Gadgets
If you work out or have an athletic hobby that has you bringing home sweaty clothes every day, this thing -- what I consider a laundry salad spinner -- is awesome for cutting down on laundry, and for giving a realistic option for hand washing our often pricey, workout wear. I can quickly wash my workout clothes in a bucket now and this thing spins them so well they dry in a day in the Inner Richmond fog (!!), if not a matter of hours if it's nice and sunny. It has cut my machine laundry needs by half or more! And if you have to haul your stuff to a laundromat, this thing will pay for itself in no time! Awesome for apartments.
The Laundry Alternative Soft Spin Dryer
Minimalist footwear
I have a long history of mistreating my feet. I have high arches and wore orthotics from about 14yrs old, inspired by a life of what I'm confident now was excessive distance running for my age. Many years and many injuries and signs of uncondition later (Achilles injury, superficial blood clot in my calf along with other signs of bad circulation, extremely weak intrinsic foot muscles), and I finally got serious about strengthening my feet, and as a result, so many other aspects of my health. Make no mistake, it was a long process of foot and lower extremity conditioning and effort to transition out of orthotics and super-rigid, super-padded, "stabilizing" shoes and the like I had worn for decades, but today I spend as much of my time barefoot or otherwise with as little limitation on my foot movement as the circumstances allow.
About a year ago I discovered Xero Shoes and completely fell in love with the Prio model. If we've met in person, I probably showed up wearing these. Now that it's summer, and I've needed a sandal that also didn't have a rigid sole, or wouldn't distort my gait the way a flip-flop does, for example, I have become a huge fan of the Cloud model. The strap system is so simple, and elegant in its function, if not in fashion, and those are the priorities I roll with these days. The strap across the top of the foot slides to create a secure ankle strap so that you are not forced to use your foot to keep the sandal on. It's genius and feels *almost* as good as barefoot, but safer for public spaces :)
A Xero shoes sandwich! My well worn Prios in the middle and the Clouds on my feet :)