CoffeeStudyTalk

It’s so easy to forget all your paid memberships and subscriptions.  I have the following: Costco - $60/yr Amazon Prime - $139/yr - Cancelled Netflix - $108/yr Disney+ $120/yr Blink Camera - $30/yr Sams Club - $50/yr Car Wash - $300/yr Gym - $360/yr - Cancelled Museum - $165/yr - Cancelled Garden - $110/yr Anti-Virus - $70/yr Total Membership Cost per year =  TBD Cancel Amazon Prime These all add up to several hundred dollars a year and I decided to quit Amazon Prime.  The only reason I got it was for free shipping, but I can just bundle my orders to get it anyway.   Keeping Costco & Sams I shop infrequently at Costco & Sams Club, but find I make it worth it by getting gas from their cheaper gas stations.   Keeping Car Washes My most expensive membership is actually worth it as well for the unlimited free car washes for $240/yr.  While it seems like an extravagance, saves me time and keeps my car clean. After cancelling Amazon Prime, I'm at a reasonable $975.. Taking Sto

I’ve become enamored with IKEA and have built a small collection of pieces to furnish my place.  5 items I bought pre owned and saved about $600 that way. Vika Grevsta Desk - $40 ($90) Jokkmokk Dining Set w/ 4 Chairs - $50 ($250) Malm Bed - $150 ($300) Tarva Bed - $40 ($200) Malm Dresser - $25 ($150) Kallax Shelf 12 - $129 Gladom Table - $25 Lack Table x2 Small, 1x Medium - $40 Rugs (5’ x 8’) - 3x - $130 Nissafors Utility Cart - $33 Hemnes Night Stand - 3x - $50 ($390) Billy Bookshelf - $50 Tagarp Lamp x5 - $25 ($60) Vidja Lamp - $25 ($60) Omar Wine Rack - $60  Bankesta Coffee Table x2 - $25 ($150) Vintage is better with solid wood With exception of the Vika Grevsta, everything else is fairly new and common pieces.  The Vika is a 20 year old vintage piece made from solid wood and of much higher quality.  I was very impressed with the Vika and been searching for more vintage items, but probably everyone else is too. On my list for future acquisitions: Lisabo Table x 4 Chairs Lisabo Coff

I'm really liking the simplicity of the Casio A168 and normally rock that most days (swapping for my G-Shock 5600 for weekends). I'm also preferring a lighter weight kit and went back to the Victorinox Cadet. It's otherwise the same gear I've been rocking for almost 2 years and while the iPhone 11 has done great, I'm wanting something with 5G. I'll wait and upgrade to the newer iPhone in November. Feb 2022 EDC: Apple iPhone 11 Victorinox Cadet Swiss Army Knife Casio A168 Watch Leather Wallet   

It finally happened at around 85,000 miles my 2007 Lexus IS250 displayed the dreaded Check Engine Light and VSC. I had just changed the oil at the dealer a few weeks back and also replaced the rear axle and front bushings, then drove off and my dash lit up like a Christmas tree. I went back to the dealer and they determined the cause was a dead O2 sensor and leaking valve cover gasket.  They believe oil dripping from the gasket fell on the O2 sensor and caused it to fail. Total bill?  About $1,300. O2 Sensor - $600 Valve Gasket - $700 In addition to resolving the Check Engine light, I also had other maintenance and repairs.  So total cost for the month was $ 4,050. Oil Change - $250 Rear Axle - $ 1700 Front Bushings - $800

The past 12 months have been the wildest of my life and even that is an understatement.  To commemorate the COVID-19 years and remind myself of how crazy its been I picked up a Victorinox Swiss Army Knife - Alox - Cadet. I've always wanted an Alox model ever since I purchased the Alox 8gb USB drive and found the all metal design truly breathtaking.  There is a certain feeling of assurance in its durability when you hold it in your hands and while its smaller than my Spartan it weighs about the same. My trusty Spartan has been by my side for several years and unfortunately its begun to show its age and the plastic scales are warping and coming undone.  While I have several other Spartans, I wanted to opt for an Alox as my everyday carry as I anticipate this will last longer and not require more regular replacement, although my Spartan has been with me for at least 7 years. In short, the Alox Cadet is beautiful and I'm very pleased.  While it'll take some getting used to as I

