Episode 410 – 10 Things you Don’t Need this Summer

Ingrid: Summer promises simplicity, doesn't it? Long days. Lighter routines a bit more time outdoors, but somehow it often ends up feeling a bit chaotic. Suddenly there are bags by the door. Sun cream everywhere. Extra clothes, kids toys, creeping in from the garden, and things just feel a bit more cluttered than usual.

In today's episode, we are sharing 10 things you might not actually need this summer.

Ingrid: Hello and welcome listeners. I'm Ingrid.

Lesley: And I am Lesley. Now, if you are here for the very first time today, or you've been listening in for ages, we want to say a huge thank you we have a little favour to ask.

Ingrid: If you like what you hear, be sure to hit that follow or subscribe button. Share us with your friends or leave us a review. It makes a huge difference to us.

Well, Lesley, it's a 10 things I love. 10 things. I don't know, it just makes me happy. And of course I always like to do it tally as well with you to see how many you've got and how many I've got. Our listeners know the deal, right? They know how it just goes.

Lesley: I just wonder whether you're ever gonna start a 10 Things podcast by not saying, you know me, Lesley. I love a 10 Things podcast. And we like at Tell. It

Ingrid: Yeah, think you're ever

I know.

Lesley: that?

Ingrid: I.

Lesley: You just, can't help yourself, can you attend Things podcast. we are going to attend things podcast, and as we're in the height of summer here in the Northern Hemisphere. Apologies for anybody who's in the Southern Hemisphere. we thought we would talk about 10 things you might not need this summer. So let's get cracking, Ingrid.

Ingrid: Yes. Number one, and we this might feel a bit like. Yeah, this makes no sense. But we have to talk about sun cream. We have to talk about sun cream because we find tons and tons of bottles of sun cream, some full, some nearly empty, some half juice, some looking brand new, some looking a little bit crusty.

You think, how long has this been in this house? And yeah, there's a whole plethora of sun cream stuff and. I think it's probably also because Lesley, it, it's a thing that kind of li can live in different places. Maybe that's why there's so many. You need to have a, system around this.

Lesley: Before we talk about a system, I want to talk about use using the word. 'cause I would say plethora, but I

Ingrid: Oh.

Lesley: be wrong. What do you think? I don't know. and I wouldn't like to say whether I was right or you were right. Or it might be one of those things where both is right. So let's leave it out.

Let's, you probably do know it actually. 'cause that's good that you know that. So you've obviously been taught that, because that's a big word. That's a big word there. been taught that at some point. So I would say if I were to put money on it, that it would be you. That's saying it and me that's saying it wrong.

But we're gonna reach out in the comments. Tell us plethora or plethora. Good. Good word though. But anyway, we were talking about sun cream. the problem is with sun cream is that it's one of those things, particularly if we've got children that we're in a bit of a panic about, we never wanna be without

Ingrid: Yeah.

Lesley: right? Because we know that. The consequences of that are not good, lifelong

Ingrid: Yeah.

Lesley: of not putting appropriate sun cream on. And so we make sure that we've got loads of different ones. We make sure we've got and thirties and all those different things, and we gather them and sometimes we forget them and then we get them when we're out and sometimes in the bottom of a bag and we didn't know that we had them.

And so that's where it all gathers. And we have loads of different ones. And

than not because we're busy people and we are not like. Doing things with a fine tooth comb. We know what we should do, which is right on when we opened the sun cream. But how many people actually do that? I bet it's 2%. I don't even do that. say, I don't even, of course I don't do that. But I know that you should do that and that would be the ideal thing. Ingrid will undoubtedly have like labels or sharpies with exact dates on them when it was opened. Of course you will. But who does that really you right.

Ingrid: Yeah.

Lesley: of course you

Ingrid: Yeah.

Lesley: But

Ingrid: Yeah.

Lesley: like normal people like us don't really do that kind of thing. We know that's a really useful thing to do. But we remember it after oh, I wish I knew when we opened. That should have written on there when I opened it. Same with when you put something in the freezer or all those things we're like, should have done that, but didn't do that.

so more often than not, we don't have the dates written. We don't know. Do we take a chance? That's the problem with sun cream, right?

Ingrid: yeah, definitely. Because I think most of us agree that sun cream is something that you have to really, be on it because you know it. Getting burned is like the least thing that you, that's the thing you do not want to happen. And of course the sun cream, deteriorates over time.

So nearly like all of the advice out there is you really, it should not be over a year old. You can either just go, you know what blanket decision every March or April when you suddenly see, the sun cream pop up when the shops go, this is my queue. I'm gonna buy a 50, A 30 and a whatever, whatever you do, and an after sun.

