Category: Simplicity

Traveling Light

Posted on by Laura & Brett

Our Armada has a lot of storage space. A LOT. There is so much room for stuff we could carry along on our road trip, but we want to keep things light, and mostly travel like we did on our first Big Adventure, with our big suitcases and carryon bags and not much else. However, because we’ll be traveling in a big car versus on airplanes and trains, and because we’ll be traveling with a dog there will a few extras items going with us.

Here’s what we’re so far planning to bring along:

  • Suitcases: We think for this adventure we may pack the big bags “seasonally” rather than his and hers; that is, one will contain cold weather clothes for both of us and the other warm weather gear. We’ll see though – we each pack a different way and they might not mix.
  • Carryons: These will mainly be used to carry toiletries and electronics, but other odds and ends as well (the travel Keurig, for example).
  • L.L. Bean bags: One of our large Occasional Nomads canvas bags can be used for laundry, the other for Kaipo’s accoutrements: food, treats, dishes, toys, etc.
  • Collapsible dog crate: We may occasionally not be able to take Kaipo with us (if we want to go out to eat, for example) and we will crate him at our Airbnb or hotel room. The crate packs flat and takes up little to no space.
  • Food container: We’re hoping to find a medium-sized lidded container to carry dry food supplies and a few canned goods along with some cooking utensils (no Airbnb ever has everything we need), cereal bowls, coffee mugs, and a few food storage containers.
  • Plug-in car cooler: We think an electric cooler that fits in the second row of seats will be a worthy splurge. Not only will it keep drinks cold but cold cuts, condiments, and other perishables that we can have for lunch when we’re on the road (and avoid restaurant or fast food stops). A good plug-in cooler can also keep some foods frozen, but those are quite expensive.

The one unknown now is whether we will get a bike rack or not and take our bikes with us. For now we’re thinking no for a variety of reasons, but there has been no firm decision on this yet.

Keeping It Simple

Posted on by Laura & Brett

Simplicity has been our overriding watchword this year, and will continue to be what we focus on next year as well.

After only a few months into planning for a Great American Road Trip we have decided that we’re not going to tow a trailer. While it initially felt fun, exciting, and like the perfect solution we got to a point where everything about owning a trailer, from choosing to purchasing to the reality of actually pulling one around was making us very unhappy and keeping both of us awake at night. So was the thought of having to camp every night.

It was, we realized, a complicated way for us to travel around.

We could not get over feeling very uncomfortable with the investment a trailer of any size or make would require at this point in our lives, from the actual purchase to outfitting it. The amount (and potential cost) of maintenance and upkeep, and lists of things that could go wrong with a trailer kept growing the further we investigated. Resale at the end of our travels was another HUGE issue we had to consider. Towing a trailer also complicated itinerary planning, requiring more frequent moves and more actual time on the road, as well as keeping us away from some places.

So, we took a deep breath and chose simplicity. There will be no trailer for us. A road trip is still on though; we just have to rethink how we’ll make it happen

Do we have regrets about purchasing the Armada? Absolutely not! We have a luxurious, comfortable, and quiet car that we continue to fall in love with for future road trips no matter where we go or for how long. The tow hitch will still come in handy too: we plan to buy a rear rack so we can carry our bikes around.

Laura & Brett’s Big Adventure II

Posted on by Laura & Brett

We bought a new-to-us car last month: a Nissan Armada.

And why did we get such a big SUV? Because it can tow!

And why would we need a tow vehicle?

Because we are going to take an extended road trip around the U.S. and Canada when we leave Tennessee! We will either tow a trailer or stay in Airbnbs throughout the U.S., and will need a comfortable vehicle that can potentially tow a mid-sized trailer.

Wait a minute! What about Mexico? Or living overseas? Or going back to Hawaii? Or any other place you’ve talked about going post-Tennessee?

We could still go to any of those places, but the truth is we’ve never felt truly happy in our hearts about them. We’d be briefly excited, focus on the positives, but eventually the excitement would fade as we considered the negatives, things we weren’t sure we could or wanted to do or overcome at our ages. Obstacles ranged from having to learn a new language to obtaining required visas, getting Kaipo safely moved, the expenses attached to the moves and/or high cost of living, the distance from our children, and most discouraging of all, having to set up housekeeping somewhere yet again from scratch. We also realized after my last round of medical procedures that we do not want to give up our current health care benefits no matter how affordable health care is elsewhere.

