When More is Simpler (November Update)

More with Less is the title of a cookbook. Sometimes simplicity does mean doing more with less. On the flip side,  sometimes having more is simpler. Take for instance, this past weekend. I traveled for three days, and each of those three days, I was in a different place. I had a small suitcase set out for packing, but I quickly realized that the space was limiting. I asked my husband for the bigger suitcase and just started throwing stuff in. More space meant less need to make decisions. Win.

When I initially checked the forecast, I thought it would be cold. When I checked it again, it looked warmer. I just added t-shirts to the stack of long sleeves already in the suitcase. More options meant less need to buy or borrow new clothes on the trip. It also allowed me to feel more comfortable in the variable temperatures I experienced.

I took a lot of snacks with me. I accepted more snacks from my mom and dad when I stopped by their house. Did I really need all those snacks? I did not think so. Did things work out where I ate most of the snacks? Yes. Although granola bars and other snacks do not a good diet make, they did help assuage my hunger when I lacked other options.

Do I always want to overpack for trips? No. Lots of times, this incurs extra fees and extra responsibilities. In the case of this trip, having more simplified my life and gave me a better trip, and I am grateful for it!

What's Simplifying My Life (October)

Kendra Adachi of The Lazy Genius Podcast has a segment every now and then called, "What's Saving My Life." In this edition of "The Simplified Life," I am sharing some things that have simplified my life, not things to buy per se, but uses for things I already had, and/or practices that are currently serving me. In no particular order, here they are:

Repurposing the ice cream scoop to clean out a pumpkin before baking [not my hack, but one from this roasted pumpkin recipe from The Minimalist Baker (Shultz, 2019).

A can opener that opens (thanks to my husband fixing ours)

The big IKEA bags for carrying in groceries: dump in as many bags as it will hold to reduce trips

Letting my husband find products when I do need to buy them (which saves me from the Amazon review rabbit hole)

Mesh laundry bags for anything that doesn't get dried (These make it easy to pull those items out of the load, rather than trying to remember which delicates I put into a load. It also makes it easier for my husband to do all of our laundry if that is the case for the day.)

Putting my entire running hydration pack into the fridge the night before I plan to use it (less time fiddling with it in the morning)

Overall keeping fewer food items on hand. It just makes eating and cooking easier!

I could probably go on, but let's keep this post simple, shall we? Please share below about what's currently simplifying your life. Let's learn from each other.

References:

Adachi, K. (Host). (2016-present). The Lazy Genius. [Audio podcast]. https://www.thelazygeniuscollective.com/lazy

Shultz, D. (2019). How to roast a pumpkin. The Minimalist Baker. https://minimalistbaker.com/how-to-roast-pumpkin/

The Simplified Life (September)

Sometimes, simple does not mean minimal. Sometimes simplicity has a cost. This month has been a case study in that.

For example, I recently decided to invest in a good pair of shoes for work. I had been reusing old running shoes as work shoes, as they aren't really that worn out, the foam has just compressed to the point of discomfort while running. Doing this worked, but only if I alternated regularly between pairs, so as to avoid foot pain from the lack of cushion. I got to a point where all the pairs in my work rotation were really bugging me though, and my husband encouraged me to buy one new pair, in a brand recommended by coworkers. Man did they cost a lot, but so far, they feel good! The purchase of new footwear reduced the number of shoes on our shoe rack (clutter), as I recycled the old pairs through which I had been rotating. Additionally, this purchase eliminated the decision fatigue of daily shoe choice. My comfort level has improved, which reduces body strain and fatigue. The weight of life overall feels lighter.

In my running journey thus far, I have primarily preferred to use fruit pouches for long run fuel. They are less expensive than gels, healthier, and easier to buy at the grocery store. After making a splurge purchase on running gels and trying them out, however, I am hooked. Running gels are much more concentrated, and take up less space, meaning I can transport them more easily. They give me energy fast, versus slow. (On the run, versus in real life, I want fast, rather than slow digesting fuel.) Yes, the gels cost double the amount of fruit pouches, but they are making my running life more enjoyable. My runs are also more productive, in terms of performance goals.

