The last week has been a rocky ride for my family. My elderly father landed in the hospital (again), a scary situation that disrupted everyone’s plans. Meanwhile, my sibling and mom are both dealing with health issues of their own. The essay I’d been writing had to wait for another day!

In Junes past, I’ve created summer bucket lists of sorts (here’s 2024 and 2023)—these were breezy lists of fun things I hoped to do. But when I declared, “The fun season starts now!” in 2023, my father-in-law died just days later, and when I listed my many summer-y aspirations the following year, I ended up spending much of July and August in a hospital room with my dad. I guess that’s why I decided to skip publishing a summer wish list last year!

This years, I thought I’d offer some practical summer recommendations instead. These are the things that help me survive (and even thrive) the season—no matter what’s happening in my life or the rest of the world. It ended up being a very eclectic mix of suggestions.

Here’s what I’m relying on to get me through what promises to be the hottest summer ever:

Upgrade your cooling

I am not an air conditioning person. I wait until the heat is unbearable before installing our window ACs each year, but I’ve been a little less reluctant since we bought a u-shaped air conditioner two years ago. I discovered the Midea air conditioner while walking behind a mom pushing a baby carriage, who was raving about her super-quiet Midea air conditioner that blocked less of her window. I went home and ordered one the next day. Some of the brand’s models got recalled last year, but our 8,000 BTU model was not. It’s so quiet I sometimes don’t even realize it’s running. I’m also intrigued by the GE Profile ClearView, another u-shaped model but with a flipped design for even less view obstruction: Has anyone tried it?

++ If you’re in New York, I love buying appliances from P.C. Richards, a local, family owned business; they install (for a fee), if you’re not able to get an AC in your window yourself.

++ If you’re thinking about upgrading your central air conditioning to a heat pump system, Rewiring America’s got you covered.

And get yourself a tiny desk fan. Sometime in the mindset of the sweltering first week of last July I bought this tiny fan from Muji. This impulse purchase of a plastic electronic was very unlike me, but I love it because it lets me skip the AC (or run the AC a little higher) on hot days by cooling me directly at my desk.

Invest in an excellent swimsuit

My frugality led to years of wearing ‘meh’ swimsuits, but once I decided to spend some money on a proper suit, I felt so much better at the lake or the beach. A couple years back, I wrote a love letter to my favorite “mom swimsuit” for the Wall Street Journal. You can chase a toddler in it but still feel cool (in fact, I spotted my pal from Mom Friend, who is an expert in cool-mom style, wearing one recently).

However, it turns out, I might prefer something a little less, well, mom. Last year the nice folks at Left on Friday offered me a chance to try out one of their swimsuits and I fell hard for the Streamline suit: The fabric is so supportive and the cut is just a wee bit sexier than the Andie one–without making me feel self conscious. I just bought a second, so I can have two Streamline suits in this summer’s rotation (pricey, but worth it to me to feel confident while barely clothed!).

++ did the hard work of trying on dozens of suits to see what swimsuits are flattering for 60-somethings.

Give yourself a summer splurge category

I’m always shopping with budget front of mind, but two summers ago I decided I would buy all the farm strawberries I wanted in the brief window they were available. Yes, it‘s absolutely bananas to pay $9 for a tiny basket of berries, but the strawberries I bought last weekend were a very welcome spot of joy amidst a crummy weekend.

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Last weekend while we were hanging out, my cousin casually asked if I had any bathroom renovation advice. As someone who had renovated four bathrooms over the years, I did have some advice (a lot of it, actually), but I didn’t want to overwhelm her. So I waded into the conversation like I enter cold water: slowly, checking the temperature along the way.

As we talked, it became clear that she didn’t have a clear idea of what she wanted to achieve. Her bathrooms were dated, but it didn’t seem like she had a specific vision of what she wanted (in part because she had some preconceived notions of what she could or could not do). Back at home after we’d parted, I started to write my cousin an email and realized that maybe this advice I could share with all of you too.

With any remodeling project, I suggest making two lists before you begin. First write down the pain points of the space—be as specific as possible. Next, make a wish list of everything you would like to do (money no object!). Then, get multiple quotes and research costs for everything on your wish list. Even if you have a general contractor you love, it’s important to get multiple bids. Make sure to spell the scope of work out clearly, so everyone is bidding on the same thing. Don’t forget to account for things like paint, grout, and shipping costs (for example, shipping tile can cost almost as much as the tile itself).

