What Happens When You Embrace Small Scale Living
Today was our last attempted Costco run—we’ll be leaving for a European country with no Costco in a couple months, and within weeks we’ll sell nearly everything to stay briefly with family.
I went for peanut butter, soymilk, yogurt, and sausages. At the door, I was warned my membership had expired and would automatically renew at checkout. I politely declined, noting we’d soon be abroad with no plans to renew. The door person asked, surprised, “Oh, does the country not have a Costco?” I confirmed. No. Out of habit, I even apologized, which seemed misplaced. I’m sorry our new country will not have a Costco?
For now, it’s probably for the best—spending $200 on items we’d likely give away or cram into an already packed car for our cross-state trip wouldn’t make sense. I already want to bring our pantry staples: beans, lentils, and the Instant Pot. (Don’t get me started on the spice blends I want to take overseas).
So yes, it’s bittersweet. Costco sustained us through many layoffs, recessions, and winter storms. We accumulated cases of tomato products, bags of beans, lentils, and rice; large spice containers; boxes of soy milk; oversized bottles of hot sauce, olive oil, juice; giant bags of nuts and granola. For decades, Costco anchored our frugal American lifestyle. I learned to cook soups, stews, chilis, bean dishes, and more, out of my pantry.
But moving to a small European town will change all this in ways that weren’t possible in the US. In Europe, towns will be walkable, lined with fresh produce markets on every street corner. Homes will be small, lacking storage space. We may not own a car at all. I’m looking forward to walking daily to bakeries for bread, stopping at cheese shops, visiting a butcher. I’m excited to embrace a different pace, a smaller scale. But another part of me will likely still find myself storing containers of beans, rice, or potatoes—habits born from lean times.
Notes:
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