On that note, the cheapest place to buy gels for running is yes, Amazon. Other places have the same price, but require shipping fees. I considered an Amazon order, but realized it would mean buying flavors of gels I did not like. Would I save money doing so? Yes. But would it simplify life? No, not really. I would be complicating life by trying to force down fuel I don't like. So, I paid the extra $7.95 shipping cost and ordered from The Feed to get just the gels I wanted, and none of the ones I did not. Minimal cost? No. An easier, more enjoyable life? Yes.

I made yet another purchase to solve the problem of running gels littering the counter. I could spend my time continually rearranging the bags that came from The Feed, or buy an organizer. I chose the latter. Yes, it is another thing in our home, but one I can use for multiple purposes (eg organizing other kitchen paraphernalia, if not in a season where I have tons of gels lying about). Win on that front.

In terms of multiple purchases, I have discovered that my husband and I can use the same shampoo/conditioner (that is, I can use his product). It has a neutral scent, and as long as I add conditioner, it works. Why buy another product and add to the overwhelm in the shower? He's good. I'm good. Less products purchased there.

On the subject of multiple products to do one thing, I use lotion to remove eye makeup. Is it meant for that? No. Do I really care? No. In another life, might I buy a product specifically made to remove eye makeup and enjoy it? Yes. But right now, I am prioritizing my running, and my money and efforts are going there. While I may not be simplifying the number of things in my house as I invest more in more running journey, I am simplifying my priorities.

I continue to try to reduce decision fatigue by making decisions immediately. For example, when I got my hair cut this month, I scheduled my next appointment. Yes, I might overthink it later (wonder if I need it and want to spend the money), but at least it's done for now and I don't have to monitor my hair to figure out when to schedule next. I just have my haircut on a schedule. Rinse and repeat.

Did I spend a lot of money this month? Yes. Does my life feel more organized as a result? Yes. I've been choosing my battles, and this month, order mattered, so that's where my money went.

The Simplified Life (August)

Life is just never really that simple, is it? I have realized this month that some things are just about as simple as I want them. Still, my brain margin for other things is small, meaning I just have to simplify overall.

We only have two sets of towels and sheets, and we alternate between them. It does meant that these items get more use and wear out more quickly, but we also require less storage for them. I like it this way. I have a basic "uniform" for work of a t-shirt (short or long-sleeved) and jeans. That limits my choices. One day, I go to another location and actually have a work uniform shirt. I wear that shirt with the same black pants every day. I will need to change to longer black pants for winter, but still, it is an easy swap. We have less in our closets as a result of these lifestyle habits.

While I have not done such a great job at simplifying pantry stores lately, I still look for recipes that include ingredients we already have, or use regularly. I also substitute ingredients like crazy. This drives my husband nuts, as it can make cooking more difficult, but on the grocery buying and storing fronts, it is simpler.

My parents are moving and offered us lots of stuff. I took away only one box. It was all I thought I could go through, and having that limit was good. I scanned most of the papers I wanted and tossed a bunch more. I have what memories I can keep stored in my brain. Some of the rest of it just cannot matter anymore.

I think that is a lesson of life: that not everything matters, and that things that matter at one stage of life don't matter at another. So here's to continuing to focus on what really matters, simplified life or not.

The Simplified Life (July)

Whew! It's been a month. I don't know if it's the summer heat, or what, but the past few weeks have felt like a slog. Nonetheless, we keep pressing on.

I have felt particularly decision-fatigued this month, and have sought to routinize some of the decisions I make regularly. For example, since I now hold the "weekend plan" card for our household, I came up with a basic structure for the four weeks of the month: a craft, a social event, going out to eat, and hanging out at home. The specific weeks we do each activity vary, but now I do not need to reinvent the wheel for date night. I just choose from my "menu" of options.

Fair Play (2020) is not exactly simplifying life, but it is helping us communicate more clearly about household duties. It also helps us track them. That is simplifying in a way.

