Modern Simple Living

GEAR REVIEW — FOOTWEAR Reebok Shadoray: A Stan Smith Stand-In for $55 A comfortable, basic white sneaker that looks a lot like the one I actually wanted. $55 Price 10.5 Size 1-2 Years Expected Wear $50 Stan Smith Deal Table of Contents ① Another Pair of White Sneakers ② Where It Falls Short of the Stan Smith ③ Is $55 Fair? ④ The All-White Rotation Section I Another Pair of White Sneakers I wanted to try another pair of white sneakers, so I picked up the Reebok Shadoray in a size 10.5. They cost $55.  As these are narrow shoes, sizing up is recommended. Overall, they are comfortable. They also look like what they cost, which is to say basic and a little cheap. Section II Where It Falls Short of the Stan Smith The sole is the first giveaway. It feels supple and gives when I press hard into it, which is nothing like the tough rubber sole of the Stan Smith. The inside is the other tell. The Stan Smith is leather inside and out, while the Shadoray has similar leather...

GEAR REVIEW — PLANNING 2027 Planned Acquisitions — $2,417 Strategizing for next year's essentials, from a platform switch to a few wardrobe staples and a place to back it all up. $2,417 Budget 9 Line Items 3 Categories $625 Yearly Cap Table of Contents ① The Strategy ② Bringing It Back in Line ③ Wardrobe Upgrades ④ Technology and Tools Section I The Strategy I'm not even done with 2026, so planning 2027 is a bit early. But most of this year's main purchases are already complete, so I'd rather start thinking ahead than wait. One change: I'm counting the MacBook Pro as a 2027 budget item and pulling it forward into this year. I want to accelerate my studies and learning, and the laptop is the tool for that. By my earlier count, that brought my 6-year spending to about $7.5k, or roughly $1.25k a year. That's well above my previous trend of $1k, and the new hard drive nudges it up a little further. Section II Bringing It Back in Line As I'm a b...