apartment living

31 Essential Kitchen Tools All Frugal Cooks Need

Max Wong — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 09:30:21 +0000

I cook semi-professionally. My cooking clients, who usually own every top-rated, food-related tool and gadget, are always shocked when they see how I cook at home in my tiny kitchen. Contrary to what you see on cooking shows, you can cook pretty much anything with these basic tools.

1. Deep Sauté Pan

If I only had room for one pan in my kitchen, that pan would be the vintage Magnalite Professional, 10-inch sauté pan that my husband brought into our relationship. It gets used constantly so it lives on the back burner of our stove. It's made out of anodized aluminum. Most people think that it's cast iron because it's black from years of seasoning, which also makes it so non-stick that it's our go-to pan for cooking eggs.

Magnalite Professional skillets sell for around $60, used, on eBay, but I've seen them for much less at thrift stores. If you are skeeved-out by aluminum, buy a cast iron skillet instead.

2. Nonreactive Dutch Oven

My second favorite pan is an 8-quart stainless steel Dutch oven. Since I make a lot of high-acid, preserved foods, I need a nonreactive pan to cook down everything from my marmalades to my tomato sauce. Because of its large size I can use the Dutch oven as a stockpot to make 8-quarts of soup, or to boil water for pasta. It also works as a roasting pan in the oven. This is my favorite pan for frying, as the tall sides keep grease spatter to a minimum.

3. Nonreactive, 2-Quart Saucepan With Lid

I am a big believer in multi-purpose tools for smaller kitchens. Why own a tea kettle if a 2-quart saucepan with a lid heats water just as quickly? And, as much as I like the convenience of a rice cooker, I learned how to cook rice from my Auntie Wa, who made perfect rice, every day, for 85 years, in a pan. I also use this smaller pan to cook my morning oatmeal, melt butter for recipes, reheat leftovers, and make pasta sauce.

4. 8-Inch Chef's Knife

The workhorse knife in any professional kitchen is a chef's knife. While a longer blade will obviously give more cutting surface with less effort than a shorter one, people with crappy knife skills should opt for a shorter knife, as it's easier to control. So, instead of buying a 10-inch chef's knife, go with an 8-inch or even a 6-inch blade.

While a great knife is a work of art, if you go into just about any restaurant kitchen anywhere in the country, you will find the kitchen staff making your food with a Dexter Russell knife. The Dexter Russell 10-inch chef's knife is actually my husband's favorite knife. He's used this knife daily for 20 years, so they are durable as well as inexpensive.

5. Paring Knife

Chef's knives are versatile, but paring knives are better for small jobs like peeling potatoes, shaving garlic, or supreming grapefruit.

The most expensive knife that I own is my Wusthof Classic 12-cm paring knife that I bought on sale for $40. At 4.5 inches, it is about an inch longer than a standard parer. The longer blade length turns this into a utility knife. Along with its paring abilities, I use this knife to filet fish and bone meat.

There have been endless gear tests of paring knives that show that there's not a whole lot of difference between a $5 paring knife and a $60 paring knife, so use what you've got.

6. Bread Knife

The long, serrated edge of the bread knife makes quick work of large, fibrous fruits and vegetables like squash, watermelon, and pineapple, and easily slices tomatoes. I own a Tupperware Chef Series Pro bread knife that I got for free as a hostess gift.

A Note About Knife Safety

I have horrific knife skills. The only reason I still have all my fingers is that I use the right knife for the job and keep my knives sharp. Contrary to popular belief, dull knives are the cause of more kitchen accidents than sharp knives. A dull knife is more likely to skid off waxy-skinned produce like tomatoes, and you have to use a lot more force to cut with a dull blade. In this video, a chef proves that a sharpened 99-cent thrift store knife can out-perform a $400 dull knife.

7. Kitchen Shears

If I had better knife skills, I wouldn't need shears. But I don't, so I use my kitchen shears to cut poultry. I save so much money by buying whole chickens and parting them out at home, that my Tupperware Multipurpose Shears paid for themselves in the first year of ownership. Although I have owned many pairs of shears, I find the Tupperware shears are the easiest to disassemble and clean.

