book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up—focuses on tidying not by location but category, five of them: clothes, books, papers, miscellaneous (cooking utensils, toiletries, tools, etc.), and sentimental items. It’s important to hold each item and ask whether it’s something that brings you joy. Kondo compares feeling joy to “when you hold a puppy or wear your favorite outfit”—you’ll get a “warm and fuzzy feeling.” If you don’t, thank it and let it go. 1…

THE WORD CARE can be a sneaky one, depending on how you use it. “Caring for others” is a profound act, connoting responsibility, affection, devotion, and love. But when you stick “care” at the end of a term, it loses some of the embedded emotion. “Childcare” is a service that you arrange; “caring for your child” is how you raise and love them. “Eldercare” is a bureaucratic term, cold and institutional; “caring for your mom” sounds loving and full. Just by shuffling the phrases, you get something that feels very different. Now let’s try it with you. “Caring for yourself” sounds like a heavy but important lift. And “self-care” sounds like pampering, right? It’s not, says Pooja Lakshmin, MD, a psychiatrist and the author of Real Self-Care, a guidebook on…

1. SEARCH AND DESTROY “Don’t let your email box become a to-do list,” something that you work your way through from top to bottom, says Duhigg. “It’s the worst to-do list possible, because literally everyone can add items to it.” On the way to work, spend 10 minutes thinking through your priorities for the day and setting a realistic start and end time to a morning email session. Then seek out important emails that require immediate responses—those about priority projects and those from your boss. Open those messages only. One strategy: Hit reply on each important message, and let the responses sit on your desktop. There’s your to-do list: this stack of replies. Use your prescribed email time to write thoughtful, cogent responses, rather than attempting to tear through a…

APPLIANCES Refrigerator MAKE-IT-LAST HABIT: Condenser coils—the large, radiator-like element at the back of or under the appliance—remove heat from your refrigerator and freezer. When dust and dirt stick to the coils, the machine can’t shed heat as efficiently, which can mean higher utility bills and costly repairs. Check the owner’s manual to see how often to clean the coils; use your vacuum’s brush attachment. TROUBLESHOOTING: If your refrigerator sounds like it’s straining, make sure the condenser coils are clean, there’s at least one inch between the fridge and the wall for adequate airflow, and the gasket (door seal) is not dry or cracking. Dishwasher MAKE-IT-LAST HABIT: Adhesives from jars of jelly or pasta sauce can clog the filter and hose, as can the oils and dirt from things like gardening…

POLENTA PIZZA ACTIVE TIME 45 MINUTES TOTAL TIME 3 HOURS, 30 MINUTES SERVES 4 1½ tsp. kosher salt, divided1 cup instant polenta5 Tbsp. olive oil, divided¾ tsp. black pepper, divided3 hot Italian sausages, casings removed1 bunch Swiss chard, stems chopped and leaves torn into bite-size pieces1 14-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes, drained¾ cup ricotta cheese BRING 4 cups water and 1¼ teaspoons salt to a boil in a medium pot over high. Slowly whisk in polenta. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, whisking often, until no lumps remain and polenta begins to pull away from sides of pot, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1 tablespoon oil and ½ teaspoon pepper. BRUSH a large rimmed baking sheet with 1 tablespoon oil. Pour polenta onto baking sheet…

IF YOU’RE LIKE MANY Americans, chances are your family is swimming in stuff: toys, clothes, trophies, electronics, cheap plastic figurines. To afford this abundance is a privilege, of course, but when it comes to our kids, we’re a nation of overconsumers. The U.S. is home to just 3.1 percent of the world’s children but consumes 40 percent of the world’s toys. Researchers in Los Angeles went into 32 homes to catalog the overconsumption epidemic: In one child’s room alone, they counted 165 Beanie Babies, 36 figurines, 22 Barbie dolls, three porcelain dolls, 20 other dolls, one troll, and a miniature castle. (“Where was everything else hiding?” you might ask.) Much of this stuff is around for an ostensibly sweet reason: We buy lots of toys, clothes, and other items for…

Day 1 CANCEL JUNK MAIL WITH A COUPLE OF CLICKS To put a permanent end to the avalanche of catalogs and credit-card offers, download an app that helps you instantly unsubscribe from those mailing lists. Day 2 CLEAR OFF A SURFACE IN MINUTES Quick fix for paper pileups: scan a room and notice where bills, school forms, and takeout menus have accumulated. That’s where you’re naturally inclined to keep that stuff. Mount a storage rack on the wall above and you can keep it all there without cluttering the counter. Day 3 CORRAL LOOSE COUPONS AND STORE CREDITS You’re more likely to cash them in if you keep coupons and credits together in one spot that’s easy to access when you’re shopping—and that spot is the car. Use a…