I also suggested that my cousin define her goal for the renovation. Obviously the goal is a new bathroom, but I think being even more specific can be clarifying. For example, my friend once renovated a bathroom with low maintenance as her goal. She opted for big tiles (less grout to clean), a wall-hung sink that she could easily mop beneath, and a pricier skirted toilet that had fewer nooks and crannies to clean. Approaching seventy, my cousin might think about designing for aging in place (something I wish my own parents had done more of when they renovated their bathrooms). If you live in the West, conserving water might be your guiding light; if your bathroom is in a summer house on the East Coast, maybe preventing rust and mildew is paramount. Own a historic house? Walking the line between historical sympathy and modern convenience might help you focus (Robert Khederian recently wrote about just such a renovation). Having a clearly defined goal will help you with all the many decisions you need to make.

I have also made many mistakes (both big and small) in past renovations that I hoped my cousin might avoid. Below are my personal recommendations for anyone embarking on bathroom renovation (some of it applies to any renovation).

Do not renovate before selling

If you’re selling a home and the bathrooms are dated, I am doubtful that upgrading them will return on your investment. Bathroom renovations are expensive (usually much more so than we anticipate!). Instead, do a light refresh: Paint, hire someone to steam clean or redo the grout (or deep clean it yourself), buy a pretty shower curtain, and let the next homeowner renovate to their own tastes. (By the way, here are some more thoughts on staging a home for sale.)

Renovate for yourself

My cousin would like a no-step shower, but was nervous that eliminating her bathtub might not be a good idea. I say renovate for yourself, not some imagined future buyer. This is my advice for everything–not just bathrooms. If you’re bothering to renovate, do what pleases you and don’t worry too much about what someone else will think later because it’s impossible to guess someone else’s desires and you might end up staying longer than you expect (I’m 11 years into our “starter” family apartment).

But, consider the house too

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Friends, I am practically giddy with anticipation: My CSA share is about to begin!

For those of you who don’t know the acronym, CSA stands for community supported agriculture. In this model of farming, members of the community pre-purchase an annual “share” in a farm’s future harvest, which is then distributed weekly over the course of the growing season. It benefits the farm because they have guaranteed income, and members you get access to the freshest produce often at a significant discount from market prices. The smaller farms that operate CSAs tend to cultivate their land responsibly and sustainably, and the experience of joining a CSA makes a real connection between people and their food.

My husband and I have been a members of four different CSAs (and a sometimes picker-upper for a fifth) over the years. They’ve ranged from a very bougie box share that we picked up at a Brooklyn wine shop to a pick-you-own CSA that had us harvesting in the field twice a week. I can say with confidence that whatever type of CSA you join, it will enhance your life. Skeptics, stay with me.

When I tell people how much I love CSAs I sometimes get pushback from folks who say they tried it but it was impossible to keep up with all the veggies. I understand. My first foray into a CSA back in my early 30s was not a huge success. We somehow managed to be busy every night that we were supposed to pick up our share and working through the veggies always felt like a challenge. It wasn’t until we joined the CSA as young parents who needed to cook dinner every night that we managed to find our CSA groove.

To make use of CSA membership you have to be willing to cook, but you’ll get the most out of a CSA if you actually enjoy cooking. Once you get going, being a member may even make you like cooking more.

To find a CSA near you Local Harvest maintains a directory that you can search by location, as does the organization National Farm Share. The USDA used to keep a list too, but the site appears to be a victim of spending cuts and is no longer active (sigh).

Read on for all the reasons why you should try to sign up for a local CSA this season:

It (might) save you money

Being a member of a CSA can seem expensive, but when you divide the cost over the many weeks, it’s cheaper than buying comparable produce at the farmer’s market. However, whether or not a CSA saves you money depends on how diligent you are about picking it up, what you would be buying otherwise, and if you use what you receive. If you miss a bunch of pick ups or let the veggies rot, your savings disappear quickly.

It will deliver value

When I think about the cost of our CSA share, I think less about the money I save than the value I receive. The produce from our CSAs has always been better than anything I can get at the local grocery store. It is so fresh–often harvested right before you receive it. Plus, the types and varieties of foods you receive are ones that can be hard to find—even at farmer’s market.