This is my set for this year, and I'm gonna bring it home and throw out the old one or at the end of the, holiday or the end of the kind of nicer weather in September, October, go. Okay, now's the time for me to, when I tidy up all the summer gear, now's the time for it to. Clear, let it all go.

Everything that's on used or have used is now gonna go, so I can start afresh this year. it's like you say, it lives in different places. So I think what can be really helpful is just to go, okay, this needs a place to live. Where is this going? Is this in my bathroom cabinet? Is this in an overflow?

Cupboard is this With my travel stuff, with the foreign coins and the passports and the eye masks for the plane or whatever, Or with the travel bags. Where does this stuff live? It can't just I don't know, is not an ideal option here because then you do get an overflow of stuff.

So I know it's maybe a bit of a no brainer, but I think it's really important to talk about this and that's why we talked about it first, because I think we see, and we know from experience that this is often a tricky category.

Lesley: It says, indeed I do have a nice box for my sun cream because you call. It with your travel stuff, but you don't just use sun cream when you're traveling. Do you usually use sun cream? You should use, even in the uk, sometimes, often, not often, the sun comes out, so we should be using sun cream every day.

Really? Actually, people would say you should be having on every time you go out the house, but I'm surprised you, I even use sun cream. Ingrid goes so brown, don't you? After the summer, she goes, I'm like a pale. If you, ever see any, videos of us recorded in September, Ingrid's, brown as a berry.

And I'm like, pale, standard never changed. You know what I mean? Just more freckles. That's what I get. but anyway, so that's

Ingrid: Yeah.

Lesley: Number one, it's sun cream.

Ingrid, let's go on to number two.

Ingrid: Yes. broken or uncomfortable sunglasses. This is also one of these things that people have loads from because either you, you've left them somewhere or you think, oh, I like some. Speaker sunglasses and some darker and some lighter, and some that are quite small and some that can fit in a case, and some that are in my back and some that are in the car and some that are in like a little table in your hallway so I don't forget to take them when I'm going out.

that kind of people often have multiple pairs of sunglasses. And then they break. And then especially when they're expensive, you think, oh, I wanna find the matching case with the matching thing, But it is one of these things, you probably grabbed the same pair of sunglasses and you're totally distraught when you lose them because they would favored one.

And now you have to go to either a backup that you done can't find, or you're like, oh, now I have to find a new pair. Now I'm ever gonna find a new nice. Pair of sunglasses again because it's not that easy.

Lesley: No, it's not that easy to get something that suits your face. the most important thing for me, and people will think this is terrible, sunglasses, is that they fit on my head. When I take 'em on and off, that they fit nicely on my head. 'cause I'm constantly, I'm a bit like a vampire when I go out.

So as soon as the sun's in any way shining, I've gotta put sunglasses on when I walk out, even in the middle of winter. but I do like to prop them on top of my head, so you'll find me with sunglasses propped on my head on a regular basis. So if they don't sit nicely on the top of my head, then they're definitely a no go.

But of course, people are gonna, they, you're gonna break the arms. You're probably that person as well, aren't you? Yeah. With Maxon, you're got, you're gonna break the arms on you. I bet that's you as well, isn't it?

Ingrid: No, actually I'm not Lesley, because I'm like you as, as soon as there's like a sliver of sunlight, I need to have like glasses on because I'm like, my eyes are just very sensitive to lots of light, so I have. But I have got a favorite pair and I'm already like dreading the time that the leg is going, the one the arm is gonna fall off or whatever, or it's gonna be scratched so badly that I'm gonna go, I'm gonna have to really, so I have now a while back found, another pair, but I'm just not very happy with them.

Lesley: No,

Ingrid: They're just, the glasses are too.

Lesley: Yeah, it's

Ingrid: No.

Lesley: at all, but I think so. What we're, we're talking about the importance of having the right pair of sunglasses. But what we then do is we will absolutely have our go-to sunglasses, favorites,

Ingrid: Yeah,

Lesley: really evaluate the ones that are left and go, are you ever gonna go to those sunglasses that are not quite what you want them to be?

'cause if you're not. Let them go. Let somebody else use them. So yeah,

Ingrid: yeah.

Lesley: evaluate your sunglasses for their

Ingrid: Yeah.

Lesley: to you on all of the different levels that we need sunglasses to work for us. Whether it's sticking 'em on top of your head, whether it's the color, whether it's the shape, all those kind of things.

And ditch the rest. That's what I say. Ingrid.

