Our lifestyle shapes our financials. We like our space light and airy. Our room is all space and a mattress. Welcome to our Crib!
Our clothes dry in the sun. We’ll slip those in the dryer now that winter’s near.
For vacuuming, we use this. Fellow readers, if you can show me how I can become an affiliate on this or anything else, please. It is great on the carpet, and not so much on the hardwood floor. But our homes 65% carpet, and our primordial broom can sweep away anything on the wood.
We run the dishwasher and the AC occasionally (to ensure that they are working). We hand wash everything. The fans become redundant when the windows are half open in the summers.
Frugality?
We have “normal” expenses.
We bought a town home this year. We upgraded from a one bedroom in Kentucky to a two bedroom now. We pay four times more now than we did in Kentucky.
We travel – weekend getaways and week-long ones. We’ve traversed the country, length and breadth. Our beloved Honda Fit now runs only on weekends and when public transportation is absent. She’s logged 70k miles since 2011, and is good for more than a decade. She is (with my old guitar and my recently retired I-Phone 4) my dearest attachment – companions of my dark days.
We eat out once or twice a week. We always share the drink. On proposing that she and her husband do the same, an older colleague working overtime retaliated with absolute amazement: “But I want my own drink”.
When seriously starved, the China Gardens and the India Palaces make for better deals. If at MacDonalds, a dollar is all you need.
But we cook. We cook every day. My wife takes the leftovers to work. I did carrots for a year (so much so that one colleague “replied all” to team lunch email that said “gofi, you are not a rabbit”). I’ve since progressed to Oat Meals (for ~$3 for a box of 8 packets, and with 2 packets/lunch => $0.75/lunch). My wife prefers home meals and I just want a light lunch (so I can dinner like a pig).
Because we cook, we’re now able to dish out a few high quality meals, that when plated properly look all the more desirable (should there a need to impress).
note to self <insert better pic – that steak>
I fight my greatest battles in the mornings – three Starbucks scattered strategically on my way to office. I’m not a sucker I tell myself. I count my days and walk on. The mediocre coffee in my office is good enough.
We buy what we need. We have everything we need.
The public transportation is great for getting to work. I enjoy people gazing, imagining what they do and how they live. It is a wonderful diversion and is the fastest hour of my day. I remind myself to be grateful for all the wonderful things I have, that I smile, and remain humble.
The light rail to work stops at the Union Station. I refuse the free mall rides to office and walk instead. A mile to and a mile back make my 2 miles a day exercise. On most evenings, my wife and I walk the extensive network of walking paths that run through our neighborhood, and the sight of good looking people (in Thule and Patagonia) is always mentally rewarding. Please keep consuming. We’ve added a Rowing Machine for the winter, and for my lungs and stiff bones.
I should end now. It’s 10:20 PM. Please comment. If nothing else, let me know how your dog is doing.
🙂