We Live 89 Miles From Target, Walmart And Costco!!!
76Small Town Living, Big City Shopping
Three years ago, we changed our lives forever. We moved from central California, big city living to northwestern Montana, small town living at it's best. We are tucked nicely between the Rockies, in a valley with breathtaking views on every side!!
Our town and surrounding area is home for approximately 10,000 people. We relocated from a city of well over 350,000, near the bay area which is home for over one million! Talk about a life style change... it was and we could not be any more happy.
Along with change, we faced uncertainty as well. One of the major changes we have had to deal with, is shopping. Living in the city we had easy access to nearly everything our hearts desired. Within five miles, was Target, Walmart, Costco, Sam's Club, Ross, TJMaxx, Office Depot, Home Depot, Lowe's, the Factory Outlets, and every restaurant chain that exists on the western seaboard.
With that convenience, came the ease at which money was spent, perhaps without a second thought. Spontaneous, unplanned spending daily was easy when items call out to you, "buy me, buy me".
I remember as a young girl, my mother saying, "you're never satisfied". Living in the big city, amongst the potpourri of shopping available at any given moment, I can say I was NEVER satisfied. After all, I needed all those spring themed plates and cups, the new line of dishtowels on the end caps of Target. How could I live without Christmas, Fourth of July, St. Patrick's Day, Valentines Day and Thanksgiving decorations? I NEEDED it all!!
After going through withdrawals for the first six months, my hubby and I both realized we DID NOT need all the things we thought we did! We realized we did not need to go shopping every single day. We soon learned, we could eat wonderful home cooked meals for a fraction of the cost of eating out!
We have 1 1/2 grocery stores in our lovely little town; one is very nice, modern, has everything you could possibly want, while the other is about 50 years old, small, a tad musty smelling, but serves most of the old timers in town.
Now I shop with a list, maybe twice weekly. I clip coupons and watch the one ad we get weekly. I use bags (ones I bought at Trader Joes) to tote our groceries home, instead of wasting paper sacks each time. At our store, everyone knows just about everyone, and if you don't know them by name, you've seen them around town so often, it's as if you do know them.
I pay our bills, electric, cable, phone, mortgage, in person. There is always parking right out front, so it takes a few moments to pull up, run in, slap down our payment, get a receipt and be on my way.
There are "mom and pop" stores up and down our main street and even some along our highway, which is 2 lane running west to east from Canada through central Montana. It winds along the Rockies, with breathtaking views the entire way. It is pure heaven!!!! No traffic jams here, but keeping eyes open for deer, elk, and moose is a must!!
We realized too, as we downscaled to our little cottage, we don't need all the material “stuff” we thought we did. We had 8 garage sales and rid ourselves of many items that were weighing us down. Now when we shop, we second and third guess our major purchases. I mean, how many items of furniture does one really need?
When we do NEED big city shopping, we head east.....89 miles, yes 89 miles to the closest Target, Walmart, Costco, Home Depot, Lowes, Ross and TJMaxx. The first six months were a little rough, but now it is just the way it is.
I keep a running list on the computer and the evening before we head out for the big city, I print up two copies. Our first stop is always WalMart, because it is so crowded and we are so spoiled with the slow, comfortable pace at which we live daily, the crowds actually get to us!
Once inside, I hand Dave his list and I take mine, marker in hand. We meet after 1/2 hour of shopping, always in the pet department, regroup and head to the check stand. We normally leave our town before dawn, so by 9am we have everything we need from Walmart and head to our next destination.
During our major demolition and reconstruction, we spent nearly every big city moment at Home Depot and Lowes. Too bad we did not own stock!!! Now, we hit the places only necessary for our existence, as many items are cheaper in the major retail stores, i.e., dog/cat food, paper goods, clothing and many food items. In a burst of adrenaline, we shop til we drop, as if we were in some kind of race.
Once most items are purchased, we take comfort in a nice meal, usually at a great Mexican restaurant we discovered. We love Mexican, as we both lived in California most of our lives and were spoiled with good, really good Mexican cuisine. Montana is not known for good Mexican... to find a great one as we did, is like finding a hidden treasure!