8. Two Wooden Cutting Boards

Which cutting board is safer? Plastic or wood? My preference is for wood, not only because I believe this food safety study, but also because wood boards are more versatile. Even the most hacked up wooden cutting board can be used as a cheese board or a trivet and still pass for charming. Also, I've revived my jankiest wood cutting boards by sanding them down. Old plastic boards get gross looking over time, even if they are kept super clean.

To avoid cross-contamination, I own two cutting boards. I use one cutting board exclusively for meat, and one board for cutting everything else.

9. Wooden Spoons

I can't actually remember the last time that I bought new wooden spoons, as some of mine are over 20 years old. In addition to their durability, I prefer wooden spoons to metal and plastic, because wood stays cool, doesn't melt, and won't scratch my pans. Also, they are cheap to purchase. In my neighborhood, they sell for about $1 each at the hardware store.

10. Silicone Spatula

I always appreciate my spatula when I am trying to get that bit of cake batter out of the bowl for that last cupcake. It's a money and food-saving tool. I prefer using a silicone spatula over the less expensive rubber models because silicone is heat-resistant up to 400ºF. After seeing how mold can grow between the head and the handle of a spatula (gross), I prefer using one-piece design spatulas. I also like using dark-colored spatulas because they hide food stains that can't be washed out. Good quality spatulas cost less than $15 and will last years.

11. Turner

Most people call this tool by its generic name "spatula," but the technical name for the thing you flip pancakes with is "turner." I recommend getting the wood-handled, metal turner that is used by fry cooks everywhere. Look for a turner that is wide enough to flip fish and burgers without splitting them, but has a thin, sharp edge for lifting dainty cookies off a baking sheet.

12. Metal Tongs

Obviously metal tongs are great for grilling. In addition to gripping steaks, they are also great for pulling bones out of hot chicken stock, grabbing cooked spaghetti, and moving cake pans around in the oven when you realize you left your hot pads in the laundry hamper. I use 14-inch long tongs. Anything shorter puts my hand too close to the heat.

13. Hot Pads

I have small hands, so oven mitts never fit me properly. This makes me clumsy. This makes me dangerous. I prefer using the old-fashioned, quilted, square hot pads instead. They are easy to make and cheap to buy. Also, they double as a decent trivet in a pinch.

14. Metal Ladle

I don't know why everyone doesn't own a ladle. Using a coffee cup to scoop soup into bowls is not a great work around. I like metal ladles because I don't have to worry about them melting if they touch a stove burner by accident.

15. Fine Mesh Strainer

Strain soups and jams. Use it as a colander to wash small amounts of food. Sift together dry ingredients for baking.

16. Can Opener

Plus, it'll be a crucial tool you'll need during the zombie apocalypse.

17. Measuring Spoons

I like metal spoons because I'm old-school. I bought my set at a restaurant supply store for $5.

18. Measuring Cups

Yes, you really do need both dry and liquid measuring cups if you want accuracy. Cook's Illustrated found that people mismeasured by as much as 23% when they used the wrong type of measuring cup. I bought my latest set of dry measuring cups at a restaurant supply store. They cost $5 and look identical to the set that costs $40 from a fancy cooking catalog. I use a 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup that I bought at the grocery store. It's dishwasher, refrigerator, and microwave-safe, so it's great for pouring melted butter over popcorn and mixing salad dressing.

19. Citrus Reamer

Ever wonder where the saying, "You got reamed," came from? Now you know. Because I have access to so much free citrus, I actually bought an electric reamer to help me keep up with my lemon tree, but I like this manual juicer because it comes with two different reamer sizes.

20. Mixing Bowls

Just like with pans, it's better to go too big than too small when it comes to mixing bowls. Get the biggest bowl that will fit in your kitchen. I got a set of four nesting Pyrex mixing bowls years ago as a gift. If I had my druthers, I would ditch all but the biggest bowl. Alas, my husband likes to prep his ingredients like he's cooking on a TV show, so he uses the smaller bowls all the time. Luckily, the bowls look nice enough to double as serving bowls for most meals.

