I LOVE the simple life! I'm giving away (and more importantly, not getting) lots of stuff. I do less in just about every way. The problem is that my children/teens do not understand this way of thinking--they think I've gotten old and BORING. They are at a point in their lives where they want to do more, much more! It's all very exciting to them to be going, going, going! Let's go here! Let's do that! Wouldn't that be neat to have! I hate to say NO NO NO all the time, but it doesn't interest me any longer. Talk a delicate balance...
I also like to cook either a turkey or pork loin. Today we will have a turkey breast (cost $5.99) which will feed us a nice Sunday dinner with enough for sandwiches and some turkey salad.
Watch for whole pork loins on sale. I can get one for around $15. I cut the small ends off and cut into small pieces for stir fry. The next 6 inches are for a roast which I cook in my showtime rotisserie. I coat it with garlic, course ground pepper and sprinkle of sage. If it is very lean I wrap it in bacon. The middle is cut into inch wide slices. These are used as boneless loin chops. I like to marinate them overnight with thin sliced onions then grill. For $15 I have made at least 4 meals!
Glad you pointed out the recent beef roast prices. I usually don't even look at them because it's so painful! Also glad to have some new ideas for using leftovers. Here are some of mine:
Ersatz Cheese Steaks with Leftover Roast
Slice leftover beef roast very small and thin, almost shredded. Melt butter in frying pan, and fry chopped onions in it. When almost done to your liking, add beef and cook til warmed. Divide into sandwich-sized piles and put a slice of cheese atop each. Cook til cheese melted. Serve on nice rolls.
Beef barley soup is also easy. Leftover beef cut small, the leftover crockpot broth, a can of diced or stewed tomatoes, a handful of frozen mixed vegetables, and some barley. Just cook together til the barley is plumped.
Oh, and for the original cooking I use the "Once A Month Cooking" book's crockpot recipe. They call it Mrs. Ringle's Brisket, but you can use it on any cut of beef roast. Just smear some yellow mustard on top of the meat and then sprinkle an envelope of onion soup mix over it. Throw in some cut up carrots and potatoes. No extra liquid needed, and it makes a great tasting broth.
25 cents for yogurt, seriously? That's awful. I don't buy unless it's under 20 cents, or even better, 15. I live near farm country, I can't believe how expensive food is in some places.
Ok, I get that I spend too much and throw out too much going on my MONTHLY grocery trip. Figuring out what I need once the pantry is bare is a silly way to do it.
My question though (now that the farmers markets are in full swing and I can get a couple days worth of produce that is fresh) is about bread.
I dont know about you. But they only sell full loaves of bread and rolls and my supermarket, and I have a definite dislike for bread that has been frozen. On top of that I prefer potato bread, which seems to go bad rather quickly. (i just threw out a BUNCH of bread and rolls, which I used ONE peice of.
Cooking as a single person generally sucks. Sure my neighbors love me because I regularly invite them over (and their kids) to eat. I learned to cook from my father, and we prepared meals that were for a family of 10.
I refuse in this economy to eat out every night (which is what I have been doing for years).
In order to keep my cool (kitchen), I like to put my crock pot on the back patio during the summer. My workmate workbench keeps it up high enough so I don't worry about critters. To keep curious flies from touching anything, I add a sheet of aluminum foil over the lid and seal the rim all around with it. Unfortunately, the aroma can also draw neighbors . . .
I take out a fixed amount of cash per paycheck for whatever and don't really pay attention to it at all. However, I get to use the holy grail of banks USAA and am addicted to checking all of the rest of my accounts religiously, almost every day, so I guess I do track my spending in a way. (That and I am anal about checking for fraud, I work in the industry.)
I have had 4 Michelins come apart in a week, one was the spare and never on the road but all 6 years old and had less than 10k miles on them, they came on a used vehicle. I called Michlen and they said tough, they are only warranted for 5 years. I had a Firestone blow up and a Goodyear loose the tread, all in the last 20 years.
When I was younger I never had a tire come apart except recaps, and we ran them until the belts showed. I asked my father who is 86 and he never heard of any comming apart before 25 years ago. There used to be Nylon belts in them and now they are steel. They must have changed the formula because of the steel because they used to rust inside the tire when they first came out.
Now I buy the lowest tread ware warranty I can find, usually the cheapest tires, making sure they are less than 6 months old and just replace them every 5 years. I have not worn out the tread before the 5 years. However I work at home and the others are on the motor home. I never drive over 10k per year on either. Usually 5-7k.