Ingrid: I agree with you completely in all heartedly, Lesley. let's go to Num. I know. Let's go to number three. Great opportunity now to also have a look through all of your summer sandals and your flip flops. Some people just have tons and tons of them. But you honestly only have one pair of, feet.

Yeah. So if you've got, if you're somebody who's got like tons of sandals and flip flops and like little wedges and things that you wear in the summer, mainly have a look through them and go. When was the last time I've worn these? Are they still comfortable? Are they, do they fit well? Can I walk in them?

Because we always walk more than we think, even on holidays. So when we're away for the weekend or what, and it's nice weather, are they suitable for the activities that you're doing? Have a look through, line them all up and go, let me be realistic here. What's helpful here and what's not?

Lesley: I think that as, time ticks on, I used to be, I used to be somebody that would take loads and loads of different pairs of shoes because it's quite nice if you've got nice summer. Sandals when I pack to go away. You wanna wear them, right? If you don't get a chance

Ingrid: Yeah.

Lesley: in this country, you do wanna take 'em away and wear them.

So I find myself completely torn. I did do a little cold lash year 'cause I have these really gorgeous like metallic flip flops, but with flat as anything on the bottom, like really flat flip flops and not there were more going out things, but they were super flat and they were just killing my feet 'cause there's just no support in them whatsoever.

And I think nine times outta 10 now when we go on holiday, I'm not by the, I'm more going out walking. So trainers is really what I'm wearing more than, flops and stuff. So really look at what you've got, where the time has gone on. I think that's the thing, as our, feet. In terms of what our feet can manage. are you aware, are

Ingrid: Yeah.

Lesley: familiar with the concept of summer feet? Ingrid? Is that a thing for you?

Ingrid: S summer. Summer feats. What do you mean summer feat?

Lesley: and my friend Julie, right? as soon as summer comes and you be, you've had your winter or your spring in trainers or boots or whatever, and then you put the same shoes on as you had last summer that you wore around every single day. Super comfy. And you get blisters like immediately.

Ingrid: Yeah.

Lesley: do. You get blisters all the time. I am literally cannot go out in the summer without 10 blister plasterers in my bag. Every, I'm, my feet are terrible for blister pla, for blisters. And that's what summer feet is like. That's, no, you're not Ingrid.

Ingrid: Oh, so you don't mean

Lesley: for that.

Ingrid: So you don't mean like summer feet. It's okay, so now the feet are out, so you need to go to like having done at a pedicure and have nail polish on them and that's what, not what you mean that they look nice.

Lesley: That would be normal people's summer feet. But my feet are red raw with blisters because I've worn the same comfy sandals that I wore. All summer of last year, and all of a sudden they've decided as if they were a brand new pair out the box. So me and my friend Julie suffer with Summer Fes and we talk about it a lot. So if that is you, I feel your pain because I'm terrible. Steve is just I, he, when we went away to America earlier in the year, he literal. Brought, bought blister plasters for me. 'cause he's such a car. I just can't listen to you going on every single time we go out, mama, I've got the wrong shoes.

I'm a fier straight away. Do you know what I mean? Even if it's trainers like same it's like what is wrong with my feet? But anyway, so look at those flip flops and sandals. Look at the evolution of your feet. Look at whether you've got summer feet, whether that's. Yeah, the pedicure version or the blistered version, and really think about whether or not it's time to make some decisions about what can go. So that is our number three.

Ingrid: now we've talked about, excuse in number three. I think we need then need to talk about holiday clothes for number four, right? The, clothes that you think when it's going to be a nice day, that's the dress or the shorts or the top that I'm gonna wear, or these are the clothes that I'm.

We on holiday and on holiday only. I think we talked about this before, Lesley. I had never heard of holiday clothes before, before I came to this country. I was fi going into like attics, a lofts or like second bedrooms and finding like this whole suitcase full of clothes. I was like, what is this?

These are my holiday clothes. I'm like, what? What do you mean? these clothes are only wearing holiday, and I'm like, why would you not wear them on? No, I can't wear these clothes here in the uk. I can only wear them on holiday.

Lesley: I know, but Ingrid, you'll, you were, you'll just, you have got. It's brilliant, but you will just do whatever. You could not care less about anybody or anything else. you're just like, I wanna wear it. Who's gonna wear it? Which is brilliant. I love it. But some of it's oh no, only really comet really get my legs out in the middle of sale, town center That needs to be reserved for a very rare thing where everyone else has got their legs out somewhere in their back or beyond.

Do know what I mean? so I think it's, yeah, I totally have holiday clothes. A hundred percent off holiday clubs. Are you saying every single thing in your wardrobe? You would. You would get around Bexleyheath Town Center in your maxi dress and your Fong

Ingrid: Yeah. Yeah.

