Hellloooo Sudders, from this side of the new year! Have you set your new year resolutions? Have you meal-planned from now til Easter? Have you decluttered your house down to the bones?

Me neither. The Christmas break was deliciously chill, but the end of the holidays and getting back to regular routines is enough of a task without adding a bunch of new projects and goals into the mix. I would love to Marie Kondo the condo, detox the diet, read all of the books - but it's just not all going to happen at once. Realistically, if the kids get to the end of the week washed and with a little fibre back in their diet, it's a win.

Still, it's nice to lean into the hope of new beginnings. So if, like me, you're trying to find the small wins, this newsletter gives you four ways you can revamp and refresh, without committing to a big overhaul of anything.

- Shreya

P.S Speaking of all things NEW, what do you think of the NEW Suds logo? I "designed" it myself... hit reply and let me know!

In with the new? Out with the old!

If, like me, you're still finding homes for Christmas presents, consider it an opportunity to scan through the cupboard for toys that have had their day in your house, that you might be able to donate locally. Here in Hackney, local libraries are running a toy appeal until the 25th of January - more info is available here - and there are similar schemes across London.

Get riches for your rags

Did you know you can get PAID for your kids' poo/grass/milk stains? H&M run a comprehensive textiles-recycling scheme that will give you a £5 voucher for taking in a bag of old clothes - no matter their condition. They'll resell what they can second hand, and recycle the rest in one of several ways. Good for your wallet, good for the planet! Check out the details here.

A small swap in the bathroom 

Speaking of rags, how long since you last replaced your bath sponge or loofah? It's recommended they're replaced every few weeks to prevent bacteria build up, but that can be expensive and generate a lot of plastic waste. Have a read of this quick blog on what to look for in a bath sponge, and consider a little refresh of your bathroom tools.

Try prepping one meal this week

Meal prep can seem a bit daunting, all shredded meat and Tupperware, but it really is just about lightening the load ahead of time. It might not even be a whole meal - for example roasting some extra veggies alongside tonight's dinner in the oven to go with tomorrow's lunch. If you're feeling a little more ambitious, Pinch of Yum has stacks of recipes to prep here (you can even scroll straight down to an "easy" section!).

And now something totally different... the metaverse

I wasn't kidding when I said 'totally'. The words 'metaverse' and 'web 3.0' and 'apes' and 'NFTs' keep cropping up on my timeline and I had no idea what any of them meant. This is a long-ish but very helpful explainer of the brave new world of the internet.