21. Food Processor

I bought my 11-cup Cuisinart food processor at a garage sale 20 years ago for $30 and I think I've collected every blade that fits my model. (It hides my poor knife skills.) In addition to chopping, slicing, and pureeing, I use it to grate cheese, cut pastry dough, and whip the best whipped cream

Pro Tip: To save money and storage space on appliances, share them with a neighbor. I share my Cuisinart and many of my specialty tools with my neighbor Alexandra, who also loves to cook.

22. Food Thermometer

You'll have to pry my Thermapen Mk4 thermometer from my cold, dead hand… and then use it to assess my time of death. It's super accurate. I cooked for a long time without a food thermometer, which means that I spent years worrying that I had overcooked the bread and undercooked the chicken. It makes canning so much easier, now that I can tell the instant that my marmalade has reached gelling point. I don't have to manually test to find out that my candy has reached the soft-ball stage. And I can check that my freezer and refrigerator are set to the right temperatures for food safety in less than five seconds.

23. Oven Thermometer

Over time, every oven loses calibration. The temperature knob may say 350º, but the internal over temperature could be as much as 100º off. For example, to bake cookies at 350º in my vintage Wedgewood oven, I have to set the temperature knob to 375º. To ensure that your food is cooked at the proper temperature, invest in an oven thermometer. Even if it saves you from burning just one dinner, it's worth the price.

24. Hand Mixer

I love my KitchenAid stand mixer, but if you only bake a few times a year, an electric hand mixer will get the job done. You can buy hand mixers for around $15 new, and for even less at garage sales.

25. Rimmed Baking Sheets

Instead of a flat cookie sheet, I prefer to bake on jelly roll pans. The small edge of the jelly roll pan keeps my oven clean by preventing melted cheese, frosting, or glaze from dripping off the pan and fusing, concrete-like to the bottom of my oven. Because I bake around 80 dozen cookies during the holidays, I need four pans to keep the baking process speedy.

26. 9 x 13 Inch Baking Pan

Professional bakers use multiple baking pans, but I own just one 9 x 13 Pyrex baking dish to bake all my sheet cakes, bar cookies, pastries, lasagna, and casseroles.

27. 9 x 5 In Loaf Pan

I learned to bake bread inside a coffee can, which is still my preferred method. Not only can I fit more cans in my oven, the slices come out perfectly round. So cute! If can cooking is too hobo for you, I recommend owning two bread pans, because many recipes make two loaves. Since they stack inside one another, the second loaf pan takes up only a small amount of extra room.

28. Coffee Pot

I use a four-cup French press to make my coffee. It makes up to four cups of coffee at once, has a slim profile, generates no trash other than coffee grounds, and is easy to clean. Oh, and I can make a great cup of coffee in it!

29. Whetstone

If you are on a budget, you can save on the cost of paying a professional knife sharpener to sharpen your knives (and scissors, and shovels) by learning how to sharpen your edged tools using a whetstone.

30. Crock-Pot

The Crock-Pot is a brilliant tool for people on a tight budget and a tight schedule. They are also great for taking the stress out of holiday entertaining.

31. Fire Extinguisher

The best way to avoid a kitchen fire is to own a fire extinguisher. Safety first.

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This article is from Max Wong of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Avoid These 7 Things When Living With Roommates

Mikey Rox — Fri, 15 Jan 2016 12:00:02 +0000

Until very recently, I've never lived alone. I went from my parents' house to a college dorm room to a fraternity house to various apartments, to a condo of my own — all of which were occupied by at least one other person. Considering that I'm OCD about everything — which is perhaps why I find myself currently living alone — and that I've lived with a couple crap-bag human beings in the past, I'm a bona fide expert in all the things you should never do when cohabitating with someone else.

You've been warned.