After reading the book Don't Overthink It by Anne Bogel (2020), I have thought a lot about "completing the cycle." I do not always do this, but I am trying to focus on one thing at a time. Sometimes that bites me in that I get hyperfocused on a task and get stuck in it, which has negative consequences. (For example, my body hurt terribly after I sat too long at my computer working in a project.) Focusing on one thing at a time does help me simplify the things in my brain. It also helps me feel less frazzled.

Single tasking supposedly increases enjoyment of activities, too. [I read about this in a Greater Good article (Suttie, 2024)]. I am not good at single tasking, especially at night, but maybe that is an area for future simplification and growth.

All in all, simplification, for me, has come to represent prioritization and deciding what is meaningful to me. That changes with the seasons. What it means next month might be different than this one. We shall see.

Reference:

Bogel, A. (2020). Don't overthink it: Make easier decisions, stop second-guessing, and bring more joy to your life. Baker Books.

Rodsky, E. (2020). The fair play deck: A couple's conversation deck for prioritizing what's important. Clarkson Potter.

Suttie, J. (2024, July 9). How being distracted by lead to overindulgence. Greater Good.  https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_being_distracted_may_lead_you_to_overindulge

The Simplified Life (Vacation Edition)

The big event of our past month was our vacation. Although not simple, we did take some steps to simplify that time. Choosing to cruise was one of them. Once we purchased the cruise package, all we had to do was get to the airport. We even chose to simplify that process, booking a ride in an autonomous Way-mo car instead of trying to navigate public transportation with two backpacks and three suitcases. We lost some autonomy by letting the cruise line manage our travels, but we also gained some freedom. That decision was right for us, this time.

I thought about (and wanted) to buy new clothes for the cruise, but I wondered, "And then what would I do with them?" I have worked this year to decrease my clothing inventory to what I will readily wear. (I still have more than I need.) I looked through my closet and found that my running clothes could work as lounge wear, and I still like some of the dresses bought for my for previous cruises. I found it fun and nostalgic to pack those outfits again. Guess what? I still liked wearing them!

I tried to pack less this cruise, but I still overpacked some. That was after simplifying by removing some items when we discovered that the suitcase was overweight. Oh well. Live and learn.

I considered buying some specialty products for the cruise, but in the end, I decided that what we had worked. I could try to use up the face sunscreen I had. Spray sunscreen could work for everything else. When we got back, I had almost run out of my face sunscreen, and needed to buy more. I got some sport sunscreen, as it seemed like it would be good for sweaty summer running. I considered buying something else for everyday, but one product will do it.

We have eaten a lot from the freezer since coming back. I planned it that way, as I knew I would have less time to prepare. I bought a lot of boxes of pasta during a sale, but I bought them intentionally for the next few recipes in the (Good Housekeeping Family Italian Cookbook). That simplifies things in that it gives me several dinners for my future meal plan.

As I have written before, I do not think I will ever have (or maybe even want), a simplified life. As Kendra Adachi (2020) says in her book, The Lazy Genius, I can decide what matters. That can lead to a simplified life, and a life centered around what is important in this season. At this point, that is what I am going for.

Reference:

Adachi, K. (2020). The Lazy Genius Way: Embrace what matters, ditch what doesn't, and get stuff done. Waterbrook.

The "Maybe" Simplified Life

Our schedule has been anything but simple this month. With big celebrations, family visits, and lots of social engagements, there has been a lot of not even being at home. Still, I labor towards the goal of simplification, or at the least, prioritization.

I wanted to be present with family when they visited us, so I simplified food by prepping ahead and freezing. That led to more complexities on the front side (planning, shopping, packaging, etc.), but less in the moment, as I needed only to thaw and reheat to feed our guests.

I have had a lot of random ingredients I ended up overbuying. Since I still want to zero sum budget extraneous grocery items, I have ended up cooking big batches of the same recipe until the ingredient is gone. Sure, it is not the most creative use of ingredients, but it simplifies things. Win.