Brett and I had began thinking about the purchase of a small camping trailer a few months ago (like a teardrop for weekend camping), but the longer we looked at those the more thoughts of a full time road trip began to fill our heads and eventually our heart. A full-time road trip is something we have considered several times previously but we’d always been able to talk ourselves out of it. This time we couldn’t.

We investigated Class B camper vans (again) and decided they were too small, and we wouldn’t last long living in one. We looked into Class C campers (no monster Class A’s for us, thank you), and eventually decided the best way would be to pull a trailer as it would provide both the amenities we want and the ability to detach our tow vehicle to get out and about wherever we went.

At the same time, we knew the purchase of a trailer for full-time living would be a considerable investment at this time in our lives, and require outfitting. There would also be the maintenance and upkeep that goes along with owning an RV, as well as a full-time camping lifestyle. So, we added an alternative to think about: staying in Airbnbs around the country as we go and pulling a small trailer for times when an Airbnb wouldn’t be feasible. This type of traveling had previously been unaffordable, but with no debt at all it’s now something we can do. Currently we are leaning toward the Airbnb + small trailer solution as it would be a much more accommodating way to travel with a dog along, but we haven’t given up on owning a full-size trailer either.

The Nissan Armada ended up in the top three vehicles for what we needed and wanted, especially as a potential tow vehicle. The other two choices were pickup trucks, but we really are not truck people, so the Armada became our top choice. A little less than a month ago we serendipitously came across an ad for a previously-owned Armada with the price, low mileage, and regular maintenance we wanted and a lifetime drivetrain warranty as well, and decided it was too good to pass up. We traded-in our Tucson and now have our road trip vehicle! The gas mileage isn’t as great as the Tucson, but so far not as bad as we were afraid it might be.

No matter which way we choose, the Armada purchase sealed our post-Tennessee plans. We are committed to becoming full-time nomads once again. Living full-time on the road will require the utmost in simple living, something we’re looking forward to. And, whichever direction we go will be the final stop of our downsizing journey. For the next 20 months though we’ll continue to save, save, save and get ourselves ready for Big Adventure II: The Great American Road Trip!

Ten Things I Love About Fall

Posted on by Laura & Brett

(photo credits: unsplash)

I read somewhere once that most Americans choose fall as their favorite season. It’s been my favorite for as long as I can remember, and here are the top ten reasons I love autumn (in no particular order):

  1. Cooler weather. I love the first time it’s cool enough to put on a sweater and wear it comfortably all day.
  2. Pumpkins. What’s not to love about a pumpkin, whether that’s to admire their colors or their flavor in recipes?
  3. Putting soups and stews on the menu again.
  4. Bugs and allergens disappear. Enough said.
  5. Fall foliage. Not only do I love the changing of the leaves, but I also welcome the appearance of autumn flowers like chrysanthemums and orange lantern flowers.
  6. Apples. Fall is apple season. While I have no desire to eat apples in the summer, in autumn I look forward to one almost every day, and love trying new varieties.
  7. Autumn baking: Apple cakes, pear crumbles, green tomato cake, cranberry muffins, pumpkin pie, etc.
  8. The holidays. Veteran’s Day, Halloween and especially Thanksgiving.
  9. Seasonal produce. Besides apples and pears, fall is when winter squashes and cranberries make their appearance (see #2: Pumpkins).
  10. The muted, and yet never dull, colors of the season: orange, brown, gold, red, green, yellow (and sometimes purple): they’re maybe my favorite thing of all about fall.

Is autumn your favorite season too? What do you like about fall?

Simplifying the Refrigerator

Posted on by Laura & Brett
The state of our refrigerator at the start of August, a jumbled mess. I could barely tell you half of what was in there.

In this past year we’d pretty much organized and simplified everything in our kitchen, everything but the refrigerator, that is. It remained an unorganized disaster. I was determined to get a handle on it, simplifying what we had in there and how much we kept in there.

We seem to have always had way too many condiments and sauces, produce that gets lost, and a freezer filled to overflowing – something had to give. Last month I started a project to use up and/or eat down more of what we had in the fridge and see if we could end up up with a simple organizational scheme that would be easy to maintain.