1. Eat Other People's Food Without Permission

It's important for me to establish that while I've had many roommates over the years who have all done something I didn't like (as I'm sure I did for them, too), most of them weren't particularly offensive. A little annoyance here and there, yeah, but that's par for the course. And we're still friends. But there was one roommate who was so vile, so rude, so throw-up-in-my-mouth disgusting that most of the following anecdotes will be based on my short, six-month experience with him. Like the time he ate my food without permission.

But he didn't just eat my food without permission. It's not like a pack of ramen was missing and I lost my ish. Oh, no. This dude and three of his drunken friends ravaged $50 worth of the groceries and snacks I had just purchased the night before. Straight-up murdered the fridge and cabinets. My cheese popcorn never stood a chance. Of course, the next day when I confronted him, he was all apologetic and offered to pay for the pilfered goods. But he never did. Because that's the kind of person he was — Satan's Spawn (SS), who, admittedly, I should've known was up to no good when he suspiciously smelled like both sweat and Cool Ranch Doritos simultaneously.

2. Fail to Pitch In on Common Household Items

There were three of us living in the Baltimore row house in which SS kept his lair, but only two of us pitched in on household items. Personally, I didn't mind buying cleaning products. I accept that not everyone lives as extreme-clean as I do, and they don't have to. But, when you don't throw in a few bucks for paper towels and toilet paper, and then use half the rolls yourself, you're some special kind of evil. As a result, my other roommate and I started rationing the paper products amongst ourselves and kept them in our respective bedrooms for our own use.

And, nope, I'm not even a little bit remorseful about the first time SS discovered our new tactic right after doing his business. Bet he found the cleaning products that day.

3. Bring in a Revolving Door of Randos for Overnight Stays

Surprisingly, SS didn't bring in a bunch of randos. Frankly, we were shocked when anybody at all would stay the night in his bedroom — because Godspeed to that brave warrior princess and her penicillin prescription.

Still, it's never cool to have strangers in and out of the house all hours of the night. Be respectful of your roommates and recognize that perhaps they don't appreciate Tinder "dates" staying over all the time. My personal rule is that non-roommate stays should be limited to no more than 1/3 of the month, which applies to significant others just as much as it does bar-to-bedroom buddies, friends, and family. I didn't sign a lease with those people, so why are they here all the time?

4. Being Consistently Late on Rent and Other Payments

If SS didn't pay me back for the $50 worth of food he scarfed down, then it's probably not hard to believe that he rarely paid his rent. We lived in an equal-payment situation, and our landlord wanted us to help make up the difference. Pfft. Nerp. Hold up, bub. That's not my friend over there drinking top-of-the-line tequila, but who's too house-poor to buy toilet paper. I'm not picking up his slack. Likewise, nobody in your place should be covering for you if you can't make ends meet. In that case, you got to go. Don't let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya. (See also: 10 Money Moments That Are Awkward for Everyone)

5. Keep Untidy Spaces

This dude didn't pick up a broom the whole time he lived with us. Couldn't find the Ajax to scrub the tub, or replace the shower curtain when it got grimy. Nary a bottle of Windex or 409 ever touched his hands, and God forbid he wipe down the stove after his Spaghetti-Os splattered everywhere. But while he left his indelible mark on the common areas, it was his bedroom that should have been quarantined. After months of my dishes consistently disappearing, rarely to be seen again, I opened SS's bedroom door one day to take back what was mine. Except they were now science projects, like that time Stephen King touched a meteorite in Creepshow and starting growing alien vegetation all over himself. Thus, they became his dishes, that jerk.

Of course everybody has a right to keep their room how they want it. Some people aren't as tidy as others, and that's okay, in your own personal area. But if you're downright filthy, it becomes a household issue, especially as pests and rodents can be problematic. Keep common areas tidy and at least try to keep your bedroom somewhat clean, as well.

6. Partake in "Recreational Activities" Indoors

I use to be a cigarette smoker, but I never smoked indoors in a roommate situation if they didn't like it. I also recognize that some people like to smoke weed, and since that was never my thing, I appreciated when my roommates would smoke elsewhere.