Lesley: that would, but you are dead, you're dead sensible about everything, so it doesn't surprise me.

But yeah, I, if you've got holiday close, it's absolutely fine. My question over holiday close. 'cause English's not getting part, getting, part of this conversation 'cause she doesn't understand it. But I think, My take on it is if you go on a holiday, which is a standard holiday, you go on a beach holiday for example, and there are things that you are leaving behind and not packing. have you not packed them this time? Is that because you've got an excess or 'cause it's a different kind of holiday? So really evaluate if there are things that you look at and go, no, is that always gonna be a no? Or is that just a not quite the right holiday? So you really need to think about things like that because we have a habit of keeping these things forever and a day, don't we?

Ingrid: Yeah. Yeah,

Lesley: I think

Ingrid: I do see that.

Lesley: for something that you got, like a kimono or something like that. that you can float around when you go on your holidays, you're going on your holidays in a couple of weeks. Let me, send something that you absolutely will not float around.

Bexleyheath Town Center in. I'm gonna send something to you in the post.

Ingrid: Oh my gosh. That is, I just don't understand. I basically don't understand. That's the bottom line.

Lesley: I need

Ingrid: I'm not gonna.

Lesley: be on my side. This is definitely a team Ingrid or Team Lesley scenario, isn't

Ingrid: Yeah,

Lesley: but

Ingrid: I'm not gonna walk around be lehe in my, in my bikini with a, little summer thing. That's not what I'm saying, but I'm like, I

Lesley: holiday close you bikini.

Ingrid: Yeah, but I don't even have, yeah. But of course I've got bikinis, but I don't have all these floaty things that people can buy in the shops.

I'm like, you either, but you're holiday, you're just on your bikini in a, sun lo on a sun lounger. And then you just throw a towel on when you go back to your thing. Why do you need to have fancy things to throw over it?

Lesley: It's nice to do that. That's why you do

Ingrid: Okay.

Lesley: the only place that you'll ever be able to do it. If I could do a good Dutch accent, I can just imagine. England, I've just got my t-shirt and then I put my shorts on and my tank top and my trainers and I go back to my room.

That'd be good a hundred percent. That's what she's like.

Ingrid: Yeah. Yeah.

Lesley: floating around in a fancy oh,

Ingrid: Yeah,

Lesley: not so much anymore to be fair. But I used to, back in the day when I was glamorous and thin.

Ingrid: exactly. you're still glamorous, Lesley, so don't worry. I'm gonna move on swiftly to number five before we go into a whole tangent about holidays and all of that. number five is have a look. At your excess beach towels and like picnic blankets and that kind of thing, because these kind of, we we, we gather them over the years and we, they're we stuff 'em somewhere and then when you want to go somewhere, you're like, oh.

Oh my gosh. Where have all this stuff come from? And of course, especially with like beach towels, we think, oh, and they, then they, over the summer they sell all these nice, like with new patterns and colors and it's like very tempting to go and, but hold on a minute, I already have beach towels and for those two days a year that we go to the beach, I do not need 20 beach towels.

One per person is plenty. let's be honest. Same with picnic bla blankets, we. Get loads of them and then we get another one. And at one point we go, hold on a minute. Why have we got five or six picnic blankets for that one or two picnic days a year? This makes no sense too much, too many things.

So have gather it all together and have a little bit of a sort out. You don't need all the duplicates. Of course, it's sensible to have, when you are a picnic. Of a family and you go to the park and the beach and the thingy in the woods and you do walking and you go out all day. It's sensible to have, but if you're like, we might once a year bring out the picnic blanket.

You don't need to have six. Less is more for sure.

Lesley: And one other thing really about beach towels and things like that, at all possible, and it can, it's difficult in some houses. Don't put your beach towels anywhere near your normal towels. 'cause if you've got a family, beach towels and there's nothing more annoying is there than somebody using a beach towel as a child normally, or a teenager, using a beach towel to wipe themselves when they should have a normal towel.

That's the kind of thing that'd be like, boom. No beach towels in the bathroom. Do you know what I mean? Like you've got this beautiful bathroom. The next thing you've got like a, a what you call, I'm trying to think whether they're pepper pig, like beach towel hanging around in your beautiful bathroom, haven't you?

'cause somebody's taken the wrong towel, so keep 'em somewhere separate if you can as well. Not always possible,

Ingrid: Yeah,

Lesley: extra hint and tip things that drive me insane. Would that drive

Ingrid: so Lesley.