There was at least one thing we were doing right: using glass containers and silicone bags for leftovers so we could see what was on hand. Items in these container were usually used in a timely manner because they are usually stored near the front. Brett is the leftovers master; he will put together some weird combinations from time to time, but stuff he can see will be eaten. I keep a running tally in my head of the most perishable items so they get eaten or used sooner rather than later, but I miss some more frequently than I’d like and they have to be tossed.

Still, the refrigerator was always disorganized. I don’t know if that’s because we bought too much food at once, or because we had never come up with a way to organize the space properly. Everything else mostly ended up in a hodge-podge and I always seem to be rooting through what we had to find what I needed or what could be eaten.

Simplifying the refrigerator required taking a few steps:

  • We used up much of what we already on hand, especially condiments that were purchased for one recipe, like dill pickle slices I bought to make Cuban sandwiches or Dijon mustard bought for some other recipe. Both just sat there and took up space. There were a few other odds and ends that with effort we were able to get rid of as well. I’m more conscientious going forward about buying one-off ingredients for a recipe that I know I would be hard-pressed to use later.
  • We stopped buying so much when we shopped. We were shopping every two weeks or so, but breaking that down to a weekly shop has made it much easier to keep track of what we have and avoid clutter.
  • We pay better attention to everything that‘s in the refrigerator. There always seemed to be several items in the fridge that went off our radar. And, I admit to choosing things I wanted to eat versus what needed to be eaten to use them up. I always take leftovers to work for lunch, but at home I rarely eat leftovers, and while Brett is good about them, he can’t eat them all. I now check the refrigerator daily to know what we have and make more of an effort to eat leftovers for breakfast or lunch when I’m home.
  • We instituted a “clean out” meal once a month. On the last Friday of August we used up several items to create dinner rather than open or fixing anything new. We plan to do this monthly.
After a month’s efforts, we have a simpler, more organized fridge! It’s a pleasure to open these days.
  • I constantly remind myself the goal is to have a clean, simple, organized refrigerator. This goal helped us shop more efficiently last month, and actually buy less. Also, if I know something is going to produce leftovers, I’m more conscientious about working those into the menu plan. I think more carefully about how the food we purchase will be stored, how we will use it, and how many leftovers it will generate. I’ve decided to buy more pre-cut vegetables that I know will be used up more quickly and not get lost in the produce drawers.

Our refrigerator will always be a work in progress, but I hope to maintain the neater, more organized, and simpler refrigerator and freezer we ended up with last month. It’s just the two of us these days, and I know we can continue to cut back on what we buy, make, and have leftover, giving us a simpler, well-organized refrigerator where we can find things easily and that’s also a delight to open.

The Things We’ve Kept

Posted on by Laura & Brett

The things that spark joy.

We used to have so much stuff. So, so much stuff. Our house, when Brett retired from the navy and we came back from Japan in 1992, looked like a museum filled with Japanese antiques. We had brought back 15 antique tansu (Japanese chests), numerous pieces of blue and white porcelain from hibachis to plates to bowls, loads and loads of art work, antique kimonos and stands to hang them on, screens both wooden and painted, and on and on. We also had more dishes than we could use, shelves overflowing with books, and lots of clothes for every season. We honestly had too much of everything.

We started to downsize just after we arrived back in the U.S., and held our first yard sale in the fall of that year. I must have innately felt Marie Kondo’s concept of “spark joy” long before she coined it because I was able identify many things that had felt important to own in Japan but much less so in the States, things that no longer brought me joy. The first sale was a rousing success and we made hundreds of dollars and significantly lightened our load.

Books were the next thing to go. Powell’s Books bought box after box from us. We didn’t get rid of everything, but a significant amount again brought in hundreds of dollars.

In following years we sold even more of our stuff, Japanese and otherwise, although with the addition of our daughters to our family we continued to accumulate an awful lot as well.

Our decision to move to Hawaii was a major turning point in our downsizing history, and thousands of pounds of stuff left our possession before we left Portland. I can honestly say that I have missed nothing we got rid of. Those things had once brought us joy, but apparently didn’t anymore and I felt happy that others would now have a chance to appreciate or use what we were ready to let go of. Our moves to and from Hawaii saw us getting rid of even more and we are now finally down to the very few things that continue to spark joy in us. Some will go with us to Mexico, others will go into storage when we depart Tennessee.