We fill our tummies and head to Target...always our last stop. We bring our three min pins with us every time, so by now, Dave and the pups are a tad worn out. They gratefully take a nice nap, while I have fun shopping Target, Ross and TJMaxx. They are the places I 'splurge' shop.... as all the city girl is not totally gone yet :-).
I return to the jeep or pickup (depends on how much we are buying, as to the size of the vehicle we take) with my bags. We load up and head back to our little valley tucked inside the beautiful, usually snow capped mountains. On the way out, a Starbucks stop is a must, as it will be at least a month before we return and we have no Starbucks in town.
A two hour drive is ahead of us and we are tuckered. We chit chat all the way home, pups snoozing away in the back. Dave and I know the 30 mile mark and are always happy to reach it, knowing we are close to home. We talk about our purchases along the way and realize one of the hardest parts of the entire trip is getting home and finding space in our little cottage for the new purchases. And, we always do!
As we drift into the driveway, tattered and torn from all that shopping :-), we are always happy to be home sweet home!!!
Big City Shopping
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Comments
I can do without the stores, but I need my sushi fix.
Yep, we have settled in and are 'true Montanan's' now.... he does wear plaid well....and he even wears denim overalls too...lol!!!!!
I don't think there is anywhere in town that serves sushi...perhaps they have not heard of it yet!!! lol...... I do think you can get it in butcher dept at the grocery store though :-) How fresh it is, now that's another issue!!!
LOL :-) I've lived in small towns all my life, and while I truly enjoy shopping, I don't HAVE TO have much of anything. However, when we first moved to this town, the closes grocery store was 25 miles away.
I guess you couldn't bring the ice cream home!
Ice cream? Try coolers!
Just dry ice blocks in the trunk
Oh my Ivorwen, that would be really tough!! I told my hubby, if we didn't have such a nice grocery store, I could not have moved here...
Great idea! And when you get home, if there is anything left of the ice, you can go block sledding down the nearest hill.
I'm game, that sounds like fun!!!
That is so tough, I have been there myself. I lived down in the 4 corners area and it was an hour and a half to just get to Wal-Mart. If I wanted Costco, Target, or the mall it was 2 and a half hours. And that was just to get there. Then I had to shop for one months worth of stuff, eat, and drive home. It was a full day!
Erick, Yep, shopping once a month for supplies can be a bit hard! Even with a list, we come home without something we meant to get. It is tough, but the benefits of small town living is definitely well worth it!!
Oh it sounds so nice. I am happy for you. My mom moved to the middle of nowhere NM. bordering on a Ntl Forrest. I would have to have a good grocery store. She has to drive about 50 miles for one of those.
OMG I could not live out in the armpit of nowhere!! LOL
I have to have a MALL, a Starbucks, A Sushi Bar and a Taco Shop or I will die!!!!!!!! =)
I admit, I could not live without a good grocery store! That would take so much planning!! and, yes I DO miss Starbucks!! Tomorrow I am making a trip to the big city, and Starbucks is a must and a great treat!!!
I'm not gonna try and pretend like i totally know what you're saying, because i really can't relate. I've lived in MT all my life and haven't really experienced the big switch from big city to MT (population under a million LOL), but i can only imagine that it was very interesting from the sounds of it. Your pictures look like Bozeman. There's some great camping around those parts (up Gallatin Canyon there are a ton of sites). If you guys haven't tried it (you probably have by now), you should give it a go. Just don't do the Madison River campground, cuz you'll get eaten alive by the bugs. Glad you're enjoying Montana!
Strike that! I don't think it's Bozeman anymore, but the shopping area looks really similar. Anyway, if you ever visit that area, I really recommend the camping!
Nope guess again.... head west on hwy 2.... approximatley 50 miles from the Canadian border.... we have eagles soaring over head all around town :-)
Now I can say solemnly I couldn't do without a Target! How lovely to have traffic replaced by gorgeous views. The walky talkies are a hoot. What a lovely story! ~Naddy
Very cute! So glad that you are happy with a life more simple :) Sounds great where you live!
I too made this move many years ago from Calif--to West Virginia and love it! You made the right move. Enjoy!!!!
Nice story. I bet you probably do a lot less driving overall, despite that 89 mile distance from the big stores.