If you drink or smoke and your roommate isn't cool with it, then you need to respect that and keep your recreational activities far away from them.

7. Borrow Clothing Without Asking

I didn't have to worry about SS borrowing my clothing without asking, but when I was in college I had a roommate — one of my fraternity brothers — who would borrow my clothes on the regular. In all fairness, we borrowed each other's clothing, since we were essentially the same size and build, but I didn't like when he would go into my closet without asking first. It's cool when you're both in the room getting ready for a party and can swap closets in person, but it's a little invasive if you're going through your roomie's wardrobe when they're not there. If this is something you enjoy with your roommates, just remember boundaries. If the other person doesn't know about it, it's stealing. And you better hope you don't get a stain on my shirt... lest you want to be buried in it.

Tell me: What are some other things to never do when living with a roommate? I'd love to hear some of your roommate horror stories in the comments below.

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This article is from Mikey Rox of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

When You Should and Shouldn't Rent

Little House — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 13:00:12 +0000

Two years ago, right around the time the housing market had begun to fall and prices declined, I decided that buying a home would be a good financial move. Yet two years later, I'm still a renter.

Living in an expensive city in the United States has probably affected the way I view home ownership. I've crunched the numbers many times and compared renting versus buying in my area over the past two years. Since I strongly believe in the three-times-your-income formula for buying a house, meaning you take your income and multiply it by three to find the price of home you can afford, homes in my area are out of my price range. For obvious reasons, renting is more affordable for me. However, there can be benefits to renting even in cities where the prices of homes are affordable. (See also: Renting Is Cheaper)

Renting Is Better When...

For all the hullabaloo around the benefits of buying, I beg to differ and say that renting can sometimes be beneficial, as there are some things you might not know about renting that could save you money.

You Don't Want to Worry About Maintenance

One benefit of renting is the lack of responsibility when it comes to maintenance or repair. If the roof needs replacing, you are not responsible for covering these costs. If your water heater breaks down, your landlord must repair it within 24 hours. When it comes to major repairs, or any repair that affects your level of comfort, you may be able to deduct the number of days it took your landlord to repair it off of your rent.

You Want to Pay Less for Utilities

Units that share a wall or walls are better at retaining heat, which means your gas or electric bill will be less than in a stand-alone house. Many rental buildings also cover a portion of your utilities (often the cost of water), a savings you can pocket instead.

You Want Mobility

Though you may be locked into a 6-month or 12-month lease, if an opportunity to move presented itself, it is much easier to move from a rental house or apartment than it would be to sell or rent a home you own. Mobility also means that if your finances changed, you can move to reduce your expenses, especially considering that housing consumes an average of 34% of a person's income.

One way to gauge if renting is a better financial option is to take your monthly rent and multiply it by 240 (this formula comes from Michael Bluejay's website). If you can purchase a home for that amount, then buying a house will be a better option. However, if you aren't able to purchase a house for that amount, then renting is more financially sound. Of course the key to making renting a better alternative is to invest the difference!

Renting Is a Bust When...

When I research home prices throughout the rest of the nation, I'm always shocked at how affordable homes are in other states. In some cities, monthly rent is the same as a mortgage payment. If people know they won't be moving out of the area for many years (upwards of five), buying may be the better option.

Rent Is Overinflated

During the housing boom, rent stabilized and many buildings were offering rental incentives such as one or two months free. Many people were moving out of rentals and into homes, so the rental market had to make adjustments. However, current rent prices seems to be creeping up as people are reversing their role from home owner to renter.

Housing Prices Are Decreasing

As the housing market corrects itself from the skyrocketing affect of the housing bubble, homes are much more affordable today than they were six or seven years ago. If home prices in your area are pre-2003 prices, now might be the time to buy.

Mortgage Rates Are Low

Mortgage rates have remained low over the past seven years. A combination of low mortgage rates with affordable home prices is a good indication it might be better to purchase a house than to continue renting.