Lesley: Well? Yeah, go on. Would that

Ingrid: Yeah, that with that would, yeah. Yeah. Like the beach, styles are on like a separate shelves that people can't reach only me.

Lesley: Yeah.

Ingrid: Only me can like you. This is, your towel. This is your towel shelf. But I am the one getting the towels anyway. But if you would even consider, it would make sense to do this shelf, the eye level one.

Do not even think about going up top there and getting the camping or the pitch towels because that is like off, off limits.

Lesley: exactly. Yeah. That's kind

Ingrid: So I have another question for you, Lesley. We've never talked about picnicking. Are you a picnic person? going to the park with

Lesley: What do you think? were

Ingrid: I think I know the, I may I think I know the answer.

Lesley: no. No, I'm not a picnic person.

Ingrid: No,

Lesley: a, oh, let's go flush out kind of person. Why? it's just rather think, I'd rather stay at home. Do you know what I mean? am I saying I've never had a picnic? Of course I've had a picnic. Of course, I've had a picnic. But is

Ingrid: Yeah.

Lesley: in my friendship group, known as the one that. He's only ever gonna go to m and s and get like pre-made sandwiches, crisps, and probably a can of gin and tonic or a glass of fish. And that'll be about it. I'm not making sandwiches and stuff for, picnics. It's just not my vibe that, so, the answer to that is, no. But I do have a picnic blanket, but I've only got one.

Ingrid: Yeah.

Lesley: I'm lazy really, actually. Quite lazy.

I'm not lazy, that's the wrong thing, but just not really a picnic

Ingrid: Yeah.

Lesley: I'm more of a

Ingrid: Yeah.

Lesley: in a kimono and a high pair of shoes at the pool kind of gal.

Ingrid: so let's do a telly then before, because we've we're, we are really talking about all of this way too long as per usual with the 10 things podcast. So what's the telly then? How are we doing on numbers one to five. Let me have a look. Sun cream. No, I'm good. How about you?

Lesley: Yeah.

Good. I'm good.

Ingrid: Stu broken sunglasses. I'm good.

I have one, one all the time. Use and one backup just in case because I always need to have sunglasses. That's it.

surplus flip flops and sandals.

no

me neither. holiday clothes. That is totally off. You get one for that and I get zero.

Lesley: no, but you can allowed to have holiday clothes. We ascertains that. Having holiday clothes is normal behavior. Ingrid, so it's, I'm not taking that. It's actually you. That's

Ingrid: Okay.

Lesley: odd, yeah.

Ingrid: And excess beach towels and picnic blankets.

Lesley: No.

Ingrid: No, me neither. Okay, so we're zero. Zero. Okay. Let's go for a break and then when we come back we'll go to number six to 10 and I'll see if I can make sure that Lesley takes one of them and I can finally win one over her. So be Bre soon.

Hi everyone. Welcome back to your 10 things You Don't Need This Summer podcast. We've already talked way too long, so we need to do quicker for number six to 10, Lesley. Okay, let's try this. Number six. Look at your barbecue gadgets and all these kind of outdoor accessories that you use in the garden.

Can you declutter some of this stuff because this is barbecue season, let's be honest. So now's the time to go to get it all out and look at all of the utensils and the thingies and the, all the stuff that you need. Maybe even. Like outdoor candles and things like that, and the lights were on your, patio and all of that stuff that you think when I'm in the garden, is it all still working?

Do you use it? What's going on here? So are you a barbecue, pee family than Lesley?

Lesley: Yes we are.

Ingrid: Oh.

Lesley: Yeah, we are. Yeah. and I think, now that Steve's retired, I think that we'll be more of a barbecue person this year. 'cause Steve's the barbecue in person, so I don't love barbecue. It's one of them things, isn't it? not always, but. Men like to do that kind of thing. So I just let him get on with it really. So he's quite happy. Now the problem is with have we got gadgets and things that are unnecessary? Anything that goes into Steve's domain is definitely possible in our house for having excess of anything. That's my domain. Absolutely not. I couldn't say, I don't think so. But I would say that I might have to take that one, but I, have not got jurisdiction over it, not a, ridiculous amount, not a ridiculous amount.

Ingrid: no. And okay, now we're talking about barbecues gas or coal.

Lesley: we've had all of them and we've moved on from, we used to have coal, then we moved on to a gas barbecue, which we still have a gas barbecue, and we've got a ninja, which is super. Easy. So that's almost like an elec, is that like an electric barbecue? I dunno. 'cause I never get involved in it really. I think that's like an electric, like plugin barbecue.

we've got a ninja, like a little one, which it makes it super easy. So

Ingrid: Yeah.

