web02.fireside.fm Tue, 14 Apr 2026 23:05:29 -0500 Fireside (https://fireside.fm) Small Scale Life Podcast - Episodes Tagged with “Intentional Living” https://smallscalelife.fireside.fm/tags/intentional%20living Wed, 14 Nov 2018 10:00:00 -0600 Welcome to The Small Scale Life Podcast! The Small Scale Life Podcast is focused on gardening; homesteading/DIY projects; wellness; financial freedom and minimalism; and connecting to nature. The podcast focuses on providing real-life stories and experiences from the hosts and guests, often encouraging listeners to take small, practical steps toward self-reliance and sustainability. Learn, do, grow, and be a little better everyday! That, my friends, is a good thing (and where the magic is)! You can find more about Small Scale Life at our website https://smallscalelife.com. en-us episodic Learn, do grow and be a little better everyday! Tom Welcome to The Small Scale Life Podcast! The Small Scale Life Podcast is focused on gardening; homesteading/DIY projects; wellness; financial freedom and minimalism; and connecting to nature. The podcast focuses on providing real-life stories and experiences from the hosts and guests, often encouraging listeners to take small, practical steps toward self-reliance and sustainability. Learn, do, grow, and be a little better everyday! That, my friends, is a good thing (and where the magic is)! You can find more about Small Scale Life at our website https://smallscalelife.com. no Gardening, Homesteading/DIY Projects, Wellness, Community, Nature Tom realsmallscalelife@gmail.com Minimizing Time Commitments while Maximizing Life https://smallscalelife.fireside.fm/117 7abfecca-e6c7-47b9-b05a-d462e9128456 Wed, 14 Nov 2018 10:00:00 -0600 Tom full Tom We are approaching a time of year when there are incredible demands on our most precious resources: our time, our money and our energy. In this episode, Julie and I discuss how to minimize time commitments while maximizing life. 57:59 no Do you feel stressed out? Does it seem that there is too much noise and information out there? How do you sort through what is important and what is not? In today’s fast paced world, there are incredible demands on our most precious resources: our time, our energy and our money. How do you prioritize your time commitments and focus on what is real and what is important? In this episode, Julie and I discuss how to minimize time commitments while maximizing life. We talk about the following topics: Move-Ember Upcoming Small Scale Life Health Challenge Reviewing the 5 Steps to Building a Simple and Intentional Life (http://www.smallscalelife.com/5-steps-developing-simple-and-intentional-life/) Time Committments - Introduction Dealing with Family Obligations 4 Steps to Minimizing Time Committments and Maximizing Life Slow down and enjoy the eagles; have your eagle moment The photo that is the cover for this episode was taken on County Highway A in Burnett County, Wisconsin. We rounded the curve and there they were: a dozen eagles taking flight right in front of us. If we had not taken the time and been in a hurry, we would have never appreciated the eagles and the moment. For more information and pictures associated with this podcast, go over to the the article titled "Minimizing Time Commitments while Maximizing Life" at Small Scale Life. (http://www.smallscalelife.com/minimizing-time-commitments/) Minimizing Time Commitments while Maximizing Life, Minimalism, Simple Living, Intentional Living, Holidays, Surviving Family Holiday Gatherings Do you feel stressed out? Does it seem that there is too much noise and information out there? How do you sort through what is important and what is not? In today’s fast paced world, there are incredible demands on our most precious resources: our time, our energy and our money. How do you prioritize your time commitments and focus on what is real and what is important?

In this episode, Julie and I discuss how to minimize time commitments while maximizing life. We talk about the following topics:

The photo that is the cover for this episode was taken on County Highway A in Burnett County, Wisconsin. We rounded the curve and there they were: a dozen eagles taking flight right in front of us. If we had not taken the time and been in a hurry, we would have never appreciated the eagles and the moment.

For more information and pictures associated with this podcast, go over to the the article titled "Minimizing Time Commitments while Maximizing Life" at Small Scale Life.