I still find myself overthinking things, whether menus or meal plans, or daily exercise, or scheduling. I am trying to stick with original decisions as much as possible (eg when it comes to meal choices) and actually listen to my intuition (eg with scheduling) instead of squashing it. That is not exactly a simple process, but it focuses on what matters.

My husband has finished school, which both simplifies and complicates things. He has more time, but that means more choices about what to do. It makes his activities a little more various and hard to predict (not like school and homework were predictable, either). It also makes my duties and responsibilities a little less clear in the home.

As another month passes, do I have a simpler life? Maybe, maybe not. I am learning that life ebbs and flows, and that I constantly need to adjust to focus on what is important. For May, that was family and celebration. What will June bring? We shall see.

The Simplified Life (Month 4)

After months of working at this, I do not think I am actually going to get to a simplified life, or even a minimalist life. I just want to simplify so that I can enjoy the life I have. I continue to work towards that goal.

In Our Home:

I go through spurts of getting rid of stuff. For now, I am piling it up to donate. I try not to contemplate items once I remove them. If I get nostalgic, I will want them back.

I recently weeded out and donated more paper books to our little free library. As a general rule, I now read e-library books. Paper books are great, but they require carrying, which means I read them less. Paper books I keep take up space at home. We have a small home, so I need to keep paring down, rather than building up. My library is one area in which that is fairly easy to do.

In the Kitchen:

I continue to try to pare down my pantry stores. I am realizing that, since I always like making new recipes, staples need to be minimal. No use stocking up on stuff I do not know I will use. Eggs, flour, milk, fruit, those I will use. Other stuff, I need to buy as I go.

While I like to make special breakfasts on the weekend, that has not been in the cards lately. What has been in the cards is Reese's mixes. Yes, mixes. My husband really likes Reese's chocolate, and we have been on a mission to try each and every new Reese's product. Since Reese's now makes breakfast coffee cake and muffin mixes, that has been the recipe for weekend breakfasts.

As I empty out pantry stores, I am discovering that I have too many storage receptacles. (Think the Costco peanut butter jars that are great for storage, until there are 12 empties lined up on the counter.) Therefore, I tossed some of the empties. I can also save more if I really need them.

I was making and freezing halves of recipes, to give us variety. At this point, that is just more work. If the pasta recipe feeds us for five days straight, no bother. I just won't cook for the week. Maybe this is not ideal, but it is working for us right now.

In the Realm of Personal Goals:

Having multiple goals was not working for me. Each month, I pick three things to work on, and I just have to let the rest go. I am also working to make SMART goals: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (Boorgard, 2023). This month, I wanted to read seven books. That was not happening organically, so I moved to dividing the book's pages between the days of the week. Seven-hundred pages? Read 100 pages a day. It is not great to have to set goals like that, but they work.

Pat's Run went great, but I know I cannot do all the things. While I would like to run longer or do more workouts sometimes, I have to fit exercise into the time I have. If I run late getting out the door to start m exercise routine, that means I run shorter. I win some. I lose some.

In Relationships:

I stopped sending birthday cards about two years ago. I like celebrating people's birthdays, but writing is hard for me with my dystonia, so I stopped. I send texts or e-mails instead. A time has progressed, I have sent less and less snail mail. I send, "Thank you," texts or e-mails. I let gift messages sent with gifts be the cards. Hopefully people know I love and care about them. I'm just doing less.

My husband is getting ready to celebrate a big personal and professional accomplishment. I had big ideas, like taking photos and sending out announcements. None of that is happening. We are just celebrating with our parents and I purchased a special experience for him afterward. That is probably about all we will do.

Conclusion:

A simple life? I probably won't ever have it. I continue to work towards simplifying the life I have, though. I really do want to enjoy this one life God has given me to live!

Reference:

Boogard, K. (2023, December 26). How to write SMART goals. Atlassian. https://www.atlassian.com/blog/productivity/how-to-write-smart-goals

Lent 2024

I didn't write much about Lent this year. It's not because I didn't do it, but because I simplified. Intensive, well-thought out fasts are good, but I have a tendency to feel like I always need to go bigger and better. This year wasn't the year for that. I went simple and small, engaging in fasting from two things from which I have fasted before: chocolate and Instagram. At first it was hard, as I usually indulged in both of these several times a day. Eventually, though, it just became force of habit.

