Welcome back to The Smart Girl Newspaper: your curated, weekly, newspaper for the curious and intelligent parts of you: an antidote to the doom scroll and complacency. Merry Christmas and happy holidays! I hope you guys are enjoying time with those you love and staying healthy! This week’s Smart Girl Newspaper has a common theme: becoming more aware of purchases we are making, challenging our consumption habits, and looking at the quality of materials vs. the price! Maybe this will help us be more mindful with that Christmas money we can spend later this week… :)
PS. If you have a topic you’d like to chat about, an article that spoke to you, a jaw-dropping video you saw, an activity you love, or an interesting experience you enjoyed, I’d love to share it! Please reach out!
This episode quickly goes over why you might experience an elevated heart rate after a happy hour or night out with friends!
Another quick episode that dives into the benefits of nasal breathing! Any other mouth tapers out there? :)
Watch: The Only Wool Sweaters I’d Buy.* by The Iron Snail on Youtube.
We can thank my husband for this one! I’ve been looking more into the quality of clothes that I’m buying vs. just the price, and I’ve been searching for a resource to educate me on whether or not a high price tag is justified based on fiber type, quality construction of a garment, etc. This guy does such a wonderful job, and I learned so much about the history of sweaters, wool, and what to look for when buying a sweater!
Read: The Performative Epidemic: Why Everything Feels Fake Now by of .
A look into the performative nature of being human and why a lot of what motivates us is based on perception. This read will make you think: what in my life am I doing because it is received well or rewarded vs. because it is actually who I am… from my actions, to what I wear, to the jokes I tell?
Speaking of quality of materials, this is one of my favorite episodes I listened to this year on the history and business of Hermes. Yes, it is 4 hours. Yes, it is worth it, especially if you’re like me and love to understand the lore behind certain status symbols and companies.
Read: Underconsumption is Chic by .
Underconsumption is realizing how elegant it can feel to slow down, to wait, to choose with care.
To rediscover what you already own and give it new life instead of constantly chasing what’s next.
You learn to desire fewer things, but more deeply. To save for something. To wait for it. And when it finally enters your life, it feels meaningful instead of fleeting.
We are doing our Best of 2025 series these last few weeks of 2025 filled with some of my favorite clips from our episodes this year! Next week we will post some of the top clips and top things we’ve learned from our guest experts this year… I can’t wait!
I hope you guys enjoyed vol. 008 of The Smart Girl Newspaper! Stay tuned for next week!