I've lived within a five-mile radius for the past 32 years of my life. It would have made financial sense to purchase a home 12 years ago, when prices were still affordable. I want to kick myself for not jumping on a $110,000 starter home back in 1999. At the time my monthly rent was $925, and the mortgage on such an affordable home would have been about the same, if not less. During the housing boom that same house soared to over $500,000! Of course, I can't do anything about that decision now. I can only learn from it and realize when it makes more sense to buy.

Renting has a negative stigma associated with it that isn't justified. If you can rent for an affordable price and save more of your income towards building wealth than if you were to purchase a similar place, then renting is by all means the better of the two options. Obviously your personal finances, location, and preferences will affect your decision to own a home or to rent. Just remember to weigh the benefits and disadvantages of both.

This article is from Little House of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Studio Apartment Living: A 5-Point Survival Guide

Meg Favreau — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 12:36:09 +0000

There are already a lot of great resources for small-space and apartment living here on Wise Bread. But I'd like to take a moment to tackle the unique challenges of that cost-effective, and often-mocked living space, the humble studio apartment. Boasting a tiny number of square feet and housing pretty much everything in just four walls (including, occasionally, the bathroom), the studio apartment can be both cozy and claustrophobia-inducing. (See also: 7 Ways to Make the Most of a Tiny Kitchen)

1. Find Storage Everywhere

Myscha's article on small-space living includes lots of great ways to find storage space, but finding storage can be even more challenging when your small space is just one room. Thus I'd like to add another storage option to Myscha's list that I utilized while living in my very first studio — the door. Unless you live in a very...erhm, special apartment (see the concept of bathroom-in-room, above), you should at the very least have one door. Hooks can be installed on doors to hang coats, towels, or bathrobes. My favorite door storage method, however, is the door-mounted shoe rack, because those little shoe pockets can hold so many useful things. In one tiny apartment I lived in, the bathroom door was right next to the kitchen area, and I used a door-mounted shoe rack to store all of my spices, utensils, and foods like onions, garlic, and potatoes.

2. Don't Sacrifice Your Favorite Comforts

Enjoying the low cost of living in a small apartment isn't worth it if you have to sacrifice the basic things that make you happy. If you're most comfortable sleeping on a big bed, figure out how you can make it fit with the space or find another apartment. Cramming yourself onto a twin mattress every night won't be worth it if you wake up cranky every morning. Similarly, you probably won't be happy with a hot plate and half-sink if you love spending weekends baking cookies and bread.

3. Entertain Entertaining

Living in a studio can be very lonely if you feel like you can never invite friends over. You won't be able to throw wild dance parties in your studio no matter how hard you try (unless we have very different definitions of a "wild dance party"), but it is possible to arrange many studio apartments so you can comfortably watch a movie with a friend or invite a special someone over for dinner. Keep this in mind when laying out your space and picking out furniture.

4. Keep It Clean

How messy an apartment feels increases quickly when there's only one room to keep that mess in. Keep it straightened up, and don't underestimate the value of items like a decent-looking hamper.

5. Get Out. Leave. Go.

I do very well with spending a lot of time alone (you kind of have to when you work from home), but even I start to go stir crazy if I spend too long in the same small room. Get out and enjoy the world around you, whether you're going for a walk or run, meeting up with a friend, reading at the library, or doing any of a host of other free or cheap activities outside of the studio.

Do you have any tricks for dealing with studio living?

This article is from Meg Favreau of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

7 Ways to Make the Most of a Tiny Kitchen

Meg Favreau — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 01:12:09 +0000

I recently downsized from a rowhome to a small apartment. How small? Let's just say that the kitchen is better defined as an “alcove” than a “room.” There's no dishwasher, an appliance I grew all too accustomed to over the past few years. There's no silverware drawer. And there's literally no counter space, unless you count the two inch strip that runs between the sink and the oven. Heck, when I looked at the apartment, the previous tenant had been keeping his microwave on the floor. Something about having to get down on hands and knees to heat up a Hot Pocket seems really unappealing to me, but hey, maybe that guy really enjoyed the process.