]]> Do you feel stressed out? Does it seem that there is too much noise and information out there? How do you sort through what is important and what is not? In today’s fast paced world, there are incredible demands on our most precious resources: our time, our energy and our money. How do you prioritize your time commitments and focus on what is real and what is important?

In this episode, Julie and I discuss how to minimize time commitments while maximizing life. We talk about the following topics:

The photo that is the cover for this episode was taken on County Highway A in Burnett County, Wisconsin. We rounded the curve and there they were: a dozen eagles taking flight right in front of us. If we had not taken the time and been in a hurry, we would have never appreciated the eagles and the moment.

For more information and pictures associated with this podcast, go over to the the article titled "Minimizing Time Commitments while Maximizing Life" at Small Scale Life.

]]> Overcoming October Blues https://smallscalelife.fireside.fm/114 52be335d-c1c3-4470-8d77-6f775fe0fab4 Wed, 17 Oct 2018 00:00:00 -0500 Tom full Tom In this podcast, I talk about my October doldrums, how I spent the week recuperating and retooling on a number of fronts and overcoming October blues. 50:22 no Welcome to Fall 2018 where the snow flies and water freezes before the leaves drop! Such is life here in the north country this year. Last week was a tough week: I was physically and mentally exhausted. Adding to the exhaustion was disappointment after my plans to head to Hogtoberfest 2018 fell apart on Tuesday. I needed a change or pace and a change of environment. In this podcast, I talk about my October doldrums, how I spent the week recuperating and retooling on a number of fronts and overcoming October blues. For more on this story and to see pictures from this podcast, check out the article titles Overcoming October Blues on Small Scale Life! (http://www.smallscalelife.com/overcoming-october-blues/) Overcoming blues, overcoming October blues Welcome to Fall 2018 where the snow flies and water freezes before the leaves drop! Such is life here in the north country this year. Last week was a tough week: I was physically and mentally exhausted. Adding to the exhaustion was disappointment after my plans to head to Hogtoberfest 2018 fell apart on Tuesday. I needed a change or pace and a change of environment. In this podcast, I talk about my October doldrums, how I spent the week recuperating and retooling on a number of fronts and overcoming October blues.

For more on this story and to see pictures from this podcast, check out the article titles Overcoming October Blues on Small Scale Life!

]]> Welcome to Fall 2018 where the snow flies and water freezes before the leaves drop! Such is life here in the north country this year. Last week was a tough week: I was physically and mentally exhausted. Adding to the exhaustion was disappointment after my plans to head to Hogtoberfest 2018 fell apart on Tuesday. I needed a change or pace and a change of environment. In this podcast, I talk about my October doldrums, how I spent the week recuperating and retooling on a number of fronts and overcoming October blues.

For more on this story and to see pictures from this podcast, check out the article titles Overcoming October Blues on Small Scale Life!