Lesley: we do, we'd use the gas barbecue for if we had people round and we do have people round, so we'd have 10 people around for a barbecue. And then if it's just

Ingrid: Yeah.

Lesley: probably use the ninja one.

Ingrid: Nice.

Lesley: and easy, easier, right?

It's a bit of

up after a barbecue. Do you know what I mean?

Ingrid: yeah,

I'll say totally Jan's domain, but I know we don't have any really. With superfluous gadgets and things like that. So I think I'm, knowing Steve. He probably has lots of little gadgets and things to help him.

Lesley: Yes it

Ingrid: so I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you're gonna have to take this one, but I know it's not your domain, so I get that.

I get that.

Lesley: Yeah. I'll take it. I'll take it. actually can't think of loads, but I Yeah, I'll take that one.

Ingrid: Okie dokie. Okey dokie. Yeah. I do a barbecue. We always do a yearly barbecue for our friends. That's always one kind of end of August, September,

Lesley: been

Ingrid: we have all my friends with, no, it's it, no, I'm sorry. that's only for, that's always with the girls, and their husbands. And the kids. The kids.

Lesley: fun. Just think how much fun it would be if I was there

Ingrid: That is true. Actually, it probably would go off the rails even more than usual.

Lesley: Exactly. one of these days, if I'm in London, then I shall

Ingrid: Yeah.

Lesley: and inviting myself to your annual girls' barbecue. That is fun.

Ingrid: Yeah. definitely. Let's move on to number seven. Oh, this is a good one. We have a good list today. I'm gonna be honest. We have a good list. So number seven is all these kind of random bags that we keep for like days out. So we're talking about beach bags and cooler bags for picnics and backpacks for when you do, when you go hiking or walking or a day out or something like that.

It's just tons and tons of bags. people are back lovers anyway, besides handbags and plastic bags and paper bags and suitcases. But then you've got this middle section of Yeah, but that's a beach bag and that's the bag for the, for when we go to the park. And that's the bag for a day out.

And that's the bag for the cooler. And that's, and I went, how many bags come on? Two should be plenty.

Lesley: Oh, you would be so disappointed if you went into Steve's room upstairs. He loves a bag, A ridiculous, like a ridiculous amount of bags. So I think that, again, the bag situation, cool bags, tote bags, camping type bags. We only go camping once a year to festival. That's it. I think we've got an excess of bags, although I did to be fair, my basement a few weeks ago and I did get rid of some, but

Ingrid: Nice.

Lesley: think we've probably still got an excess?

We've got more than I would like.

But if I get rid of any,

Ingrid: Yeah.

Got it, no, I've got a cool bag and a beach bag. That's it. of course I've got suitcases and a backpack that I use for loads of different things. But yeah, one bag for the beach, one bag for cool back that we use all the time, like all the time. 'cause when, like when I go to see my family in the Netherlands.

We, I put some stuff in like the cool bag, like some water and some snacks and some sandwiches and I know we have breakfast on the ferry, but it's like a seven or eight hour journey door to door. You don't wanna keep pulling over when you're just fancy bit of a snack right when you're traveling.

and I, me, I even if I sit in a car for seven hours, I can still eat unfortunately.

Lesley: I bet I can imagine that the te that the ferry is like timed to perfection and there'd be this certain ferry that she won't be allowed to go on. 'cause it would span over 1230 might the time that she's exiting the ferry and then she wouldn't be able to eat and all hell would break loose. It would be like, if, Ingrid's not eating at 1230, then woe be ties.

That's all I'm saying.

Ingrid: Yeah.

Lesley: yeah. Yeah. we'd need to clear young. We need to clear the ferry time. Cannot be at any time at 1230. what I wanna say, the kinds of things, so I know cool bags, beach bags. What I, where I think you need to put your attention is things that you get maybe from supermarkets. So those kind of bags that are. bottles of wine. So you get like sometimes at certain times they've got like special offers and you can get a bag that is like a cool bag for your wine. Are you ever using that? There's also picnic type bags that you get for frozen foods at supermarkets and stuff like that. Are you using that? Are you taking that with you for you?

You for frozen food every time? These are the bags that hang around that we look and go, oh, but that's handy. That's handy. But what the question is. Do you take that to carry your wine? Do you take that to carry your frozen food or is it just surplus and just sitting there with all the bags in your house that you

Ingrid: Yeah.

Lesley: don't need And we, 'cause we tend to keep all these things in the same place, right? those kind of cooler bag, the kind of, the bit of a gray area, isn't it? So there's definitely random bags that potentially can go. So just be honest with yourself

Ingrid: Yeah.

