Modern Simple Living

Wine Review Costco Wine Haul for the 2025 Holiday Season Getting Ready for the Holidays 4 Bottles Reviewed $7-$30 Price Range 3 Bulk Buys 4 Holidays Table of Contents ① Prepping for the Holidays: My Costco Wine Strategy ② The 2025 Holiday Wine Picks ③ What’s Next: Hunting for More Value Section I Prepping for the Holidays: My Costco Wine Strategy I stocked up on a few wines from Costco for the 2025 holiday season—something for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. I love GSM blends from Côtes du Rhône, so I was drawn to the Bordeaux and Priorat options. Costco’s European wines continue to deliver great value compared to California bottles, though Paso Robles is catching up. I’m still not ready to spend $80–100 on Napa Cabs, so the $20–40 range at Costco is perfect. I’ve tried three of the four wines so far, saving the Priorat for Christmas.   Section II The 2025 Holiday Wine Picks Bordeaux Selections → 2019 Reignac — This one blew me away. It had everything I lo...

Food & Restaurant Reviews ★ ★ ★ Texas Roadhouse Bone-In Ribeye Their Best Steak $30.99 Menu Price 20 oz Cut Size Rib Primal Cut I recently tried the bone-in ribeye at Texas Roadhouse after years of ordering their regular steaks — and now I wish I had discovered it sooner. The flavor and juiciness are on another level. The bone helps keep the steak tender and adds that rich, steakhouse taste I usually only find at higher-end places. If you usually stick with the sirloin or boneless ribeye, do yourself a favor and try the bone-in next time — it's the best steak Texas Roadhouse serves. The Steak Why the Bone-In Wins → Flavor & juiciness — noticeably richer than the boneless cuts; the bone adds depth → Tenderness — the bone helps retain heat and m...

Footwear · New Balance · Review Stepping Out of the Box: My First Pair of New Balance 515s From Nike and Adidas to a vintage-inspired walker built for real-world comfort $50 Paid (down from $75) 7–9k Daily Steps 10W Size · Navy Table of Contents ① Moving Beyond Nike & Adidas ② A Solid Find: The 515 ③ That Retro Feel ④ Cushioning That Feels Real ⑤ Building a Smarter Rotation Section I Moving Beyond Nike and Adidas For years, the rotation stayed with what worked: Nike and Adidas. Air Force 1s, Stan Smiths, Air Jordans, and Nike Milers were the daily lineup. But after logging 7–9k steps a day, something shifted — a craving for something different, built more for walking comfort than style alone. → Nik...

Feature 2026 Wardrobe and Reflections on My 5-Year Spending Patterns Intentional purchases, high-value basics, and long-term wear — a system refined over five years $1,454 2026 Budget $5,537 5-Year Total $60/wk Weekly Allowance ~61% Apparel Share $1,107 5-Year Avg Table of Contents ① Section I — Funding Source ② Section II — 2026 Budget Overview ③ Section III — Annual Spending Analysis (2022–2026) ④ Section IV — Spending by Category Section I Section I — Funding Source As 2025 comes to a close, the focus turns to refining the wardrobe and budget for 2026. Over the past few years, a system has taken shape that prioritizes intentional purchases, high-value basics, and long-term wear. This year is about thoughtful upgrades, smart replacements, and sticking with what works. What was surprising was how much goes toward clothing and shoes — for the past five years it's constituted roughly two-thirds of total expenditures. In comparison, very little is spent on hobbies and technology....