You’ll meet some neighbors

For years, we were members of a CSA the made volunteering a requirement for membership, but it was never a chore. I loved spending an evening in the back yard of the church chatting with neighbors whom I never would have met otherwise. I even think back fondly on a freezing night I distributed winter shares on the sidewalk dressed in my ski pants swapping rutabaga recipes with retirees. CSA farms also often host potlucks or other social events for members. If I were moving to a new place, I’d sign up for the CSA just as a way to meet kindred spirits in a new community.

You’ll eat more veggies (lots more!)

Having a weekly influx of gorgeous produce will mean a greater percentage of what you eat will be fruits and vegetables. It’s so much easier to make veggies a part of most meals when they are thrust upon you on a weekly schedule.

You’ll discover new recipes

Getting a box of random vegetables every week was admittedly challenging in the early days: What am I supposed to do with all this stuff? I’d think. But with time, I learned I needed to switch my thinking from “I want to cook X” to “Well, what can I make with X, Y, Z?”. You’ll find yourself making dishes you might never otherwise make when you have a bumper crop of an unusual vegetable–and find favorite recipes along the way. For example, Hetty Mckinnon’s miso-glazed radish recipe completely changed my attitude towards radishes and turnips. I loved the now-defunct, but still archived Farm Share Newsletter that Alexandra Strafford used to publish for inspiration.

It’ll also teach you to improvise

Becoming a CSA member pushed my home cooking to the next level. Cooking a greater variety of things and cooking more often turned me into a much more intuitive cook. I rarely cook from a recipe anymore and I think a big part of that is because the CSA share taught me to be more nimble and resourceful with my ingredients.

Read more about how I avoid food waste in my home kitchen.

Your microbiome will thank you

Our human microbiome, the community of microorganisms that live inside our bodies, remains mysterious even to scientists, but it does seem clear that eating a wide variety of plants is the best way to ensure healthy gut bacteria. All that farm fresh dirt is surely good for our gut bacteria too, no?

You might get some fun extras

Many CSAs have add-ons for extras that members can access, from fresh eggs for purchase or pick-your-own-strawberry days for members. One year our CSA had a add-on mushroom share: We got a generous sack of unusual mushrooms each week for just $20. It was so rad. In other years a neighbor sold her homemade sourdough at a card table on pick-up day (also rad!). Our current CSA includes flowers in your share!

You help out pollinators and birds

Walking the rows of the organic farm that runs our current CSA in midsummer the quantity of butterflies and songbirds is astonishing. It made me realize that (of course) small farms provide valuable habitat. Yes, the cabbage moths nibbles holes in the kale and collards, but I’ve come to appreciate that as a welcome sign that the produce is not soaked in pesticides.

You’ll support a small farm

One of the many reasons to participate in community supported agriculture is to support local farms, of course. You’ll probably get to meet the farmer(s) behind your food. Your produce also has a lower carbon footprint when it is coming from close by, and I believe that local farms are a key to any community’s resilience.

And here’s one last reason for parents to consider joining a CSA: It may be a foil to “picky eating.” In my son’s preschool years, picking up the veggies was an event he looked forward to. It meant a nice evening walk and he liked the idea that we were picking up vegetables from “the farm.” I suspect this more direct connection to where his food came from (or perhaps to the storybook version of a farm in his head) made him more willing to try new vegetables. The sheer variety of produce he was exposed to probably helped him grow into a flexible eater.

Are you a member of a CSA? If so, how has it enriched your life? I’d love to hear in the comments. If you tried and it didn’t work out, I’d love to hear about that too.

A Few More Things

The best small space I saw last week was this tiny, hillside house designed by the Italian firm Llabb Architecture. Give me a chic little cabin in the middle of nowhere furnished with my favorite stool, an Saarinen chair, and Tolomeo lamps!

Podcasting: I was a guest on the Do Less Marketing podcast. Brittany and I talked about a minimalist approach to marketing and how building relationships has been the most valuable way I’ve promoted my work as a writer.