I'd love that! The only thing I'd miss is spluring on my babies at the petstore. *guilty look*
This is great! We are in a similar situation in rural Canada. Home Depot and a small Walmart are only 20 miles away, but everything else is at least a 2 hour drive so we don't bother. You find yourself appreciating life so much more. The best evenings entertainment can be had from sitting on the porch watching the wildlife.
Sounds like my kind of living. Everyone is so caught up in rushing around and getting nothing done. Stay happy.
Thanks to all of you for the encouraging words...I am so happy you enjoyed my hub :-). I have been gone for several days, and starting missing all of you .... I'm back and ready to write!!!
So glad to hear you're making the transition so well, and that you're enjoying your new down-sized life. This was a delight to read!
We do indeed enjoy our lifestyle now, we stay very busy no doubt, but at the end of any given day being tired from working the farm and home renovations is so much more rewarding than when I worked as a civil servant or ran several business'. Something about taking care of critters is so very rewarding and satisfying!!! Thanks so much for your positive feedback and taking the time to read my hub!!! :-)
Lovely hub MFG it sounds wonderful there.
Thanks so much and yes, indeed it is wonderful here!!
I love this hub. I live in San Diego at the moment and my husband and I are planning to move to a small town on Vancouver Island. One of the most peaceful times of my life was when I moved back to North America after living in Asia and needed to readjust. My (now) husband and I lived in a little house on the lake in rural New Hampshire. No tv or stereo and I didn't have a car. It was bliss. Now, living in San Diego is wonderful in many ways but I'm tired of having to take a 4-land highway to get anywhere and camping in a parking lot just doesn't cut it. Thanks for the glimmer of a new life.
This is going to be so much fun keeping up with your narratives now that I know the beginning of this adventure in living a more simple life. Enjoy every minute. Sounds as though you are doing a great job of it.
Thanks again Peggy for your kind words!!!!
My husband and I are seriously talking about moving east in the next couple of years (our kids are growing up!). It won't be as remote as you describe, but I can imagine we'll need to adjust to the inconvenience a bit. Thanks for reassuring us it will be worth it!
I know how you feel as we moved from central cal to western montana and live 75 miles from wal-mart also,by a town of 2400 folks,as we live in th country with deer and elk in our front and back yards..
Hilarious- I live in Alaska, and we just finally got a Target, and you would think that it was like the pope coming to town or something. It's nice to know that I am not the only one stuck miles away from shopping :)
Amie, thanks for stopping by, reading and taking time to comment on my silly little hubs!!! You made me laugh so hard with the pope comment.....sooooooooooooooooooooo true!!!! We up here in the great northwest are somehow disconnected with the rest of the world... the things we get sooooooo excited about, just makes most other people laugh. I lived in Anchorage when I was a wee one...we left when I was five, but I still remember some of the beauty....mostly I remember the snow banks taller than me!!! I am sure we could share many similar stories!!! Thanks again for stopping by :-)
When we are in MT we usually make one trip to Missoula. It has everything we are likely to need. Meanwhile we do quite well with the one grocery store, two gas stations, etc. in the town where we spend most of our time. Sometimes we drive 30 miles up the highway for dinner at The Hungry Bear, a great place for steaks. In MT, driving 30 miles for dinner is no big deal.
Morning John, I know...driving 30 miles here, vs say, 30 miles on bay area (california) highways is night and day... I would rather see deer, trees, mountains, lakes anyday vs high rise buildings, endless streams of brand new vehicles, shopping malls and highway innerchanges!!! Extra efforts for shopping is well worth the life we live in beautiful Montana!! Thanks for reading and taking time to write :-)
Walmart is three miles away from me. I go every day. Sometimes more than once. I don't want it to be that way, but I have teenage daughters and sometimes there are certain "necessary" items if you know what I mean, since we didn't really have any other stores (they had all left long ago) Walmart didn't push anybody out, you see everybody in town there, so its a little social time as well as grocery store drugdery. I'm happy that you've adopted to Montana. One of my friend's husband goes hunting there in the fall for Elk, I guess. They have to drive 60 miles down a dirt road to get to a bar.
