Helping the helpers.

According to research noted in Psychology Today, helping others may “benefit the giver more than the recipient on a neurobiological level.” With that lingering in our minds, Kevin and I had a chance to visit our client's new hospitality business early this year in Costa Rica. Their retreat is in a jungle — literally next to a waterfall, where they get all of their water.

We had a chance to help them fix up the water system and refurbish some furniture. Now Kevin is thinking of creating renewable electricity from the waterfall as well.

We loved being invited by our clients to be part of their super cool project!

Doing more by throwing out less.

Did you know? The United States is home to 4% of the world’s population, yet produces more than 12% of the trash — to the tune of 4.9 pounds per person per day – and over 28% of our garbage is packaging. That means we throw out 82 million tons of material every year.

Want a scarier number? Every 15.5 hours, we throw out enough plastic to fill the stadium where the Dallas Cowboys play, and 91% of it isn’t recycled. It’s enough to make you want to refill that olive oil bottle instead of buying a new one.

It’s no secret our groceries come with a lot more packaging every day, but we probably don’t think about it more than once a week when we take out the trash. The Almanac takes a look at two Peninsula “refilleries” trying to reduce our collective climate footprint.

The Best Things in Life

They say the best things in life are free, and that’s (mostly) true. But sometimes it’s fun to splurge a little. What are your favorite splurges and the little things you can’t live without?

CHIC (Pearl)

It’s my job to find our clients stylish homes at a price they can afford, so I’m used to getting more with less. When it comes to food, I can’t resist the occasional “cheat day” to try a new restaurant or bring home premium ingredients for one of my favorite dishes. But at the end of the day, the finest meal is made even finer with the company of friendly neighbors — and you can’t put a price tag on that!

GEEK (Kevin)

I’m also fairly frugal and try to get our clients the most bang for their buck with home improvement. That said, I lose my will power in the power tool section of the hardware store. There’s something about the whirring of an electric drill that makes me open my wallet. But when I come home, I can’t wait to grab a shovel and dig around our backyard garden. It’s very relaxing.

Bending toward justice.

As we look ahead to a three-day holiday weekend, it’s important to remember who and what we are celebrating. Join us in honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by making Monday a day of service to your community.

The Long Haul

Like we said earlier, you have to think big when it comes to home investments, and this chart says it all. While median house prices in Santa Clara County may have dipped a bit in 2023, they’re still more than double the pre-Recession peak in 2007. Want to see a more detailed report for your neighborhood? Request one today, and we’ll deliver it to your home or email.