Lesley: you have, it's not about whether you. Could use those. It's about whether you have used those, whether you are in the habit of using them. So yeah. Number seven

Ingrid: Yep.

Lesley: random

Ingrid: I love that. Yeah, I love that. Really good.

Lesley: I.

Ingrid: number eight is also, I think a very good one. And it's all these outdoor toys that we have gathered over the years because the kids would used to play in the garden. It can be garden games, it can be even, Maybe even like a football nets or a basketball hoop or, how, do you call the, the hula hoops?

It can be, garden games like that you used to do when the kids were little. I, for example, I. When we did our, garden a couple of years ago, I found lots of toys for the beach, like beach toys, like tons, like little buckets, a little spades, a little, all of those little forms were like, sea stars and sea shells and all that.

And I was like. Gosh, we haven't, it was in the bottom somewhere and it was like one, not one. And I didn't want that container anymore. And I thought, what is in this stuff? Why have we got this whole container when we've got a garage? And what I did is I actually created, I think three or four little sets of beach toys and I put them on, oleo.

They were snapped oti. But I was like. They we're not gonna bring this anymore, but it came from like our, camping thing. When we, when you've got, like, when you know all of the things. So this, it's like all this stuff that kind of hangs around in your shed in your garage, in maybe a garden, container somewhere.

It have a clear out and just go, what are we still using here? it's fantastic to have a big garden game or the big chunky blocks that you can make. What's it called? I can't think of it right now, but it's like a fantastic garden game where when you have

Lesley: you call it?

Ingrid: Jen, so like garden Jenga,

Lesley: Jenga. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Jenga. yeah.

Ingrid: that's like fun, isn't it?

But. But there's loads of stuff that you, can go when know that can go when the kids have grown up a little bit, just yeah, we're just not gonna use that anymore. It's time to have a clear out.

Lesley: Definitely Ingrid. Well done. And I like that idea about making sets, but the problem is sometimes those little. They caught it for a lot of people, they'd be like, oh, I remember the kids doing that. That's the problem. So it veers into sentimental. That's the problem with kids toys. We have that a

beware the sentimental beach toys, I would say. we're going on to

Ingrid: No, but come on, we, it just, I, know Lesley, but come on, just let it go. clear it out. Let another kid have fun with it. We probably have a picture of them playing on the beach. I'm going all, I'm going all in now. Come on, let it go.

Lesley: in our children today. get rid of it. Okay. Ingrid's being feeling feisty today. So I'm gonna move swiftly on to number nine, which is, we buy like little gimmicky things and some of these little gimmicky things can be amazing and can become a godsend, and some of them remain gimmicky things that we never use.

So we're talking about things like. foam bags we're talking about like handheld fans or fans that go onto chairs or whatever. all those kind of little gadgety things that people grab from Amazon. You think, oh, that's a good idea, and then you buy it and you use it once and then never use it again. So find these gimmicky things and let 'em go if you're not using them.

Ingrid: Yeah, I'm thinking I actually, I'm thinking about this. I have a, cooling fan, but it's in my handbag, so that's really helpful. But I do have one of those, waterproof bags that you can put your phone in. I don't think I've. I think I've actually decluttered it now, but I think I'm actually, I now need to check the place.

If it's not in that place, I don't have it anymore. Or if it's a place that's going into my donation station, I don't think I've ever put my phone in. It looks to me you can go swimming with it. Yeah. Who's gonna take their phone that costs like an arm and a leg into a plastic bag and try to swim with it in the sea?

Nobody does that right.

Lesley: you lost me at swimming in the sea. Don't do that either. I'm a kind of pool gal. Do you know what I mean as well? I'm surprised like floating around, drinking cocktails, not going anywhere. The sea where there's all kind of manner of things that might happen. and it's typically cold, so yeah. So yeah's kind of summer gimmicky gadgets. Time for the shopping block.

But by the way, Ingrid, you are getting a point for that. So don't even think about it. you are getting a point for that one. So our last one, Ingrid, is all about outdoor tableware, plastic cups, cutlery. We gather it over

Ingrid: Yeah.

Lesley: we? so we really need to think about our behaviors and we actually use plastic outside or do we still use, know I, when we host barbecues, I still give people glass and I, 'cause we've not got little kids, right?

So I give people glass and I would use normal plates. I wouldn't use plastic outside. Is that something that you do? Because we feel like we should have plastic, but are we using the plastic and then sometimes we accumulate stuff over the years. It's the kind of thing that if it ends up going in the dishwasher, sometimes it can, sometimes it can't.