]]> How to Declutter to Make a Simple and Intentional Life https://smallscalelife.fireside.fm/85 871a9fcd-b3f9-4cee-a20d-b1ddeeee9ef2 Wed, 04 Apr 2018 00:00:00 -0500 Tom full Tom in this episode, we are coming back to discuss one of the 5 steps in more detail.  We are going to discuss How to Declutter to make a Simple and Intentional Life, 1:02:23 no In Season 3, Episode 14, we had a very special guest for our 80th episode: my wife Julie. We had a great discussion about the 5 Steps to Developing a Simple and Intentional Life, and you, the listeners, responded!  We had 1000 downloads of this podcast, and we had a lot of engagement from the audience.  Julie wanted to come back to build on that podcast, and in this episode, we are coming back to discuss one of the 5 steps in more detail.  We are going to discuss how to declutter to make a simple and intentional life. Topics Discussed on this Episode Julie and I discussed the following topics on this episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast. Julie is back on the show! - 5 Steps to Developing a Simple and Intentional Life - Hey Mom and Dad, we don’t want your stuff - Four generations are practicing Minimalism in the current year: Greatest Generation, Boomers, GenX and Millennials - “Right-Sizing,” Trendies and Millennial Nomads Dave Ramsey and the 2008 Collapse - “Working very hard to earn money to pay for houses we can’t afford and impress people we don’t like” - Expectations, time preference and delayed satisfaction - Learning from the Crash of 2008 Julie’s Work to Declutter the Basement - Declutter the basement over the weekend - Clear it out and start fresh before you begin more projects 5 Steps to Declutter 1. Determine your timeline and formulate your strategy 2. Create 4 bins to sort items as you purge 3. For items in the “Give” bin, take them immediately to your car 4. For items in the “Keep” bin, ask yourself two questions - Does it serve a purpose? - Does it bring you joy? 5. For items in your “Undecided” bin, keep 1 month and revisit the bin. - Make sure you keep the bin visible for the entire time.  IF you haven’t used or thought of the items in the bin, get rid of it! Once Decluttering is Complete.... - Restock the shelves and drawers in an organized manner. Julie’s tip; “USE LABELS!” Question from the Audience - "What was the biggest benefit you saw from the Minimalist Lifestyle Change?" - Jay Dolan - Members of the Small Scale Life Facebook Group had a number of great questions, but they came in after the show was recorded. We will record a new show where we answer these questions, so if you have questions, please add them to the thread in the Small Scale Life Facebook Group or add them as a comment to this show on smallscalelife.com. Friends of Small Scale Life Aussie Flame Weeders – My friend Mick at Aussie Flame Weeders is offering flame weeders to reduce your non-revenue producing workload. If you want to eliminate weeds from your garden beds, a flame weeder is an efficient way to do it.  I mean, who doesn’t want to burn pesky weeds with fire?  Mick’s flame weeders are perfect for 30 inch (80 cm) garden beds and feature five stainless steel burners, 16” wheels and an ergonomic design that carries a propane tank so you don’t have to.  Even if you don’t purchase a flame weeder, sign up on the Aussie Flame Weeder e-mail list to get access to videos and information. Gnarled Knot Design - From the Land of Illinois, our good friends Phil and Jen love to create furniture and home décor items to make your house feel like a cozy home. Since they were running out of space in their own home, they decided to share our items with others. So, if you are looking for customized and personalized furniture, signs or other items, connect with Phil and Jen at Gnarled Knot Design on Facebook, Instragram or Etsy. Connect with Phil and Jen today! In Season 3, Episode 14, we had a very special guest for our 80th episode: my wife Julie. We had a great discussion about the 5 Steps to Developing a Simple and Intentional Life, and you, the listeners, responded!  We had 1000 downloads of this podcast, and we had a lot of engagement from the audience.  Julie wanted to come back to build on that podcast, and in this episode, we are coming back to discuss one of the 5 steps in more detail.  We are going to discuss how to declutter to make a simple and intentional life.

Topics Discussed on this Episode

Julie and I discussed the following topics on this episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast.

Julie is back on the show!

  • 5 Steps to Developing a Simple and Intentional Life
  • Hey Mom and Dad, we don’t want your stuff
  • Four generations are practicing Minimalism in the current year: Greatest Generation, Boomers, GenX and Millennials
  • “Right-Sizing,” Trendies and Millennial Nomads Dave Ramsey and the 2008 Collapse
  • “Working very hard to earn money to pay for houses we can’t afford and impress people we don’t like”
  • Expectations, time preference and delayed satisfaction
  • Learning from the Crash of 2008 Julie’s Work to Declutter the Basement
  • Declutter the basement over the weekend
  • Clear it out and start fresh before you begin more projects 5 Steps to Declutter
  • Determine your timeline and formulate your strategy
  • Create 4 bins to sort items as you purge
  • For items in the “Give” bin, take them immediately to your car
  • For items in the “Keep” bin, ask yourself two questions
  • Does it serve a purpose?
  • Does it bring you joy?
  • For items in your “Undecided” bin, keep 1 month and revisit the bin.
  • Make sure you keep the bin visible for the entire time.  IF you haven’t used or thought of the items in the bin, get rid of it!