I was curious and began this mileage log after I replaced the front tires, I began taking the mileage between gas fill ups and learned some interesting things. Spent $400 for a pair of new front tires on the IS.  It normally takes 225/45 W rated tires, but Costco only had the higher Y rated in stock, otherwise I’d have to wait a few weeks for them to order W tires.  Not wanting to risk driving on the highway nor deal with the spare, opted for the Y tires. Honestly, doesn’t make a difference as long it’s equal or higher than the original manufacturer recommended ratings.  Cost me a bit more as I also had to swap out the TPMS sensors and I find Costco is the best deal for those as well. A real bummer as I wanted to keep the tires for at least another year as I just did the brakes on all four wheels.  But the nail was in the worst spot near the edge and the side walls...just a little more to the middle and I could do a cheap plug.  Cest la vie. I do feel a slight improvement in traction a

A few years back, I went through a Swiss Army multi tool phase and amassed a small collection of about a dozen pieces.  My favorite has been the 91mm Victorinox Spartan and I own multiple copies along with the smaller Classic.  The Spartan is the quintessential Swiss Army knife and is based on the 1890s officer knife.  The 1890s officer knife is an offshoot of the Model 1890 soldiers knife that started it all and was the actual knife used by the Swiss Army. In the past I used to rotate through my various Spartan's and sometimes mixed it up with a 111mm OHT (one hand) Trekker with its awesome liner lock.  The Spartan proved more useful with the corkscrew and lightweight size.  I also own a large Swiss Champ and a Camper, which is basically a Spartan with an added layer holding a saw. In my humble opinion the Spartan is close to perfect Swiss Army knife maintaining the brands DNA from the 1890s and providing all the basic tools and implements in a compact size and form factor.  A

Getting closer to my ideal wardrobe and plan a few more adjustments in 2020.  I'm discovering that I look pretty good in Earth Tones (Dark Green, Light Brown/Tan) along with Burgundy Red and Dark Purple.  I'm going to reduce my reliance on Dark Blue in favor of more of these other colors to balance my Black and White basics. Uniqlo/Adidas I'm quite pleased with Uniqlo and that's becoming a larger proportion of my wardrobe.  I'm also liking Adidas for my sneakers and sporty jackets.  It's quite possible in a few years a good 50-60% of my 51 main articles of clothing will be from Uniqlo/Adidas. Shoes & Jackets My Shirts & Pants will focus on the basics and I'll dedicate my budget on Jackets and Shoes.  I'll start simple on shoes to find the ideal choices and want to stick with the standard Converse All Star, Adidas Superstar, Adidas Samba and a Nike or Air Jordan.  Possibly, squeeze in a Puma, Onitsuka 66, etc. Outerwear, considering a Harr

Previously, I was under the impression that 10 years was considered old for a car and usually got rid of them before then.  I've owned several cars and 2 in particular hit the decade mark with 120-130k miles on the odometer. Goal: 20 Years @ 2027 This time around, I've been more careful with my 2007 Lexus sitting at 12.4 years, which is both the oldest car I've ever owned and to my surprise the average age of most cars in the Western United States.  The Lexus is doing surprisingly well and I'm hoping to keep it for 8 more years until 2027. I've got warranty coverage for 2 more years until 2021 so I just need to 'survive' 6 more years on top of that.  But if it doesn't last...no biggie, I can just pick up a Civic or Corolla for under $10k and start a new odyssey. With 72k miles on the odometer and 8k miles more per year.  I'll hit 136k miles by the 20th year mark, which also seems reasonable considering my old daily beaters hit that m

I picked up my Lexus IS250 on June 2018 and next month it'll be about a year since I've owned it.  The car is 12 years old and still running quite well.  I've never owned a car this old before and quite impressed that it still a decent ride. Just got my second oil change at the dealership and I do notice the engine runs a little smoother and the gas mileage has improved just a bit; although that could just be confirmation bias.