The goal of fasting is supposed to be to focus on Christ. Honestly, I'm not sure I did that. I just simplified my life a little bit. Did that give me more time and space? Yes, and no. I still found myself wanting comfort food, and I sought it out. I still scrolled to zone out, albeit Facebook, news, and podcasts instead of Instagram. Basically, I am not sure fasting made much of an impact.

As I break that fast and introduce these things back into my life, though, can it increase my appreciation for Jesus? Will the joy of them remind me to joy in Jesus? I hope so, but we shall see....

The Simplified Life (Month 3 Update)

Y'all, life is anything but simple over here! Many people have told me to let more things go, but I just can't, or won't. Here's what I have been doing, though:

Continuing to pare down my food stores--

It taxes my executive functioning to constantly keep track of ingredients and try to keep them from going bad. Therefore, I keep trying to use more of them up. The more I use up, the more I can just cook from scratch, deciding once (a la The Lazy Genius), what to do with the next ingredients I buy. Though I value efficiency and saving money, I am also sometimes spending more to buy what I need, or closer to what I need, rather than the bulk version that is cheaper by unit. I am also trying to buy more multi-purpose than single use items (eg Greek yogurt that can work in several recipes versus sour cream that only works for one.) All of this means I can zero-sum budget by pantry more quickly, and keep things more fresh.

I am finding some joy return to cooking. If I have got to do it, might as well enjoy it! This month, I have made a lot of gourmet grilled cheese. It's been fun. It's been fresh, and it has used up more of my stashes. Win all around!

Simplifying dates--

I love a good adventure, and I love my husband and enjoy spending time with him. In this season, though, intense, complicated dates just aren't for us. Rather, our dates have be short, simple, and meaningful. We have to make use of the time that we have and make it quality, because quantity sure isn't here right now. Lately, that has looked like taking 20-30 minute walks around town, trying out a new pretzel shop, and even running errands together. As my husband says, time together is what counts!

And that's a wrap on this month. Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions? Please feel free to share in the comments section!

The Simplified Life (An Update)

You know that word I chose for the year? (Simplify. Yes, it's also a form of my blog title.) I am realizing it has a lot more nuance than I thought. When I chose it, I imagined simplifying, paring down, doing less. I am realizing I don't really want to do that, or at least all of that. As of now, simplifying is looking more like prioritizing what is really important.

I like variety, really, I do! When I read about people eating the same breakfast every day, the inner me revolts (Becker, n.d.). Sure, I eat varieties of the same breakfast most of the time, but I also like to switch things up! When I read about minimalism and think about paring down, I get it, but I also don't want to do it. There are a lot of little used things that bring me great joy when I do use them (think bundt and doughnut pans in the kitchen), and I want to keep them. I have also come to the conclusion that some splurge buys are worth it, like random new flavors of things, which are totally a gimmick, but bring me joy, and little holidays things that just enhance the mood. [Thanks, Hungry Runner girl (2024) for reminding that "novelty can enhance our moods."] I guess, at least for right now, the minimalism version of simplifying is not for me.

So what am I doing? I am trying to prioritize. I'm trying to stop doing things that feel like have-tos, but really aren't. For example, I like doing a lesson of DuoLingo every day to keep my brain sharp, but why do I have to keep up with the quests? They just eat up my time and make me angsty. Next! I am also trying to reduce items in my fridge and pantry, not to get rid of variety, but to limit it so that it is less overwhelming. In terms of cooking, I am making larger batches of things and freezing them. This gives us variety, with a little less work. (Thank you, husband, for buying us a chest freezer and being willing to eat frozen and reheated food.) I am also trying to make less recipes that require me to buy unique ingredients. When I do buy those ingredients, I am trying to have a plan for using them up. Again, this results in less overwhelm and decision fatigue for me.