Once Decluttering is Complete....

  • Restock the shelves and drawers in an organized manner. Julie’s tip; “USE LABELS!”

Question from the Audience

  • "What was the biggest benefit you saw from the Minimalist Lifestyle Change?" - Jay Dolan
  • Members of the Small Scale Life Facebook Group had a number of great questions, but they came in after the show was recorded. We will record a new show where we answer these questions, so if you have questions, please add them to the thread in the Small Scale Life Facebook Group or add them as a comment to this show on smallscalelife.com.

Friends of Small Scale Life

Aussie Flame Weeders – My friend Mick at Aussie Flame Weeders is offering flame weeders to reduce your non-revenue producing workload. If you want to eliminate weeds from your garden beds, a flame weeder is an efficient way to do it.  I mean, who doesn’t want to burn pesky weeds with fire?  Mick’s flame weeders are perfect for 30 inch (80 cm) garden beds and feature five stainless steel burners, 16” wheels and an ergonomic design that carries a propane tank so you don’t have to.  Even if you don’t purchase a flame weeder, sign up on the Aussie Flame Weeder e-mail list to get access to videos and information.

Gnarled Knot Design - From the Land of Illinois, our good friends Phil and Jen love to create furniture and home décor items to make your house feel like a cozy home. Since they were running out of space in their own home, they decided to share our items with others. So, if you are looking for customized and personalized furniture, signs or other items, connect with Phil and Jen at Gnarled Knot Design on Facebook, Instragram or Etsy. Connect with Phil and Jen today!

]]> In Season 3, Episode 14, we had a very special guest for our 80th episode: my wife Julie. We had a great discussion about the 5 Steps to Developing a Simple and Intentional Life, and you, the listeners, responded!  We had 1000 downloads of this podcast, and we had a lot of engagement from the audience.  Julie wanted to come back to build on that podcast, and in this episode, we are coming back to discuss one of the 5 steps in more detail.  We are going to discuss how to declutter to make a simple and intentional life.

Topics Discussed on this Episode

Julie and I discussed the following topics on this episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast.

Julie is back on the show!

  • 5 Steps to Developing a Simple and Intentional Life
  • Hey Mom and Dad, we don’t want your stuff
  • Four generations are practicing Minimalism in the current year: Greatest Generation, Boomers, GenX and Millennials
  • “Right-Sizing,” Trendies and Millennial Nomads Dave Ramsey and the 2008 Collapse
  • “Working very hard to earn money to pay for houses we can’t afford and impress people we don’t like”
  • Expectations, time preference and delayed satisfaction
  • Learning from the Crash of 2008 Julie’s Work to Declutter the Basement
  • Declutter the basement over the weekend
  • Clear it out and start fresh before you begin more projects 5 Steps to Declutter
  • Determine your timeline and formulate your strategy
  • Create 4 bins to sort items as you purge
  • For items in the “Give” bin, take them immediately to your car
  • For items in the “Keep” bin, ask yourself two questions
  • Does it serve a purpose?
  • Does it bring you joy?
  • For items in your “Undecided” bin, keep 1 month and revisit the bin.
  • Make sure you keep the bin visible for the entire time.  IF you haven’t used or thought of the items in the bin, get rid of it!

Once Decluttering is Complete....

  • Restock the shelves and drawers in an organized manner. Julie’s tip; “USE LABELS!”

Question from the Audience

  • "What was the biggest benefit you saw from the Minimalist Lifestyle Change?" - Jay Dolan
  • Members of the Small Scale Life Facebook Group had a number of great questions, but they came in after the show was recorded. We will record a new show where we answer these questions, so if you have questions, please add them to the thread in the Small Scale Life Facebook Group or add them as a comment to this show on smallscalelife.com.