There was a 50% off sale at my local Adidas store and I picked up 2 items a track jacket in red/black stripes and a navy/white stripe windbreaker.  I'm quite pleased with both of them. The track jacket is great indoors, but doesn't really keep me very warm outside as I suspect the material allows the breeze to blow right through.  The windbreaker is phenomenal, it is very lightweight, keeps me warm outdoors and also water resistant. In total, I spent about $45 total ($20 for the track jacket, $25 for the windbreaker).  I would have preferred the track jacket in the more classic red/white stripes and a royal blue windbreaker, but they are both fine as-is and I'll enjoy them for many years. That fulfills about half of my 2019 clothing purchases.  I'll likely pick up a pair of Adidas track pants later in the year and see quite a few at Costco.  Probably in the 3rd Quarter and some replacement t-shirts and that'll complete my 2019 clothing replenishments. Review

I adopted a minimalist wardrobe several years ago and went from 175 articles of clothing to under 38 pieces.  I've been fine-tuning that number and have 45 items as of 2018 with a planned increase to 48 items in 2019. My initial approach was to drop the total count and now the fine-tuning process is to identify specific colors and types of clothing to ensure a proper balance across my entire wardrobe ensemble. Core Colors I've settled on three core colors:  Black, Blue and White.  They constitute roughly 70% of my total wardrobe and I'm slowly increasing different color choices in 2019; notably a Red Adidas Track Jacket. Brand Quality I've been experimenting with various types of clothing and color choices and when I'm satisfied with a certain type or color I then seek out the best brand quality that I can reasonably afford.  In general, I spend on better brands for work attire and limit my discretionary budget for casual clothes on mostly fast fashion

I've enjoyed a Minimalist Wardrobe for about 2 years and maintain just 41 articles of clothing: Pants - 11 Slacks - 5 Jeans - 2 Shorts/Gym - 4 Shirts -20 T-Shirts/Gym - 7 SS Shirts - 8 LS Shirts - 5 Outerwear - 5 Blazer - 1 Jackets - 2 Hoodies - 2 Shoes - 5 Dress - 2 Sneakers - 3 Future Purchases I am planning on a few purchases in 2018-2019 White GAP Hoodie Denim Levi Jacket Update 12/16/18 Bought the White GAP Hoodie, but decided not to get a Denim Jacket.  I'll reconsider in 2019 as I plan to add a Jacket and not sure what brand, style or type.

I've studied quite a few minimalist blogs & videos and see several recurring themes defining what type of minimalism a person is practicing and they have three characteristics: Quantity Quality Variety Extreme Minimalist = Survivalist There are the 'Extreme' Minimalist who are surviving on literally just a few unique items.  They live in a tiny home or out of their car and probably could fit their entire life in a single backpack.  A true nomad of the modern age. Quantity = LOW Quality = HIGH (ideally) Variety = LOW Casual Minimalist Then there are the 'Casual' Minimalist that have more quantity than an Extreme Minimalist and generally wavers between quantity and variety.  There are many approaches and some Casual Minimalist may have 5 white t-shirt or 5 t-shirts, one of a different color and anywhere in between.  All can be considered a Casual Minimalist.  For me I'm somewhere in the middle and limit myself to 3 color of t-shirts (White, Gre

Found it on sale at Lotte World for 11,000 Won.  I think the reason it was so cheap was because it uses a fixed adapter for the Mini-USB / Lightning that'll soon be obsolete in a few years as the new USB-C connector becomes predominant.  For now, most of my devices use these connections in the foreseeable future. I'm quite happy with the much larger capacity 5000 mAh as I was surviving on a smaller 2,200 mAh portable battery pack.  I'm not a fan of the massive 10,000 mAh or larger behemoths and think this one will be more than sufficient for my brief trips. Update 9/10/18 This battery pack sucks!  Other than a blinking blue light, you cannot tell how much charge remains and it doesn't seem to recharge properly; after a few minutes it just stops blinking and I had to reconnect the charging cable, then a few minutes it stops again.  Dont buy cheap crap like this again.

Created a 2nd Blog called Coffee Study Talk. For most part my original Blog: Simple Living will focus on my Technology Related Hobbies: Watches Video Games Headphones Technology Misc. The 2nd Blog - Coffee Study Talk will segway to everything else and be focused on: Coffee Liquor (Whiskey mostly) Traveling My Studies Fountain Pens