I love to cook, so I was worried about the tiny kitchen. But it's forced me to reconsider what tools I need to cook and how I prepare food, and so far, I'm loving it. Here are some tips on how to make the most of your kitchen if you're short on space:

1. Only Own What You Use

When I moved, I got rid of half of my glasses, some plates, and several rarely used kitchen appliances, among other things. As much as I loved whipping up frozen treats with my ice-cream maker, for example, it was hard to justify keeping something so large that I used maybe three or four times over the summer. And while I thought that not having a dishwasher would be a pain, it has made paring down my kitchen items easier, since before I could allow dirty dishes to pile up in the dishwasher until it was full, and now I immediately wash what's in the sink.

2. Purchase Miniature Versions of Appliances

I have a little Kitchen Aid food processor, and for my purposes, it has served me just as well as a regular-size one. The only real difference is that I have to puree my soups in batches instead of all at once. Similarly, I use a hand mixer for baking instead of a stand mixer. (See also: The 5 Best Mixers)

3. Add Extra Storage Space

As you can see in the picture above, my apartment already had a wall-mounted pot rack installed, which has allowed me to free up the minimal cupboard space I do have for plates and food. (If you don't want to buy a pre-made pot rack, Myscha has suggestions for how to craft your own in her piece on Gourmet Kitchens on a Shoestring.) I also keep non-perishable ingredients on my windowsill and on top of my cupboards, which allows me to both have extra storage space and put interesting items on display.

4. Make Areas Multi-Purpose

I thought about getting a little kitchen island for prep space, but instead I use my kitchen table for both eating and prep work. Not having the island makes the kitchen feel much less cluttered.

5. Keep It Clean

The messiness of a kitchen is heightened exponentially when there are fewer places for that mess to go. Clean as you cook, and don't let things sit out needing to be put away.

6. Buy the Ingredients You Need

I love buying pantry items in bulk to save money, but in a tiny kitchen, doing so makes my precious cupboard space fill up quickly. Be choosy about what you buy in bulk, and consider buying more fresh fruits and vegetables. They're healthy, and because you have to eat them while they're still good, they won't sit around taking up space.

7. Use the Oven for All Cooking

I got used to browning my bread in the toaster. If I wanted to defrost frozen soup, I popped it in the microwave. But just about anything that can be cooked, unfrozen, toasted, melted, or panini-pressed in a countertop appliance can have the same thing done to it in or on the oven. Sure, it's not always quite as convenient, but your oven's broiler will make your bread just as crispy as a four-slice toaster.

Do you have a tiny kitchen? If so, how do you cope?

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This article is from Meg Favreau of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Garden Ideas for Small Spaces

Little House — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 13:00:17 +0000

There's no better way for me to wind down at the end of the day than by relaxing on my patio, staring off into luscious green foliage. Yet with a move on the horizon, from residential house to suburban apartment, I realize I can't forgo the garden even if my patio is a scant 8 feet by 10 feet. I need the fresh flowers and green leaves that give me the sanity only nature can provide. After measuring out my patio, plotting creative container ideas, and utilizing my outdoor space efficiently, I found that almost any area can be turned into a garden oasis, no matter how diminutive the space. (See also: Vegetable Gardening: 4 Cheap Hacks)

Containers of All Sizes

The solution to my patio predicament comes in the form of containers: small, narrow, and vertical. Since my patio is rectangular in shape, the best solution for me is utilizing the three walls surrounding the perimeter and keeping my plants growing up and out, leaving me plenty of room for my bistro table. Space-saving containers include the following:

Window boxes — Window boxes are normally narrow and horizontal in shape, but they need not only be used in front of windows. Window boxes can be securely anchored to the top of a patio ledge or placed on the ground. An alternative idea is hanging them from a wall or, if your apartment building or complex allows, hanging over a ledge. Not only do window boxes take up less space, they have multiple functions.
Hanging baskets — Half moon-shaped baskets can hang from any wall, or a drop-down basket can hang from an awning or overhang. Hanging baskets are space savers, leaving the ground clutter-free. They can be used at various levels creating a rich garden surrounding your patio.
Small and narrow containers and pots — Small round pots and narrow containers can be clustered together at different levels using plant stands. Not only can one corner hold many plants, but lifting the plants off the ground allows room for the others to grow.