The things we have kept include:

  • Eleven pictures and one other small piece of art we bought in Mexico. These include treasured woodblock prints from Japan, our Tokyo train map, a small watercolor from Hong Kong, two Chinese watercolor paintings, two prints by our favorite Hawaiian artist, a silhouette of our son done when he was in kindergarten, an early professional photo of our daughters, and the large drawing we bought from my friend.
  • My two favorite jubako (porcelain stacking boxes) from my former collection that happily survived intact. I sold a couple of others on Etsy, but the poor pack-out we had from Hawaii in 2018 damaged most of them and they went for very little at our farewell yard sale in Hawaii.
  • Our Japanese Boy’s Day banner. This is perhaps our favorite thing of all. Our daughter-in-law recently determined that it had been custom made in the past for a wealthy family’s son.
  • A Mashiko pottery tea bowl, the English pottery vase I bought during our stay in Blockley, and a pair of salt shakers from my sister-in-law.
  • A small piece of coral and a piece of driftwood we found on the beach in Hawaii, and my treasured Japanese stamp books.
  • Three other pottery pieces: a French butter container and a pitcher, both found at yard sales, and a large Mashiko plate that sits on our coffee table. Three other treasured pottery pieces broke during shipment from Hawaii. I don’t use the pieces I have now but enjoy seeing them every day – they definitely bring me joy.

We plan to bring our pictures, the Japanese banner, and another few things we can fit into our suitcases when we leave Nashville. Remaining personal items will be stored here, things like our dishes, cookware, and small appliances along with our bed frame, the credenza, the TV, and the black and white chair I found at World Market last December. Otherwise we will sell or give our youngest daughter everything else. We own less than five books now; they will go into storage as well. Our wardrobes have been pared down to just enough.

I’ve always said downsizing is a process, one that’s taken over 30 years in our case. However, for all intents and purposes we have finished. Our children have taken the items they want and what we have now are things either necessary for living or items that bring us joy and happy memories.

Little Luxuries

Posted on by Laura & Brett
(photo credit: Anthony Delanoix/unsplash)

While I am all about saving, recognizing needs versus wants, and living frugally, I am not into deprivation. To me, depriving ourselves of certain things, or allowing ourselves to feel deprived, guarantees that we will eventually over-correct in some detrimental way.

Living a full life means allowing myself, or Brett, some extras. Some may seem like luxuries or unnecessary, but the skill has been in finding what we want at a price that doesn’t ruin our budget or hold up other goals.

Some of the little luxuries we enjoy right now are things we couldn’t afford when we were raising our kids, but with just the two of us and extra income from my work, they’re possible now and allow us to voluntarily live frugally and save for future experiences:

  • We set aside an amount every month for future travel. Even if we were doing a push to pay off my student loan, this amount would stay the same.
  • We buy what we’d like to eat versus cheaper options. We enjoy top quality food items but in moderation. My job at Trader Joe’s and the discount I receive means we don’t have to pass on some of these things like we did in the past.
  • We get haircuts from a stylist we know versus having to wonder what the new person we’ve never seen before at a discount salon will do with our hair. The cuts cost more, but we know what we’re getting.
  • I get my nails done regularly. One of the first casualties of my job at Trader Joe’s was my nails. They all broke the first week and continued to break and chip and were awful. I get my nails dipped every two weeks at an affordable salon nearby (which had gotten rave reviews from many of my coworkers).
  • A small thing, but we turned down our air-conditioning by a couple of degrees. It runs a bit more frequently but our apartment has been very pleasant this summer.

There are many things we haven’t changed, and things we continue to go without, even though we have enough income that we could do these things now:

  • We don’t stop for coffee drinks and such. We rarely go out to eat or stop for fast food (unless we’re traveling or it’s planned in advance).
  • I bring my lunch from home even though Trader Joe’s offers many affordable options for less than $5.
  • We spend very little on clothing and shoes; every purchase is planned in advance and only if we need something. We prefer to buy used if possible.
  • We still shop for groceries with a list and a spending limit. We’re still drinking the same cheap (but good) wine from Trader Joe’s that we did twenty years ago, and still only have three drinks each week (mainly because we don’t need the carbs).
  • We share our free streaming service with our children; they share theirs with us. Brett received a theater gift card for Father’s Day – we plan to see Barbie or Oppenheimer (even though I dislike theaters).
  • We don’t go to malls or “go shopping.”
  • All our reading material comes free from the library to our Kindles.
  • We continue to look for ways to cut back that won’t affect our current quality of life, like combining errands or running the dishwasher every other day.