In terms of my closet, I am not trying to pare down to a capsule wardrobe. I have some single, or rarely used items that bring me great joy! I am trying to work through wearing everything in my closet, though. There are a lot of pieces that probably have neutral value and aren't needed (eg t-shirts), and when I find those, I am trying to set them aside so that I can consider getting rid of them. Things I have discovered? That though I have a lot of leggings and yoga pants, I have already worn them all, multiple times! Having less would just necessitate more frequent laundry. No thanks!

What will this journey towards a simplified life look like by year's end? I truly don't know. Whatever comes, may I be receptive to the Lord and what He has to teach me!

References:

Baron, J. (2024, January 26). Friday favorites! Hungry runner girl. https://hungryrunnergirl.com/2024/01/friday-favorites-259.html#

Becker, J. (n.d.). You eat less variety than you think. Embrace it. Becoming minimalist. https://www.becomingminimalist.com/meals/

Things I No Longer Do

'Tis the season to simplify. There are lots of things that I used to do, that I used to enjoy doing, that I don't do anymore. Priorities change in different seasons. In case it's helpful for your own recalibration, here are some things I've recently let go of (and what I've replaced them with, where applicable):

Researching and celebrating national holidays based on the National Day Calendar (Fun but I'm celebrating getting through each day a lot of days right now)

Reading every blog post by my favorite writers (Some of the stuff I don't need to know)

Extensive research pursuits (I find what I need to know to solve the problem at hand and move on)

Google searching for recipes (I used cookbooks instead.)

Making complicated recipes (Remember, simplifying?)

Browsing at the grocery store ("Get in and get out" is my motto most of the time!)

Thumbing through catalogs that come in the mail (It's not worth my time and can breed discontent.)

Watching movies on a regular basis (Shows are shorter and easier to pick up or let go.)

Listening to the radio (I would rather learn by listening to podcasts.)

Writing and mailing cards (This I mostly let go do to the pain of handwriting caused by focal dystonia. I still enjoy Facebook messaging and/or e-mailing people on their special days, though!)

Reaching out to friends who don't respond (I really hate this one! I'd like to keep up with people regardless of their response, but the truth is, I really don't have time. Friendships have seasons, too.)

Letting go, for me, has been gradual. In most of these cases, I didn't make a resolution not to do things. They just slowly faded in presence and prevalence. It's okay. Life is still okay. I still find joy. It just looks different.

--

Readers, anything you've stopped doing recently? Why have you stopped doing it? And what are you doing instead? Please feel free to share in the comment section.

We Let Our Costco Membership Expire.

Our Costco membership expired. We let it. That might surprise people, given that we are a couple focused on keeping a budget, and Costco is a budget friendly store. We actually let our membership expire because of the budget, however. Let me explain.

I started calculating the savings we gain using our Costco membership. Gas is the largest category for savings. We save an average of 10 cents per gallon of gas we buy. Multiplied by the approximate six gallons of gas I use to commute to work each month, that is 60 cents of savings, or $2.40. We save some money on products we buy, but we don't shop regularly enough for me to calculate them monthly. We also have another bulk store right next to Costco and shop there more often. We could save on eyeglasses and prescriptions at Costco, but for various reasons, we don't use Costco for those services. With Costco membership costing a minimum of $60 a year, we need to save an additional $2.60 a month to make the membership cost a wash. I'm not sure we're doing that.

Then there are the time and convenience factors. I learned about grocery pickup when COVID-19 hit, and have stuck with it since then. Costco doesn't have this service. Costco is also more difficult to enter and exit due to lines and extra precautions. Honestly, going to Costco lately has become more of a stressor that a stress reliever. I really like Costco products (think cheese, peanut butter, cocoa, cinnamon, etc.), but I wonder if my preference is really worth the costs to both our budget and our time. So we're letting our membership expire to see.

Will we likely renew our Costco membership at some point? I believe we will. Maybe in a few months. Maybe in a few years. Maybe never. If/when we go back, I want to make sure have a good rationale for doing so. I want to make sure it's worth it, and not just for budget reasons.