You speak of this in a way I couldn't quite explain before... I have rented and loved the hands-off approach of not having to deal with repairs, etc. It was simple. Now I live rent-free in a family-owned farm home that isn't mine (but may be someday as part of an inheritance.) I try to keep it up, but have to mentally cap the amount of time and money I spend on it, because it isn't mine (but again, may be someday.) I never want to spend more than it is worth in rent, but I also don't want to live in disrepair. It's a delicate balance.... very similar to the point of your post, I believe...
Philip, you always write things in such a way that it's easy to understand. In the past two weeks, I both sold/gave away about 95% of my stuff, moved in with my boyfriend temporarily until I leave for a 2-month trip, and have tried to explain recently why I made the decision I did to simplify my life. My thoughts echo what you've written here, and this will help me explain to him and my family.
I think you just confuse yourself if you worry about your "equity." (I talked about this a bit in Your equity was always imaginary.)
To my mind, the right way to think about the value of a house is that it is worth whatever you can avoid paying for rent. That value needs to be adjusted for any additional expenses that you have because you own--water, sewer, garbage, insurance, taxes, interest on a morgage, etc.
I suggest that you make those adjustments, figure out how much more it would cost to buy rather than rent, then take the difference and invest it. Around here, that's added up to way more than you'd have made off the "equity" in a house. Plus, you could tap it without having to borrow, without having to move, and without having to sell your house.
This is the dilemna my husband and I are contemplating, now that he is reaching early retirement age and we want to relocate to a town that we love. Renting will allow us more freedom to change location if we choose and the money from selling our current home will be freed up. But giving someone money every month without building equity for us sticks in my craw.
That is my ideal: a small house on a big lot. I know big lots take maintenance too but it would be nice to have some space around--for privacy and silence. And we do have seven cats.
As it is, we bought what is deemed a "starter home" from a couple who were moving up to a custom-built bigger house and anxious to get rid of it, and we just stayed in it. It's 1500 sq ft. (the smallest model in our neighborhood, can you believe it?) and turned out to be perfect for us. We have small bills and only one floor which really simplifies things (like putting hurricane shutters on and cleaning windows) and best of all--limited storage and no garage! I can't tell how many times we haven't bought something because we can't store it. This decision alone has simplified our life beyond measure.
I definitely agree on your Tire Rack recommendation. I work for a tire manufacturer and we use Tirerack.com for our employee purchase program. The guys I've spoken to on the phone there really know their stuff - plus the shipping is incredibly fast.
On tire safety, the manufacture date is really valuable information. I'm sure I don't have to add that folks, while you are down there checking the manufacture date, you should also be examining your tires for tread depth, uneven wear, and inflation. Tires are so important (come on, they hold your car to the road) but so many people aren't driving on safe tires. I notice this even in our employee parking lot!
I have 6yr-old tires on my 6yr-old truck. I only drive ~5K miles/year. So there's plenty of mileage left. If I store the vehicle in a carport, how long is safe? Is NoCracking an indication they are still safe to drive on?
1 Tablespoon of ground flax seed combined with 3 Tablespoons of warm water can be used to substitute an egg in many baked goods. If the recipe calls for more eggs, just multiply the formula above... very healthy (and tasty!) substitution, I don't think anyone has ever noticed
Lots can be done with bargain beef, but I really think you're on to something with using extra liquid and keeping the seasonings basic to expand your freezable stock. And by the way, great calorie saving tip with chilling the stuff first and then scraping it away.
Good luck with taco night. What's interesting is when I've been in more traditional roadside taco places, this is kind of the way I've seen in done most often. With a side of spicy black beans or regular low fat refried beans, and having the chopped veggies as the taco toppers, this is a nice balanced dinner that's really cheap. Bonus? Kids dig it.
Even when you're completely in tune with the philosophy of a simple life, it remains necessary to figure out what needs to be attended to (plan) and then actually to do so (execute).
I'm afraid I've got no magic bullets for those problems.
"The less time and attention I spend managing the dull, tedious, stressful, or unpleasant complexities of my life, the more time and attention I have available for the wonderful and rewarding complexities."
That is my philosophy completely! Unfortunately sometimes I miss out on what details are necessary and what aren't... irritating the people around me (like the intimate relation) - oops!
You raised an interesting thought about the use of home equity loans for investing vs conspicuous consumption. However, I don't agree with your implication that the use of such loans as leverage for investments is viable.
While the idea is well-intentioned, it does put your home at risk. As a real-life example of how an approach can turn out poorly, consider this recent news item where an "Extreme Makeover" family lost their home, after using their house as collateral to fund a construction business:
The lender might foreclose and sell your house at auction, but you as owner get the proceeds after their $20,000 lien (plus court costs) is paid.
Court costs are often limited by law - here if I foreclose on omeone I can only add $1500 maxiumum onto the lien for court costs.