Friends of Small Scale Life

Aussie Flame Weeders – My friend Mick at Aussie Flame Weeders is offering flame weeders to reduce your non-revenue producing workload. If you want to eliminate weeds from your garden beds, a flame weeder is an efficient way to do it.  I mean, who doesn’t want to burn pesky weeds with fire?  Mick’s flame weeders are perfect for 30 inch (80 cm) garden beds and feature five stainless steel burners, 16” wheels and an ergonomic design that carries a propane tank so you don’t have to.  Even if you don’t purchase a flame weeder, sign up on the Aussie Flame Weeder e-mail list to get access to videos and information.

Gnarled Knot Design - From the Land of Illinois, our good friends Phil and Jen love to create furniture and home décor items to make your house feel like a cozy home. Since they were running out of space in their own home, they decided to share our items with others. So, if you are looking for customized and personalized furniture, signs or other items, connect with Phil and Jen at Gnarled Knot Design on Facebook, Instragram or Etsy. Connect with Phil and Jen today!

]]> 5 Steps to Developing a Simple and Intentional Life https://smallscalelife.fireside.fm/80 2ff343db-2db2-4251-9f3c-d580287bc030 Tue, 06 Mar 2018 13:00:00 -0600 Tom full Tom My guest and I are going to talk about going from high paying, fast-paced lifestyles to slower-paced, more simple lives with less stuff.  How does one achieve that? Where does one begin?  In this episode, we are going to discuss the 5 Steps to Developing a Simple and Intentional Life. 1:15:08 no This is our 80th Episode!  Whoo hooo!  For this episode, we are shifting gears a bit on this episode, and you are going to get to learn a lot more about our story.  My guest and I (and other celebrities who stop by) are going to talk about going from high paying, fast-paced lifestyles to slower-paced, more simple lives with less stuff.  How does one achieve that? Where does one begin?  My guest and I have some ideas, and in this episode, we are going to discuss the 5 Steps to Developing a Simple and Intentional Life. In this episode, my wife Julie Domres is my special guest, and we discuss some of Before we get to that, let me ask you a couple questions: does your stuff stress you out?  Do all the materials, goods, and things in you house and garage give you a sense of dread or anxiety?  My guest and I are going to take you on a journey. Show Notes for 5 Steps to Developing a Simple and Intentional Life In this podcast, Julie and I discussed the following topics and links: Friends of Small Scale Life (see below) Gnarled Knot Design Nature's Image Farms Introductions Who is Julie? What has been happening the past couple weeks? Weekend to Remember Marriage Retreat - Family Life Moving Our Stuff Home Our Story  Moving Out and Storing Stuff Planting Our Flag in North Minneapolis Schemes and Ideas Decision Process and Finalizing "The Plan" Our Journey to Develop a Simple and Intentional and Life Survival Mode and Chasing Dollars Jobs, Kids and Life Minimalism - Learn, Do and Grow in Motion How did we find Minimalism? Tom - Local Author and Blogger Aaron Clarey - Captain Capitalism Website Julie - The Minimalism Documentary Going to see the Minimalists in Minneapolis (link to podcast of the event) Other Minimalists Josh Becker - Becoming Minimalist Colin Write - Exile Lifestyle Patrick Rhone - Minneapolis Author of "Enough" What does it mean to us? 5 Steps to Developing a Simple and Intentional Life Eliminating Clutter Reducing Time Commitments Reducing and Eliminating Debt Replacing Screens with Reality and People Defining What's Truly Important in Your Life Putting It All Together Key Topics, Thank You's and What's Coming Up This is our 80th Episode!  Whoo hooo!  For this episode, we are shifting gears a bit on this episode, and you are going to get to learn a lot more about our story.  My guest and I (and other celebrities who stop by) are going to talk about going from high paying, fast-paced lifestyles to slower-paced, more simple lives with less stuff.  How does one achieve that? Where does one begin?  My guest and I have some ideas, and in this episode, we are going to discuss the 5 Steps to Developing a Simple and Intentional Life.

