Counting down the items in the cupboards…Whittling down food, supplies and toiletries on hand…Six days and counting…

This pretty gazebo is located on a private ranch.

Each time we leave a location, we make an attempt to use what we have on hand down to the last item. Leaving considerable numbers of items behind defeats our efforts to be financially sensible only adding to our total expenses.

Speaking of final costs, this upcoming Saturday prior to leaving for the airport, we’ll be posting our total costs for the over four months we’ve spent in Kauai. I can already see we’re over budget, on the cost of groceries, all of which figures we’ll share in the post including average monthly and daily totals.

A few weeks ago we carefully reviewed the contents of the cupboards and the refrigerator and freezer shopping only for odds and ends to fill in meals and snacks. This is always a fun challenge for us for which we often find ourselves proudly clucking like hens over our accurate assessments.

We had no idea how magnificent the Running J Farms Estate actually is until we checked it out online at this site. Wow!

Early on in our arrival to Kauai, we made a huge Costco run.  Now, all we’re left with from that lofty run is a few boxes of bags and 11 cans of wild-caught tuna. With two packs of pork chops, one steak, one packet of mixed wild-caught fish for me in the freezer, and individual single-serving bags with various low carb grain-free muffins I’ve baked in the past week, we have little left to consume.

For Tom’s breakfasts I’d baked an ample supply of his favorite item; bacon, egg, and cheese muffins which we keep in the freezer, removing a three-day batch to thaw in the refrigerator every few days which he pops in the microwave each morning for a delicious fast meal. There is exactly the correct amount of these left in the freezer to get us through the upcoming week.

As a result of baking various low carb items, we leave behind baking soda, baking powder, unsweetened chocolate (never used it here), spices, and various extracts. As for my trusty pink Himalayan salt grinder (Costco), that’s going in the luggage. There’s no way we’re leaving that behind. Who knows if we’ll be able to find it in Australia?

This scarecrow at the Running J Farms, a private vacation rental estate, is dressed in rain gear holding a sign that says, “No bad days!”

We don’t use a lot of body products and toiletries in an attempt to save on weight in the bags and the necessity of finding a means of replacing them. Years ago, I used lotions, creams, lotions, essential oils, and a wide variety of cosmetic apparatus. In this life, we both wash with quality bar soaps and use organic deodorant. I gave up using lotions a few years ago, using coconut oil as needed for dry skin. 

Besides packing a small bottle of coconut oil, we include one bottle of shampoo and conditioner, one hair gel, toothbrushes, a tube of whitening toothpaste (plus baking soda and hydrogen peroxide), contact lens solution, razors, and my small black bag of cosmetics. Tom doesn’t use any face or body products. He now shaves with his newer electric razor. Neither of us uses any scented products, perfumes, or shaving creams. 

Over these past months, we’ve been mindful of using up any big bottles of toiletries in order to take smaller (not trial sizes) sized items on the upcoming cruise which serves us well with minimal storage space in ship bathrooms.

An exquisite home was located beyond these iron gates in Kilauea. Check out their view!

Of course, tonight’s dinner will consist of cheesy tuna melts on a bed of shredded romaine lettuce. The tuna salad is made with onions, celery, hard-boiled eggs, spices, and homemade mayonnaise. 

With dinner, we’ll also have fresh steamed green beans and homemade low carb coconut blueberry muffins all topped with organic butter. I made this new muffin recipe yesterday in an attempt to use some of the remaining ingredients we had on hand.

(I don’t eat fruit due to the high sugar content. However, each muffin has about five blueberries which are one gram of carbs. Of all the fruits, berries are the lowest in sugar. One cup of fresh blueberries has 21 grams of carbs, 15 grams of sugar which is equivalent to 3 1/2 tsp. of table sugar, more carbs than I’m allowed to eat in one day. It’s hard to eat only a few at a time so I avoid them entirely. For the toxicity of sugar including sugar in fruit, please click here).

Another extraordinary home was located beyond this decorative gate.

Yesterday afternoon, after the Preakness horse race, we headed to Kilauea in search of photo ops. It had been raining off and on all day but, feeling better, I really wanted to get out after being ill for 11 days. Today, I’ve turned the corner and am gratefully on the mend. Thanks to all of our reader friends who sent thoughtful emails, prayers, and comments. 

No more than a minute after we walked out the door, there was a downpour. In Kauai, it can rain one minute and be sunny the next. That’s exactly what transpired during our outing.

In every direction, it takes only moments to find an ocean view.

After the trip to Kilauea, we stopped at Foodland for a few items for the cruise including antibacterial wipes for cleaning the TV remote, the door handles, and all surfaces in our cabin which we’ll do immediately upon entering. We were surprised to find small packets of wipes that will easily fit into Tom’s pockets. We’ll use these everywhere we go on the ship although, typically we don’t touch handrails and door handles.

Today, I’ll start organizing our third suitcase which contains all of our supplies. With one large box of Ziplock freezer bags left from the Costco trip, I’ll replace all of the worn bags that contain a wide array of items.  Keeping items categorized in these bags prevent leakage and provides a level of organization that simplifies our lives.

Mature palm trees always present an appealing landscape on private property.

We love simplification. Sure, from time to time, I miss a few kitchen gadgets, a few “girlie” type accouterments, and my former wide array of clothing. Each day while dressing, it’s as simple as choosing which tee shirt goes with which pair of shorts. No longer do I change multiple times for social occasions in an attempt to decide on the “perfect outfit.” 

No longer do I put on an outfit and ask Tom, “How do I look in this outfit?’ His answer would be irrelevant. If it makes me look bad, there aren’t other options. Besides, men always lie anyway when asked this question.

Happy Sunday!

                                               Photo from one year ago today, May 17, 2014:

One year ago today, we were moved in and settled into our new home in Madeira, Portugal, an island off the northwest coast of Africa. We couldn’t have been more thrilled with the house, Gina, the local manager, and its modern décor and conveniences. For more photos of the house, please click here.