I LOVE the simple life! I'm giving away (and more importantly, not getting) lots of stuff. I do less in just about every way. The problem is that my children/teens do not understand this way of thinking--they think I've gotten old and BORING. They are at a point in their lives where they want to do more, much more! It's all very exciting to them to be going, going, going! Let's go here! Let's do that! Wouldn't that be neat to have! I hate to say NO NO NO all the time, but it doesn't interest me any longer. Talk a delicate balance...
I also like to cook either a turkey or pork loin. Today we will have a turkey breast (cost $5.99) which will feed us a nice Sunday dinner with enough for sandwiches and some turkey salad.
Watch for whole pork loins on sale. I can get one for around $15. I cut the small ends off and cut into small pieces for stir fry. The next 6 inches are for a roast which I cook in my showtime rotisserie. I coat it with garlic, course ground pepper and sprinkle of sage. If it is very lean I wrap it in bacon. The middle is cut into inch wide slices. These are used as boneless loin chops. I like to marinate them overnight with thin sliced onions then grill. For $15 I have made at least 4 meals!
Glad you pointed out the recent beef roast prices. I usually don't even look at them because it's so painful! Also glad to have some new ideas for using leftovers. Here are some of mine:
Ersatz Cheese Steaks with Leftover Roast
Slice leftover beef roast very small and thin, almost shredded. Melt butter in frying pan, and fry chopped onions in it. When almost done to your liking, add beef and cook til warmed. Divide into sandwich-sized piles and put a slice of cheese atop each. Cook til cheese melted. Serve on nice rolls.
Beef barley soup is also easy. Leftover beef cut small, the leftover crockpot broth, a can of diced or stewed tomatoes, a handful of frozen mixed vegetables, and some barley. Just cook together til the barley is plumped.
Oh, and for the original cooking I use the "Once A Month Cooking" book's crockpot recipe. They call it Mrs. Ringle's Brisket, but you can use it on any cut of beef roast. Just smear some yellow mustard on top of the meat and then sprinkle an envelope of onion soup mix over it. Throw in some cut up carrots and potatoes. No extra liquid needed, and it makes a great tasting broth.
25 cents for yogurt, seriously? That's awful. I don't buy unless it's under 20 cents, or even better, 15. I live near farm country, I can't believe how expensive food is in some places.
I love the idea of putting it on the bach porch! Now if I can just keep my dog and my chickens away....
Linsey
Ok, I get that I spend too much and throw out too much going on my MONTHLY grocery trip. Figuring out what I need once the pantry is bare is a silly way to do it.
My question though (now that the farmers markets are in full swing and I can get a couple days worth of produce that is fresh) is about bread.
I dont know about you. But they only sell full loaves of bread and rolls and my supermarket, and I have a definite dislike for bread that has been frozen. On top of that I prefer potato bread, which seems to go bad rather quickly. (i just threw out a BUNCH of bread and rolls, which I used ONE peice of.
Cooking as a single person generally sucks. Sure my neighbors love me because I regularly invite them over (and their kids) to eat. I learned to cook from my father, and we prepared meals that were for a family of 10.
I refuse in this economy to eat out every night (which is what I have been doing for years).
In order to keep my cool (kitchen), I like to put my crock pot on the back patio during the summer. My workmate workbench keeps it up high enough so I don't worry about critters. To keep curious flies from touching anything, I add a sheet of aluminum foil over the lid and seal the rim all around with it. Unfortunately, the aroma can also draw neighbors . . .
I take out a fixed amount of cash per paycheck for whatever and don't really pay attention to it at all. However, I get to use the holy grail of banks USAA and am addicted to checking all of the rest of my accounts religiously, almost every day, so I guess I do track my spending in a way. (That and I am anal about checking for fraud, I work in the industry.)
I have had 4 Michelins come apart in a week, one was the spare and never on the road but all 6 years old and had less than 10k miles on them, they came on a used vehicle. I called Michlen and they said tough, they are only warranted for 5 years. I had a Firestone blow up and a Goodyear loose the tread, all in the last 20 years.
When I was younger I never had a tire come apart except recaps, and we ran them until the belts showed. I asked my father who is 86 and he never heard of any comming apart before 25 years ago. There used to be Nylon belts in them and now they are steel. They must have changed the formula because of the steel because they used to rust inside the tire when they first came out.
Now I buy the lowest tread ware warranty I can find, usually the cheapest tires, making sure they are less than 6 months old and just replace them every 5 years. I have not worn out the tread before the 5 years. However I work at home and the others are on the motor home. I never drive over 10k per year on either. Usually 5-7k.
You speak of this in a way I couldn't quite explain before... I have rented and loved the hands-off approach of not having to deal with repairs, etc. It was simple. Now I live rent-free in a family-owned farm home that isn't mine (but may be someday as part of an inheritance.) I try to keep it up, but have to mentally cap the amount of time and money I spend on it, because it isn't mine (but again, may be someday.) I never want to spend more than it is worth in rent, but I also don't want to live in disrepair. It's a delicate balance.... very similar to the point of your post, I believe...