Wow, 60 miles to a bar...wonder where the heck they live...that really is remote!!! I remember hitting Walmart and Target several times a day when I lived in the 'big city' too...so I understand. Now, that we've been here awhile, I love it and making a list instead of just buying off the cuff, works so much better for us...plus we save so much money!!!! Although my hubby took a cut in pay of over 1/2, we are farther ahead here each month, due to out of pocket being so much less too! Plus, no sales tax here.... we LOVE that!!! Thanks for reading and taking time to comment :-)
Lovely story. Rekindles my desire to move out of the mad city I live in and find myself a quiet and remote place in the hills.
I know of which you speak Jaspal... lived many years in the "mad city".... takes a little getting used to, but once you relax and enjoy all a small town offers, it can be a dream come true and is for me!! Thanks for stopping by to read my hub and comment~~
What a delightful story, so well-told. Your town makes me think of my father's family's town in rural Ohio. Although not quite as isolated as yours, this town has one traffic light, one small but well-stocked grocery, one gas station, one bank, five churches, no medical professionals or facilities, and the nearest Walmart is about 20 miles away. Each time I visit my relatives, it's very hard to turn around and come back to this congestion I live in. Your story gave me such a nice imaginary return to a different way of life, if only for a few minutes. Thumbs up!
Thanks so much for reading and sharing a part of yourself :-)....Now that I've made the adjustment to small town living, it is truly difficult to head to the big city, mostly because of traffic jams!!! Everything else seems bearable, as I know I will be returning to my smalltown life...but, sitting in traffic, esp in the heat.....YIKES!!! And, when I visit my sons in the big, big city, riding on the freeways again...Oh my, it's like riding scary rides at an amuzement park!!!!!
This just reminded me of a question I asked a couple years
ago. I believe it was on a Yahoo comment..
Question was "who in the Mainland USA lives the farthest
from a Wal-mart? As I recall I had someone in Minnesota
who claimed to be over 150 miles.. Still 89 miles is pretty good.. Since we both live in the WEST, I have to believe
there is no Walmart between Cedar City Utah and Denver Colo. and that is about 550 miles.. divide by 2 and it is
275 miles.. I am sure there are other such examples..
One greatAmerican to another...
Peace...
Oh my 275 miles one way!!! That would be like going on vacation!!! Thanks for reading and commenting... and sharing the stats...makes me feel a lot better that I only have to drive 89 miles!!! :-)
i read this and loved it. You see I'm from a small town and now live in the city. I miss the small town living and all the friendly people. And that feeling of safety because everyone knows everyone. I'm happy that you get to experience this I believe you will never want to do the city life again. Something about living where the air is crisp and clean. It's like being closer to God for me anyway. So nice read i really enjoyed it.
You are so right Tracy!!! We just got back from a trip to the big city today and it was so nice to get back to "home sweet home"... I do love small town living now... and will never return to the big city, except to visit my three sons who still live in California!!! Yes, the air and surroundings are wonderful!!! Thanks for reading and taking time to comment :-)!!!
It's so darn cold in the Winter! So beautiful in the summer. I think the only store I would miss is Costco because I buy so much of my food there. I think you'll miss California in the Winter Time. Your pictures made me smile because you are all bundled up head to toe!
I enjoyed reading this hub! I often think at some point, I will return to a less crowded living environment, perhaps not that remote but out away from the noise of roads, noisy neighbors, etc. Many years ago I lived in a very small, rural community for a few years. It was nice for a few years, then I was ready to move on. There was one, small, family run store where you could just go in and buy whatever you needed and they ran a store credit for us. They were our neighbors. Everyone knew who lived where.
But it was about an hour to decent shopping. keep writing, love the stories.
Thanks so much for choosing to read my crazy little hub(s). I so appreciate it, as I know there are so many written! Most days I love small town living, but this weekend I need a mouse pad and there was only one place in town who had two to choose from!!! And, the cheapest one was $7.99! Somedays you realize how remote you are... other days you are just happy to live in one of the most beautiful places in the world :-)
Candie V says:
7 months ago
LOL I bet if 5 years ago this would be considered enough of an event you'd blog about it, you'd thought they were nuts. Looks like hubby has adapted to Montana-wear well! You can't beat a great plaid coat! thank you!!