It’s taken us a long time to get here, but we’ve finally arrived at that sweet spot where we can afford to spend a little extra and enjoy some little luxuries that don’t affect our bottom line or get in the way of future goals, allowing us to live simply but richly.

The Wedding Menu

Posted on by Laura & Brett

Meiling and K’s wedding next month is actually the second of two ceremonies. They will be officially wed the week before in British Columbia, with K’s family and their friends in attendance, several coming all the way from Taiwan. However, Meiling knew that traveling to BC would be difficult if not impossible for many in her immediate family, so they decided to hold a second ceremony for all of us in Vermont a week later . . . and we will all be there! There will be 16 people total, including the photographer who will be staying at the farmhouse with us for the weekend.

As one of our gifts to Meiling and K, we offered to provide all the food for the wedding weekend in Vermont. I will be the chief cook, but WenYu and YaYu have offered to serve as my sous chefs. I know I will need their help, and I’m already very, very grateful for their offers.

Coming up with a menu took quite a bit of work. There was a request from Meiling to consider, three special diets to work around (vegan, gluten free, lactose free), and of course the getting-everything-cooked-in-time part as well. I will be walking into the AirBNB farmhouse kitchen with no idea of what’s available as far as cookware and serving dishes. The venue is regularly used for weddings though so I am assuming (for now) there will adequate supplies. The host has informed Meiling there will be a new barbecue grill in place – all of my fingers and toes are crossed that it will actually be there when we arrive because the two evening meals have a grilled component.

I’ve just started work on the shopping list, but need to talk with WenYu first as she has volunteered to bring some things up from Massachusetts, such as eggs and bread. My shopping on this end will begin two to three days before we depart so I still have a few weeks left to make sure all my T’s are crossed and I’s dotted. I’ve been asked why we’re not shopping in Vermont, but the farmhouse location is quite rural and not very close to any sort of large town, and there’s no guarantee I would find what I need once we were there.

Anyway, below is the menu I’ve come up with for the two breakfasts, one lunch, and two dinners while our family will be together in Vermont:

  • Friday evening appetizers: Trader Joe’s Parmesan pups, two cheeses along with crackers, some kind of nuts; grilled artichoke hearts; some kind of fresh vegetable (haven’t figured that out yet) wine; Italian sodas
  • Friday dinner: grilled lemon-basil chicken thighs, quinoa salad, green salad, blood orange cake, wine & soft drinks (the chicken was a specific request from Meiling – no substitutes allowed!)
  • Saturday breakfast: sausage gravy & biscuit breakfast casserole, pecan sticky bun French toast casserole, waffles, fruit salad, coffee, tea
  • Saturday lunch: pulled pork sliders, vegan sliders, potato chips, watermelon wedges, iced tea, sparkling water, soft drinks
  • Saturday afternoon: wedding cake & champagne (Meiling & K will supply the cake; we will be bringing the champagne)
  • Saturday wedding dinner: grilled petite filet mignon, roasted vegetable medley, artisan bread with butter (vegan butter provided), mixed berry Eton mess, wine, sparkling juice, coffee and tea
  • Sunday farewell breakfast: scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, hash browns, orange juice (mimosas if there is leftover champagne), coffee & tea

When I see it written out it all seems very complicated, but I’ve tried to keep things as simple and easy to prepare as possible. The most difficult part will be getting the chicken into the marinade before we leave the Airbnb the morning of our final day’s drive to Vermont as it needs to marinate all day. Another difficulty will be making sure we have a cooler big enough for everything we’re bringing along with us, but I think the one we’ve zeroed in on will have more than enough space. I’ve found vegan substitutes for some items, avoided gluten as much as possible, and the only thing that would typically contain lactose, the Eton messes, can be made with a dairy free substitute for those who require it.

I am extremely grateful to be working for Trader Joe’s right now as almost 100% of the food we’re bringing can be purchased there, and my discount is going to save us quite a bit.

Lemon-Ricotta Pasta with Peas

Posted on by Laura & Brett

The moment this recipe came through my Instagram feed I knew I had to make it: only five ingredients were required, the preparation was super simple, and the combination of cheeses and lemon sounded absolutely delicious, especially for a spring meal.

I can honestly say the finished dish did not disappoint, and in fact was better than either of us expected! From start to finish it was a breeze to prepare, and the sauce was creamy and bright with lemon flavor, perfect on a warm spring evening. We enjoyed our pasta with slices of Dutch oven bread.

The think this dish is a win-win-win. With only a few ingredients and about 25 minutes or less needed to bring this delicious dish to the table, it’s super easy to put together. All the ingredients are fairly inexpensive and readily found at any supermarket, often on sale, making this recipe a frugal one as well.

LEMON-RICOTTA PASTA WITH PEAS

Ingredients:

  • 1 12-oz package of pasta
  • 10 ounces peas, fresh or frozen
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese (low or full fat)
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 lemon
  • Fresh basil (optional)

In a large pan, boil water and cook the pasta according to package directions. About five minutes before the pasta is finished, add the peas to the boiling water.

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta and Parmesan cheese. Add grated peel from the entire lemon, and then the juice from the lemon into the cheese mixture; blend well.

Before draining the pasta, remove 1/2 cup of the cooking water and add to the cheese and lemon mixture and blend until smooth and creamy. Drain the pasta and peas, then return to the cooking pan. Fold in the cheese sauce until all the pasta is coated. Top with torn fresh basil, if desired, and serve.

Wants & Needs

Posted on by Laura & Brett

I have finally reached a place where I always stop and ask myself if something is a want or need. More importantly, if it’s a want, I don’t go on and try to rationalize purchasing it or talking myself into it. There are no more impulse purchases – I can let things go or go without these days. Brett thankfully got to this place way before I did.

It has taken me 70 years to get here. But Brett and I have a big goals for our remaining years and realize this is our last chance to make them happen, so staying on track with the number of possessions we own as well as our budget (and saving) is more important than ever to both of us. Something has to pretty much be outright essential before we’ll spend on it these days.

I really want a pedicure, but it can wait.

Of course this doesn’t mean I don’t want or need things. I would love some new summer clothes beyond the pants I bought on eBay. Almost everything I brought from Hawaii is worn and I’m fairly well tired of it all as well. I also want to get regular manicures & pedicures (especially the pedicures), but working at Trader Joe’s has ruined any chance I have for nice nails for the time being, and I do what I can for my feet on my own for now. I will probably allow myself a pedicure once sandal season begins, but that is still a ways off. I very much want a rug in our living room, but the bigger apartment we move to might be carpeted so I keep talking myself out of a rug even though I’ve seen a few that would work for us. I also don’t want to pay to store a rug when we leave Tennessee.

My favorite pajamas are these cotton ones from Garnet Hill. They are super comfortable, and last for years. The long-sleeved version on the right will go on my Christmas list this year.

I do need new pajamas. My summer jammies are over three years old now and the fabric is thin and fraying as they were worn daily in Hawaii and after and have been washed and dried frequently. They’re still in good enough condition (I hope) to see me until the end of this summer but won’t get me through next year. I need new cold weather pajamas as well. I’ve been wearing old t-shirts and inexpensive leggings ever since we began traveling in 2018, but they’re on their last legs as well, and have been surprisingly almost too warm for our apartment this winter. I am going to put cool/cold weather pajamas on my Christmas list this year and see what happens, and will wait and purchase new summer pajamas next year when I know the ones I have now are past saving. That’s it for actual needs though.

Both Brett and I constantly see things we would like to buy, but these days we’re able to talk ourselves out of them, or find ways to work around owning them. Even though we enjoy our simple life and owning less, sometimes that still can take some real effort on both our parts. In the meantime we use what we have, fix or mend things if we can, and continue to go without. We are blessed with generous children who indulge us from time to time as well, but it’s nothing we expect or depend on.

Time is flying by and before we know it we will be ready to start our next adventure. Recognizing needs, holding off on wants, and enjoying the simplicity of our lives now is going to a long way to making sure we’re in the best possible position when it’s time for that to happen.