Keep up the good work, and enjoy your travels!
Philip, you always write things in such a way that it's easy to understand. In the past two weeks, I both sold/gave away about 95% of my stuff, moved in with my boyfriend temporarily until I leave for a 2-month trip, and have tried to explain recently why I made the decision I did to simplify my life. My thoughts echo what you've written here, and this will help me explain to him and my family.
I think you just confuse yourself if you worry about your "equity." (I talked about this a bit in Your equity was always imaginary.)
To my mind, the right way to think about the value of a house is that it is worth whatever you can avoid paying for rent. That value needs to be adjusted for any additional expenses that you have because you own--water, sewer, garbage, insurance, taxes, interest on a morgage, etc.
I suggest that you make those adjustments, figure out how much more it would cost to buy rather than rent, then take the difference and invest it. Around here, that's added up to way more than you'd have made off the "equity" in a house. Plus, you could tap it without having to borrow, without having to move, and without having to sell your house.
None of the videos are viewable.
This is the dilemna my husband and I are contemplating, now that he is reaching early retirement age and we want to relocate to a town that we love. Renting will allow us more freedom to change location if we choose and the money from selling our current home will be freed up. But giving someone money every month without building equity for us sticks in my craw.
That is my ideal: a small house on a big lot. I know big lots take maintenance too but it would be nice to have some space around--for privacy and silence. And we do have seven cats.
As it is, we bought what is deemed a "starter home" from a couple who were moving up to a custom-built bigger house and anxious to get rid of it, and we just stayed in it. It's 1500 sq ft. (the smallest model in our neighborhood, can you believe it?) and turned out to be perfect for us. We have small bills and only one floor which really simplifies things (like putting hurricane shutters on and cleaning windows) and best of all--limited storage and no garage! I can't tell how many times we haven't bought something because we can't store it. This decision alone has simplified our life beyond measure.
I definitely agree on your Tire Rack recommendation. I work for a tire manufacturer and we use Tirerack.com for our employee purchase program. The guys I've spoken to on the phone there really know their stuff - plus the shipping is incredibly fast.
On tire safety, the manufacture date is really valuable information. I'm sure I don't have to add that folks, while you are down there checking the manufacture date, you should also be examining your tires for tread depth, uneven wear, and inflation. Tires are so important (come on, they hold your car to the road) but so many people aren't driving on safe tires. I notice this even in our employee parking lot!
I have 6yr-old tires on my 6yr-old truck. I only drive ~5K miles/year. So there's plenty of mileage left. If I store the vehicle in a carport, how long is safe? Is NoCracking an indication they are still safe to drive on?
...the power of the dollar (I would say mighty dollar, but it's hardly that anymore. Last I heard, pesos will be giving us a run for our money soon.)
Mmmm hot beef sandwiches are amazing. Such a filling and comforting meal!
1 Tablespoon of ground flax seed combined with 3 Tablespoons of warm water can be used to substitute an egg in many baked goods. If the recipe calls for more eggs, just multiply the formula above... very healthy (and tasty!) substitution, I don't think anyone has ever noticed
Lots can be done with bargain beef, but I really think you're on to something with using extra liquid and keeping the seasonings basic to expand your freezable stock. And by the way, great calorie saving tip with chilling the stuff first and then scraping it away.
Good luck with taco night. What's interesting is when I've been in more traditional roadside taco places, this is kind of the way I've seen in done most often. With a side of spicy black beans or regular low fat refried beans, and having the chopped veggies as the taco toppers, this is a nice balanced dinner that's really cheap. Bonus? Kids dig it.
Even when you're completely in tune with the philosophy of a simple life, it remains necessary to figure out what needs to be attended to (plan) and then actually to do so (execute).
I'm afraid I've got no magic bullets for those problems.
"The less time and attention I spend managing the dull, tedious, stressful, or unpleasant complexities of my life, the more time and attention I have available for the wonderful and rewarding complexities."
That is my philosophy completely! Unfortunately sometimes I miss out on what details are necessary and what aren't... irritating the people around me (like the intimate relation) - oops!
@Taylor:
You raised an interesting thought about the use of home equity loans for investing vs conspicuous consumption. However, I don't agree with your implication that the use of such loans as leverage for investments is viable.
While the idea is well-intentioned, it does put your home at risk. As a real-life example of how an approach can turn out poorly, consider this recent news item where an "Extreme Makeover" family lost their home, after using their house as collateral to fund a construction business:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/laland/2008/07/extreme-home-fo.html
Randy@FiscalZen