It starts to get a little bit faded, a little bit cloudy, the kind of plastic goes. Is it still reflecting what we want if we have guests in our garden? so really think about that kind of outdoor tableware stuff, whether it's time for a change or whether it's time to ditch it completely and just go back to normal table.

It very much depends on how you entertain. What age

Ingrid: Yeah.

Lesley: you've got hanging around us. so there's no right or wrong answer, but like everything this is about, none of these things are about us saying you need to ditch these things. It's all about us saying, have a look and see what your current life is. 'cause all of these things definitely change with the passage of time. And that's what this is all about, isn't it? Ingrid? Okay.

Ingrid: Yeah, definitely. We see, I see it a lot, especially for people who go to the park a lot and do like picnics out. And then this whole bag of this mismatched stuff comes out. It's like it's, survived like 15 years of picnics. And then some sets have, half broken and then replaced with something else and, they still have the old set, but it's faded or.

There's still the, Dora, the Explorer little plates from when the kids were like three and they're now like 16. So it's really a good thing. Or you get the really fancy schmanzy wicker ones with the beautiful like Cutler in it. It like weighs a ton. And it's like, how are you gonna walk through the car to the car with this heavy, beautiful wicker basket from like herts or something?

And then you haven't even brought the food yet. This is just your plates, your glasses. have a look through that and the coolers, do they still cool properly? all of those things. So have a look at this stuff because. When it's nice weather, you just wanna go, it's a picnic day today. Let me grab the stuff and not let me rummage through four bags and boxes of all kinds of sorts of things and find together what I need to have for this day.

Because by the time you've then sorted it out, half the day is gone. And it's what we don't want. We want you to enjoy life. Moral of the story. The less stuff you have, the easier it is to grab stuff so you can enjoy. All the fun days at the beach and in the park and at the pool with Lesley who doesn't go to the beach or the park or doesn't do picnics.

Lesley: I do have a reputation. You need to talk to my friends that I go on holiday with. 'cause I do have a reputation. One of them is for talking, so they take shifts as well next to me on the sun lounger because they know that I'm just gonna talk the whole time when they wanna read their books and stuff. so yeah, I don't have a good reputation on holiday really, which is unsurprising.

But, do you know right on cue just outside an ice cream van came? Did you hear it in the background?

Ingrid: no.

Lesley: Do they have ice cream vans everywhere in the Do you have an ice

Ingrid: we definitely have ice cream vans. Yeah. Yeah, definitely. Definitely. Multiple.

Lesley: cream van. It, it does. you never think about it. And then when an ice cream van, you're like, oh, I love an ice cream. it is a great marketing tool, isn't it? That kind of, that music

Ingrid: Yep.

Lesley: van plays. But anyway, the ice cream van is here, but I'm recording a podcast so I can't go out and get a 99.

Sadly anyway, so let's

Ingrid: Yeah.

Lesley: zero zero at the break. I'm gonna give you

Ingrid: Yeah.

Lesley: actually, I'm gonna take. Two. And that's only

Ingrid: Two. So which.

Lesley: because of Steve. I'm gonna take six and seven random bags and barbecue gadgets.

Ingrid: Okie dokie. so apparently I have to do the summer gadget because I once owned a plastic thing for a phone.

Lesley: Yeah. Yeah.

Ingrid: That's it. ha. Which means I've won because you have two and I have won. finally.

Lesley: because of my cluttered husband, literally. But anyway, I will let you win this time, Okay.

Ingrid: gosh. I know it's a 10 things it take, it goes on forever, but we have such a laugh doing them. That's, I think maybe that's why it is one of my favorites because it's always so crazy. but I've enjoyed it. But of course in the end it's down to Have you enjoyed listening to this?

Lesley: Don't

Ingrid: Have you gone Oh gosh.

Lesley: England, they might not have enjoyed it at all. they might be because they're going on too long and just chatting about this, that and the other. Anyway,

Ingrid: Or they go, oh my gosh, I got nine outta 10. I got business to attend to. I need to, I've got a lot of dicking suddenly ahead of me that I didn't know I was gonna do. But now apparently I have to look at my barbecue stuff and my picnic stuff, and my blankets and my beach styles. And my gadgets.

And my sunglasses and oh my gosh, I'm a sun creep is also outta date. If you've got stuff to do after this podcast, good luck. Keep us posted. Let us know in the comments and yeah, I've loved it. Don't do 'em all. Attend in one go. All right. You do 'em one at a time, but be inspired and we'll see you next week.

Thanks for listening.