Raised Beds

Small gardens don't only exist in apartment living. Many houses found in condensed cities have small yards that are begging for some flora. For areas with a small patch of dirt, raised beds can add color and utility to a cityscape.

Raised beds — Most raised beds are DIY. Purchasing rot-resistant wood at a local lumber yard, begin with 2-by-4s varying in length. Since you'll be adding your own soil, the existing dirt can be used as the floor of the bed. Raised beds can come in many shapes and sizes depending on how much room you have to work with. Raised beds also provide plants with excellent drainage.

Making the Most of an Indoor Environment

What happens if a patio or outdoor area is too small for a garden or non-existent? Use your sunlit windows and create an indoor garden sanctuary. Varying the size and height of plants with the help of plant stands and hanging baskets can turn a corner into a mini-garden. Some indoor plants I've had luck with include:

Philodendrons — In particular the heart-shaped variety. They tend to grow with very little care, a deep watering every couple of weeks, and pruning. I've even grown a couple in my shower (they love the misted moisture).
Corn plants — They look similar to mini-palm trees with waxy green leaves and thick trunks. They tend to prefer filtered sunlight and require minimal watering.
Herbs — Cilantro, mint, and rosemary, to name a few flavorful herbs, can be grown indoors. Be sure to provide ample sunlight and drainage.

With any container plant, adding nutrients every so often will benefit your plants.Checking the amount of water and sunlight the plant needs for optimal growing conditions will help reduce any plant troubles and keep them disease free.

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This article is from Little House of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Can you guess what’s in the box?

Paul Michael — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 17:25:09 +0000

Here’s a little help. It takes two people to lift and carry the box. It measures 47.2 inches in length, 35.4 inches in height and 31.5 inches in width. It's from Europe. Oh, and it’s ideal for people with itchy feet. All will be revealed.

The concept is CASULO, and this is what the creators have to say about it:

“CASULO does away with the problem of temporary furniture rentals and offers a winning solution to all the problems moving involves. We are facing an enormous challenge, for in the working-world of the future we will have to adapt to a more mobile style of life. The CASULO concept offers an inventive and achievable opportunity to face the demands of mobile living.”

Yes, that’s right. The yellow box contains an apartment’s worth of furniture. It’s the ultimate in frugal living, inventiveness and modern living. Inside you'll find:

1 wardrobe
1 large desk/table
1 desk cabinet with locking drawers
1 revolving, height-adjustable desk chair
2 stools
1 single (twin) bed
1 mattress
1 tall set of shelves.

Note: The stools and the drawers of the desk cabinet also serve and double as additional storage containers.

Don’t think it can be done? Neither did I, until I saw the video and photos below.

It’s a masterpiece of design by Marcel Krings and Sebastian Mühlhäuser, at the Köln International School of Design in Cologne. It’s not yet available for purchase, but when it does go on sale it will be available in Europe first.

However, as an experiment in frugality and minimalism, it’s thought-provoking to say the least. How much do we need to live in relative comfort? Admittedly, there’s no sofa in the box, no Widescreen TV, no sound system, and certainly none of the typical comforts of home.

But as someone who moved house 5 times in 7 years during my college and room-sharing years, this would have been perfect for me. Forget the truck rental, just put your apartment in your back seat and move on. Most of the time, I was so busy working or out with friends that I rarely noticed what was in my apartment anyway.

The CASULO is for people on the move, those in job training, students, and people who have to change their location frequently. The unit is ideal for people in the service industries. People who must move frequently and rent empty rooms need no longer accumulate sets of inexpensive furnishings whose transportation costs are higher than the value of the furniture.

This is by far one of the most inspiring and original ideas I’ve seen in a long time. I wonder if they could work out how to put an apartment in a messenger bag? The mind boggles.

This article is from Paul Michael of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread: