As we step into 2026, conversations about “new year, new habits” are everywhere. But before rushing into fresh resolutions, we wanted to pause and reflect on the year just gone.
Rather than highlighting perfection or dramatic lifestyle overhauls, we invited people in our community to reflect on the small habits, choices, and mindset shifts they genuinely stuck with throughout 2025. The things that reduced their impact, made life easier, or simply felt achievable in the context of real, busy lives.
If you’re looking for inspiration to carry into 2026, these reflections are a great place to start.
Emma
I feel really proud that I spent 2025 being more intentional with my spending. I made sure to prioritise Australian-made products, supporting local small businesses, and buying in bulk where I could. These things matter to me because they help reduce waste, support my local community, and they help align my values with my everyday choices. These habits have been easy to sustain because they’re practical, flexible, and focus on small everyday swaps rather than being perfect.
Sarah
Embracing “less is more” with our fourth baby, Thomas - Rather than acquiring more gear, we focused on quality over quantity. This mindset shift reduced clutter and consumption. We used what we had already kept from our previous babies and only topped up with essentials. We made a conscious effort to not buy more than we needed, which also allowed us to invest in better quality items when we did purchase.
Learning more about toxins in baby products - Specifically, I researched car seat materials thoroughly when buying a capsule for Thomas, something I hadn’t considered in-depth with my previous three babies. This reminded me that we don’t know everything, but as we gain knowledge, we can make better decisions without judging ourselves for what we didn’t know before.
Switching to a cast iron loaf pan for bread making - This simple change eliminated my reliance on baking paper. The cast iron creates the perfect crust and has significantly improved our loaves; they rise better and are fluffier. Plus, the pan will last a lifetime without any concern about toxins leaching into our food.
What made these changes sustainable was focusing on one area at a time rather than overwhelming ourselves with complete overhauls. Each change builds naturally on the last as our awareness grows.
Daniela
Biome Ambassador @thisishowieco
Something that really shifted for me in 2025 was my mindset around buying things —whether it was clothes, homewares, or just the little extras that tend to creep into everyday life.
I helped clean out a deceased estate last year, and it was incredibly eye‑opening to see just how much we accumulate over a lifetime. Sorting through it all has been a slow process, but a meaningful one. I’ve been selling, donating, and responsibly recycling as much as possible, and there’s something deeply satisfying about knowing these items are finding new homes instead of ending up in landfill.
Around the same time, I came across a video of a woman decluttering. She held up bags of things she was letting go of and said, “This used to be money.” It stopped me in my tracks. Since then, I’ve been shopping far more intentionally. Do I really need this? Is it good quality? Will it last? Is it supporting a business that cares for people and the planet? Is there a more sustainable option? Those questions have become part of my internal checklist, and they've genuinely reconnected me to the value of things I choose to bring into my life.
I also heard a quote that stuck with me: “Save it where you can, to spend it where you want.” As I enjoy my Summer holidays, that feels especially true. I’m happy to spend on quality items, meaningful experiences and moments with the people I love—because that’s the kind of “stuff” that actually lasts.
Sinead
Biome Ambassador @sinead_ella
In 2025 I am really proud of my commitment to using cloth nappies and reusable wipes even while I had two under two - two babies in cloth. I feel proud I did my part for myself and for their future keeping the huge amount of disposables we would have otherwise gone through out of landfill!
This is important to me because every disposable nappy to ever ‘thrown away’ still exists somewhere - no nappy has ever ‘broken down’ and it’s a little - big thing I can do as a parent. I also did elimination communication with my babies lowering the amount of washing I had to do and toilet training early with my toddler.
I’m also super proud my son never used a plastic lunchbox - he has the PlanetBox from Biome! Being at the age for needing snacks everywhere he got so much use out of it, and I know it will be used for years to come. It reduced the need for any plastic packaging, will out last any plastic lunchbox and means microplastics aren’t going into his food either!
In 2025 my children wore mostly secondhand clothes. I am very aware of the huge problem with fast fashion and clothing going to landfill. Babies/young children only wear things for the shortest time so I feel this is even more important. They also don’t mind what they wear and there is so much quality clothing out there already. It also benefited my wallet! This made shopping more fun too. On top of this my toddler wears oversize clothes which means they fit even longer. He is 2 and still wearing all the same summer clothes now he wore last summer at 1!