Listening: I enjoyed this episode of Cultivating Place about the Village Homes, an intentional community, in Davis, CA. My parents lived in Davis for a decade and my running route during visits took me past the Village Homes. It was edifying to learn more about a place that had sparked my curiosity.

One last thing: Can’t wait!

The first time the plumber knocked on the door, I thought he had the wrong apartment. He was looking for water damage and I sent him to try my neighbor’s door. Two days later loud banging commenced above my apartment. First, the dull thump of plaster walls being demolished, and then the distinctive clang of metal against metal. Eventually I heard large pieces of rubble falling between the walls. The sound was so close it inspired me to get down on my hands and knees to see if some of my plaster had come loose from the wall our bookcases lean against.

With my face pressed against the floor I could see what I couldn’t see before: Quite a lot of water damage behind our bookcases. The super was summoned. The plumber returned with what I suspected was an I-told-you-so look on his face. It was determined that we’d need to move all three bookcases to assess the damage, which meant moving a lot of books. (Fortunately, books and cases were undamaged by the water.)

There is nothing like having to move your belongings to force you to confront them.

As we waited a couple days for the plasterer to come, our living room and foyer were a maze of stacked book towers. The books took up a shocking amount of place loosed from their usual confines. This situation got me thinking we should prune our collection a bit. Before the unshelving, some books had been shelved two rows deep. There were others wedged in horizontally on top of other books. Some large tomes perched atop the cases. The truth is, we had long ago outgrown our book storage.

I’m pretty good at letting go of things, but books are something of a weak point. (The last time I counted two years ago, we had at least 300 books in our tiny apartment and another 500+ shelved in our small vacation house). I’ve gotten pretty good at passing on novels I’ve read, agreeing with Nan Talese, who once said, “I don’t reread old books, there’s too much to read.” What I struggle with are nonfiction books relating to my work and any kind of illustrated book (interiors books, cookbooks, art books, etc.).

In her best selling book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo instructed her readers to do what I was forced to do: Take every single book off the shelf. Kondo wants you to pick up the book and decide if the sight of it sparks joy—and only keep those that do. She cautions, “Make sure you don’t start reading it. Reading clouds your judgement.” I suppose this method might be quite effective, but I not that steadfast: I can’t help but crack a book open before giving it away.

While living amongst the book stacks, I’d pick up a title thinking that we might be ready to part ways. But before I put it on the to-donate pile, I’d just flip through and make sure it wasn’t not a keeper. Inevitably, I would find something that delighted me in its pages: A recipe I made once and loved, a garden I’d like to visit some day, or photos of apartment that left a big impression on me years ago and still stops me in my tracks. In almost every case, I decided not to donate the book.

Does this sound familiar? I’m betting it does. I found myself wondering why it’s so hard to part with books, and I concluded that it’s a general feeling you might read it again someday, but there are different reasons for different books. If you too struggle to winnow down your library, it might help to think about why it’s so hard; here’s why:

We spent money on them.

I suspect every reader has books they bought and never read. I know I do. We think we’ll get to them someday, but often these books linger unread for years. This is a category of book that I’d encourage you to let go by giving them away to friends or donation. If you later really want to read the book, you can always get another copy.

We might reference it someday.

Maybe this is more of problem for writers, but there are so many books that I keep because I’m sure they’ll be a useful reference some day. One little workaround I’ve found for this type of book involves two apps. Here’s how it works: I borrow the book from the library on Libby, then I fire up the Kindle app on my desktop, where I can easily search for the bit of text I am looking for. I did this last week with the quote from The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff, which I had read and passed on. I even use this tactic for books I’ve held onto!

They’re “classics.”

Often it’s hard to let go of a book that is a great work of literature. For one, these books seem like ones we’ll be more likely to reread, but I think there’s a deeper reason that they linger. “Important” books are often are part of our identity: We see ourselves as the person who read Henry James and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I’ve gotten better about letting these go, shedding most of the books that date back to my undergrad literature studies. Know that if you ever want to read a classic again any library will have it. However, I have struggled to let go of the Scribner’s Library paperbacks (you know the ones with the gray backdrop and colorblock title backdrops) that I bought at used bookshops downtown a thousand years ago, which leads to my next reason it’s hard to declutter books.

We’re sentimental.