In this episode, my wife Julie Domres is my special guest, and we discuss some of Before we get to that, let me ask you a couple questions: does your stuff stress you out?  Do all the materials, goods, and things in you house and garage give you a sense of dread or anxiety?  My guest and I are going to take you on a journey.

Show Notes for 5 Steps to Developing a Simple and Intentional Life

In this podcast, Julie and I discussed the following topics and links:

Friends of Small Scale Life (see below)

  • Gnarled Knot Design
  • Nature's Image Farms

Introductions

  • Who is Julie?
  • What has been happening the past couple weeks?
  • Weekend to Remember Marriage Retreat - Family Life
  • Moving Our Stuff Home

Our Story 

  • Moving Out and Storing Stuff
  • Planting Our Flag in North Minneapolis
  • Schemes and Ideas
  • Decision Process and Finalizing "The Plan"
  • Our Journey to Develop a Simple and Intentional and Life
  • Survival Mode and Chasing Dollars
  • Jobs, Kids and Life

Minimalism - Learn, Do and Grow in Motion

  • How did we find Minimalism?
  • Tom - Local Author and Blogger Aaron Clarey - Captain Capitalism Website
  • Julie - The Minimalism Documentary
  • Going to see the Minimalists in Minneapolis (link to podcast of the event)
  • Other Minimalists
  • Josh Becker - Becoming Minimalist
  • Colin Write - Exile Lifestyle
  • Patrick Rhone - Minneapolis Author of "Enough"
  • What does it mean to us?

5 Steps to Developing a Simple and Intentional Life

  • Eliminating Clutter
  • Reducing Time Commitments
  • Reducing and Eliminating Debt
  • Replacing Screens with Reality and People
  • Defining What's Truly Important in Your Life

Putting It All Together

  • Key Topics, Thank You's and What's Coming Up
]]> This is our 80th Episode!  Whoo hooo!  For this episode, we are shifting gears a bit on this episode, and you are going to get to learn a lot more about our story.  My guest and I (and other celebrities who stop by) are going to talk about going from high paying, fast-paced lifestyles to slower-paced, more simple lives with less stuff.  How does one achieve that? Where does one begin?  My guest and I have some ideas, and in this episode, we are going to discuss the 5 Steps to Developing a Simple and Intentional Life.

In this episode, my wife Julie Domres is my special guest, and we discuss some of Before we get to that, let me ask you a couple questions: does your stuff stress you out?  Do all the materials, goods, and things in you house and garage give you a sense of dread or anxiety?  My guest and I are going to take you on a journey.

Show Notes for 5 Steps to Developing a Simple and Intentional Life

In this podcast, Julie and I discussed the following topics and links:

Friends of Small Scale Life (see below)

  • Gnarled Knot Design
  • Nature's Image Farms

Introductions

  • Who is Julie?
  • What has been happening the past couple weeks?
  • Weekend to Remember Marriage Retreat - Family Life
  • Moving Our Stuff Home

Our Story 

  • Moving Out and Storing Stuff
  • Planting Our Flag in North Minneapolis
  • Schemes and Ideas
  • Decision Process and Finalizing "The Plan"
  • Our Journey to Develop a Simple and Intentional and Life
  • Survival Mode and Chasing Dollars
  • Jobs, Kids and Life

Minimalism - Learn, Do and Grow in Motion

  • How did we find Minimalism?
  • Tom - Local Author and Blogger Aaron Clarey - Captain Capitalism Website
  • Julie - The Minimalism Documentary
  • Going to see the Minimalists in Minneapolis (link to podcast of the event)
  • Other Minimalists
  • Josh Becker - Becoming Minimalist
  • Colin Write - Exile Lifestyle
  • Patrick Rhone - Minneapolis Author of "Enough"
  • What does it mean to us?

5 Steps to Developing a Simple and Intentional Life

  • Eliminating Clutter
  • Reducing Time Commitments
  • Reducing and Eliminating Debt
  • Replacing Screens with Reality and People
  • Defining What's Truly Important in Your Life

Putting It All Together

  • Key Topics, Thank You's and What's Coming Up
]]>