Monday Notes: Living in Costa Rica Taught Me to Consume Less

I have much to say about what it was like to live in Costa Rica for six months. So, just warning y’all, I’ll probably be talking about this for the rest of 2026. The first thing I realized is that I have been worshipping at the god of excess, personally and collectively. PERSONALLY When I moved abroad, I had prepared to be away for at least a year. I sold my car and gave a lot of belongings to charity. I arrived in CR with two suitcases, and a backpack. Dassit. As time wore on, especially after I quit teaching, I found that I didn’t need many of the clothes I’d brought. Most of the time, I alternated wearing the same two pairs of leisurewear shorts, while occasionally switching shirts. Six of the eight pairs of shoes I’d brought never saw the light of day. Even when I did in-person yoga training, I wore, washed, and re-wore the same four outfits. After I moved from La Casa Cucaracha into a casita (a tiny house), I found I had everything I needed: one couch big enough for two people,…