I have kept a copy of Katherine Mansfield’s short stories that my sophomore year writing teacher suggested I read because she thought my fiction was in a similar vein. (I read that book so closely looking for clues!) At fortysomething, I’ve been holding onto my copy of Twentysomething Girl because my former assistant editor wrote it and I was so wildly proud of her for doing so. I will probably keep the children’s book The Bear Ate My Sandwich until the day I die because it sparks a tender memory: Our two year old marched right over to this book in a bookshop and managed to communicate we MUST buy it. I did, and then on Monday I saw it in his classroom. The teacher had read it to the kids and he had recognized it. Oh my heart.

Twentysomething Girl ended up being one of the very few books I decided to put in the to-do box (forgive me Laura, if you are reading!). Our walls have been replastered and the bookcases are now back in place, the titles reshelved. A sliver of salvation for our crowded shelves came from my 10-year-old son. I asked him to identify some books to give away and he swiftly and unsentimentally divided his stack into keep and give piles–no sentimental hesitations

My husband and I either need to dig deep and pick some books to say goodbye to—or finally commission the custom shelves we’ve been talking about for, oh, more than a decade. But I also want to make space for new books—new ideas, new chapters in life. (I also hate the way an overcrowded bookshelf looks.) So, I will endeavor to keep pruning. Maybe I should host a book swap to give some away?

The leak from above has also left us with another conundrum: Our floor is water damaged, as well. The building is responsible for replacing the warped boards but we’ll need to refinish them all to match the replacement patch.

The floor refinisher confidently told us he could do the floors with our belonging still here–he’d just shuffle them from room to room as he does the work. “It’s New York City,” he said. “People do it all the time.” The larger question is if the better course of action would be to replace the floors altogether because, as they refinisher told us, “there’s not much meat” left in the old boards. Either way, packing up to redo the floors may just be that nudge we need to do a deep decluttering of not just books, but the whole apartment. After 11 years we also need to paint. And gosh, it would feel so good to have a fresh start, wouldn’t it? Projects await!

Related reading from the archive:
The reader comments on this first one are some of my favorites ever.

Plus, last week’s most-clicked link was this fish-printed dress! (I still haven’t gone to try it on!)

A Few More Things

The best small space I saw last week was Caroline Z. Hurley’s serene beach house featured on Domino.com. All-neutrals is hard to get right, but this house does it! (Clicked through to see the bedding, and am in love with all the new linen stripe colors!) Don’t worry, I’ve also got a tiny beach-side apartment to share too.

Reading: I didn’t think I was going to like this New York Times article on “hyper ADUs,” (gift link) but I was wrong! I loved this story of a creative redevelopment that saved and old house. More of this infill housing that preserves the past, please.

Writing: You might not guess how many reading hours went into this piece for Gardenista about organic lawn care. It’s my second article on non-toxic lawns, but probably not my last! If you ask me about your lawn, I could talk for hours.

One last thing: Maybe we all need one?

I’m not sure whether it is clichéd inevitability or a stroke of rare luck that I took up an interest in nature at the age of 40. Either way, my life is much enriched by this somewhat surprising turn of events.

I moved to New York City to attend college just weeks after I turned 18, and I have been here ever since. My adult life was spent mostly in office…

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Here we are in May already. I’m sharing a recap of what’s been happening on LIVING SMALL this April–plus a few highlights from life offline. Thank you for being a part of this community and welcoming this newsletter into your inbox each week.

This month LIVING SMALL has been packed with great stories:

1. Most read: We kicked off the month with 13 ideas to ma…

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Climbing the stone steps into Bryant Park on that spring evening, birds were singin…

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But sometimes having more things can make life easier. Less isn’t always more. Occasionally buying one thing can curb a ton of waste. I’ve compiled a list of nine small, totally unsexy things that make living in a small apartment easier and, more importantly, less wasteful.

Since this is a product-focussed newsletter I’m tagging this newsletter as part of my “Living Small 100,” a series I ran earlier on in the newsletter. I never got to 100, but earlier editions of the Living Small 100 included 14 products that help me avoid single-use plastic in the kitchen and 10 organizing tools I swear by. Would you all be interested in other useful/sustainable product round-ups like these? Let me know in the comments.

