As promised before the move–here is a kitchen count in the new place. This apartment is a place of transition. I have gotten rid of a lot, but will get rid of more when I move to the travel trailer (which I haven’t bought yet.)
It has been a summer of change. Youngest son moved out again. He will spend his senior year of high school living in a house with friends. This time, when he moved out, there was no conflict and we see each other regularly. The other big change to the house hold is that Max, the cat that would sneak into the photos, died a week ago. He did not suffer and was surrounded by the humans that loved him as he died. Daughter is back at school in St. Paul and middle son is in Ireland for the year. On with the count.
There are 27 dishes in this cabinet.
5 pieces of cookware
coffeepot, coffee container, cutting board and salt & pepper shakers (#5 items)
bamboo divider and the utensils (#28 items)
4 utensils that did not fit in the other drawer
There is a microwave also, which brings the count to #60. The oven and fridge are part of the rental.
With it being just me and one cat, I am not cooking very much. Breakfast is likely some yogurt and a banana. A mid-morning snack is a hardboiled egg and a piece of fruit. Lunch is usually on the road so it might be cheese and crackers or other finger food I can eat while driving. Dinner is a vegetable and a protein. Sometimes, I cook them. Sometimes I eat a frozen dinner. I do not need all the dishes and kitchen items in the house, but I’m not in a hurry to get rid of stuff yet. I will see how the next year goes, what I use…what I do not.
I have not lived alone since 1980. I’m letting the experience wash over me.
singlemomenough 
I’m sorry you lost your cat. Thank you for updating us with your kitchen. Looks great!!
What Amy said! 🙂
Wow, enjoy the “aloneness”! Once again, I love your count posts. Always make me want to get rid of more!
I love your posts and am amazed that you’ve already pared down your belonging so much. I’m really inspired to do the same.
Sorry to hear about Max. Good to hear from you again. Thanks for continuing to challenge us regarding how much stuff we really need in our lives. Love your posts!
Thanks for the new kitchen count. I know I have too much in my kitchen
and it is just me and my husband now. I am wondering how you are doing
with all the changes in your life and now being alone. The empty nest is
difficult for me to get used to. And I am teary eyed thinking about your cat.
I am not a cat person but I have a dog and I know her passing will be hard.
Well, I have a lot of experience being alone. Single-parenting is a very lonely business. Your house and time are full, but there is no one in the house to share your inner life with. So–I’m enjoying my own company with less cleaning and cooking to do. And I’m getting out of the house more. I’ve been working on a fun project I will tell you all about soon.
I still have 2 adult children and a granddaughter at home and, as much as I love them and know I will miss them, I look forward to the day when I will be living alone. A big change, especially having lost your furry friend (I have one of those too). I have enjoyed following your story of downsizing and ridding yourself of stuff and hope I am not too many years behind you.
Thank you all for your condolences. It was kind of strange. I didn’t like that cat that much when he was alive–he used to bite human visitors, beat up on the other cat and puke in inconvenient places in the house. But when he was dying, I was crying and telling him that I loved him. Go figure. Emotions are a funny thing.
Same has happened to me with humans. I have been very sad when people I did not like particularly die…. and same here, go figure.
I’m always happy when I get the notification in my email that you have put up a new post. So sorry to hear about Max; I lost my cat (that I’d had for 15 years) to illness two years ago, and have not gotten another. Regarding your upcoming plans for traveling: you might be interested in following Becky Schade’s blog on her full time travels in her Casita travel trailer: http://www.interstellarorchard.com/
And as always: your minimalism motivates me. This summer I’ve made some progress on paring down my possessions. I can now visualize what I want my surroundings to look like, and your photos/item counts are my number one inspiration.
Thanks for the link to the blog. I will poke around and see what advice she has for someone like me just getting started.
Those patterned bowls are lovely! Did you get rid of the
Corningware?
The Corningware, like most of the kitchen stuff, was gifted to the kids. Probably the remaining dishes will go to one of them too.
I just went through my kitchen and off-loaded yet more stuff thanks to your post. In fact, I got rid of all my dried spices. I like to use garlic and lemon and fresh herbs and soy sauce and so forth. Why was I keeping all those canisters? I love that you show only salt and pepper. In fact, we ran out of salt tonight. But now I will get some nice sea salt because it’s something we actually use! I continue to enjoy reading your blog!
Sorry about the cat. It’s nice to see that your family is doing good and that you are moving forward on a new adventure. The pictures are great, we love to see them. It’s kind of a strange thing but they really do inspire and give a tranquil effect.