Here are 9 little things that help me live small and sustainably:

My cast iron co-pilot

When I made a list of everything I added to my home in 2025, I accidentally left out one key thing: A pot scraper. I bought it to tackle the problem of scrambled eggs stuck to cast iron skillets, but I’ve ended up using it for all kinds of baked-on food. If you are trying to get away from non-stick cookware, this little scraper is a big help. We no longer own any non-stick pans because of their forever chemical coatings, but also because they need to be replaced so often, which is unsustainable. (Cast iron and steel, on the other hand, last forever.) And if you’re on a zero-waste mission, I bet an old credit card would work for this task.

A decanting sidekick

I am an enthusiastic decanter of pantry staples. With limited pantry space, I believe that decanting my pantry items into glass jars makes my cabinets hold more. (Some of you will find this fussy, but it works for me!) A wide-mouth funnel makes decanting things like nuts, cereal, and grains so much easier. I also use mine to more neatly transfer food into my son’s lunchbox containers.

+ If you’re curious about me buying in bulk in a small apartment, here’s how I shop at Costco while living small.

An analog alarm clock

When wrote about adult screen resolutions at the start of 2024, it inspired me to buy an alarm clock (instead of waking to my phone alarm). I love my little Braun clock so much that I now take it with me whenever I travel. Be sure to get one with the button in the upper right-hand corner, which you can push to light up the face in the middle of the night. This one is a stretch on the sustainability front, but a study found that people who use “analogue zeitgebers”1 (like wristwatches and analog alarm clocks) used their mobile phone significantly less. For me less time on my phone means less time getting sucked into an urge to consume.

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Returning from a week in Paris (pinch me!), New York City felt a little lackluster. I found myself craving the classical architecture and antique details, the container gardens on every street corner, the visible layers of time. However, I suspect this longing for traditional beauty isn’t just a reaction to a vacation in a beautiful city.

I think a large…

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• I kicked off March with a newsletter about “climate coaches,” including several friends of the newsletter like Whitney Leigh Morris, Erin Boyle, and Bridget Shirvell.

• Most read: I shared my favorite spring discoveries, including the books, furniture, and a microtrend that are on my radar right now.

• My interview with Katie McCrory on house shame inspired the most thoughtful comments and reader emails.

• Last week I finally(!) made my list of my favorite small space design books.

• The most-clicked link this month was this recipe for easy weeknight peanut noodles with roasted broccoli, and the most-clicked small space was this layered New York City studio featured on Domino.com

March was a wild, rocky month in the world, no? I hope everyone is hanging in there okay. I know I’m feeling ready for a spring reset. The last few days, we’ve been having glorious weather here in New York City, and it makes everything feel just a little bit better. The sun staying out later and longer and warmer weather has me energized to do a little spring cleaning and tidying. For me, caring for my home is a form of self-soothing during these stressful times; it’s also a great way to reset for the new season.

In case you’re feeling some of this springtime energy, here are 13 ways to make your home feel good right now:

Clean for your future self

When I wrote about how much I hated coming home from vacations a while back, a reader suggested doing a deep cleaning before leaving, so I would come home to a fresh space. Cleaning house adds to the pre-trip to-do list, but I highly recommend it. Lots of schools are off next week, so consider this a nudge to clean before you leave town as a favor to your future self.

Add flowers and foliage

The quince branches we bought at a deli two weeks ago (above) have been bringing so much joy to our tiny apartment. My mom’s kitchen was enlivened by some pots of herbs when we visited last weekend. Whether it’s flowers or a house plant, living things make a home feel, well, alive. I encourage you to bring something living into your home.

Weed out old clothes

I just freed up a ton of space in my kiddo’s drawers identifying the clothes that he has outgrown over the last season. I’m making an effort to wear some spring clothes that didn’t get much wear last year to see if I’m ready to donate them. I find that actually wearing a garment (and leaving the house in it) gives you a ton of clarity on whether or not you should hang onto it.

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When I wrote my own book I did so out of frustration. Most of the contemporary small-space books s…

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Anyone who lives in a small space has felt badly about it at some point. I am mostly immune to coveting my neighbors’ houses, but a recent visit to a friend’s especially well-appointed house made me green with envy. I often find myself longing for a bigger house for ent…

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When the Washington Post announced Climate Coach, its climate advice column in 2022, I signed up faster than you can say “inductio…

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