Any handy hints for single living?

This is not my advice, just something said from an incredibly classy senior many years ago. A totally contrary approach to eating over the sink, use your good dishes & silver everyday. She said it kept her mood elevated. I guess if you’re just washing a few dishes by hand, it would be no more work than the Corelle.
 
Jules said:
This is not my advice, just something said from an incredibly classy senior many years ago. A totally contrary approach to eating over the sink, use your good dishes & silver everyday. She said it kept her mood elevated. I guess if you’re just washing a few dishes by hand, it would be no more work than the Corelle.
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My friend decided to use her mother's silver and good china every day, years ago. If something breaks, so be it. Better to put them to use, than having them displayed in a china cabinet for decades.
 
Rosemarie said:
Actually, it sounds strange but if you are dieting and want small quantities, baby food is an option. There is quite a range of varieties, and you can always have two if one isn't enough. I buy the fruit purees. Topped with cream or yogurt, they make a very pleasant dessert.
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I have done this as well. I had a young lady ask me if I was babysitting for a grandchild when I went to the cashier with several one day. I was too embarrassed to tell her they were for me. :giggle:
 
deesierra said:
I bought a FoodSaver vacuum packaging appliance a few years ago. Sure beats those so-called freezer bags! I've taken meats out of the freezer after 6 months or more after being vacuumed sealed, and there's no dryness, freezer burn, or loss of flavor.
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Love mine! I use it all the time. I'm not single but when cooking I make enough for several meals and freeze for later when I don't feel like cooking.
 
I'm rather lazy. I prefer microwaveable meals. Take it out of a box, nuke it, and enjoy. I can order all I want on Amazon, and their delivery drivers get it here. I've had great difficulties going to a grocery store in person. I run out of breath, and sweat profusely. One time I almost called an ambulance, but I had too much perishable food! I have it down to a science. Sometimes I don't even go to Walmart for two months at a time!
 
Not food related but learn to say "no". Many of my friends assume that since I am single that I am also lonely which isn't the case at all. Early on I got many invites for going out to dinner or their homes to "hangout". Early on I felt obliged to go but didn't enjoy it much because most were married plus I really was content being home alone binging a show on Netflix 😉. I finally started declining the invitations and now control when I want to be with others.

Don't get me wrong, I appreciated their sentiment but setting my own boundaries became a priority.
 
I spent 7 years after my divorce living alone, was always looking for a better way to deal with food. Bread, no way I can eat a whole loaf before it goes bad, so for a couple days I would enjoy a few slices fresh, then stick the loaf in the freezer. Toasting the bread straight out of the freezer worked good. I would blanch & freeze veggies, dividing them up into containers that could be nuked then eaten from. Hard boiling eggs gives them a bit more shelf life. Whatever I froze(and still in the present) I mark the date with a Sharpie.
 
oldman said:
I was just telling my wife the other day that I was never on my own. I lived at home for 18 years, then shared a dorm room in college for four years, then in the Marines for four years and then back home for two years and then married. I have never experienced being by myself and if that should ever happen, I’m going to be in big trouble because I won’t know anything about living alone.
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Neither has my man. He went from home into the military at age 17 , stayed in the military 7 years and @ 24 he met me. He has never been on his own.
 
Rosemarie said:
Judging from the above posts, it seems the biggest challenge when living alone is not wasting food. Some small shops sell things singly but, on the whole, shops cater for families not people living alone. Cooking double quantities of potatoes and vegetables is one tip. It's quite surprising what cold potatoes can be used for....including making pastry and scones (pastry made with potatoes is a lovely golden colour)
The cost of heating is the same no matter how many people are using a room. I have turned my second bedroom into a sitting-room. Because it's much smaller than the lounge, it's cheaper to heat. However, I still put on the light in the lounge, so that it looks occupied.
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It pains me to throw away food, so I get pretty creative with leftovers. And if I'm making something labor intensive like lasagne I make a full pan and freeze what I can't eat. To me Italian food is always better as leftovers anyway.
 
Aunt Bea said:
The biggest tip from me would be to use your freezer compartment to manage your leftovers and help eliminate food waste. Most of the odds and ends that I store in the freezer are used within a couple of weeks.

I take a pound of fresh ground beef or sausage and cook it with celery, onion, garlic, and sometimes carrots or mushrooms until the meat is no longer pink then I cool it and freeze it in four portions. Each portion is enough to season a batch of crack slaw, ACS/goulash, cauliflower fried rice, chili, soup, etc...

I also freeze various types of precooked sausages and hot dogs to use as a seasoning in various dishes. One frozen two-ounce portion of sausage can be sliced into coins while still frozen and added to a can of beans, fried with some onion and scrambled with an egg, fried with leftover potatoes, used to season a small boiled dinner with cabbage, carrots, onions, and potatoes, a pot of soup, etc...

I buy rotisserie chickens quite often and use a portion then strip the remaining meat from the bones and freeze it in small containers for soups, cauliflower fried rice, chicken salad, etc...

I use eggs as a quick inexpensive source of protein. One sliced hardboiled egg as a sandwich or as a salad topper, a microwave poached egg served over asparagus or spinach, French toast, a microwave fried egg with a slice of melted cheese on a toasted English muffin, etc...

Change your notion of what it takes to make a meal. When you live alone a dish of vegetables and a bowl of cereal, a glass of milk and a peanut butter sandwich, a couple of eggs scrambled with leftover vegetables, a cup of soup or a side salad, and a toasted English muffin with melted cheese can be an easy meal for one.

Pick an inexpensive food and do a few internet searches to come up with a half dozen ways to work it into your meal plan.

I also rely on the heat and eat section of the local deli for a couple of easily prepared meals each week. Nothing too exotic, a portion of fried fish, a slice of pizza, fried chicken, etc...

Most important of all when you live alone you can eat what you want when you want it. ;)
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"Most important of all when you live alone you can eat what you want when you want it. ;)".......SO TRUE Aunt Bea!!
 
MarkinPhx said:
Not food related but learn to say "no". Many of my friends assume that since I am single that I am also lonely which isn't the case at all. Early on I got many invites for going out to dinner or their homes to "hangout". Early on I felt obliged to go but didn't enjoy it much because most were married plus I really was content being home alone binging a show on Netflix 😉. I finally started declining the invitations and now control when I want to be with others.

Don't get me wrong, I appreciated their sentiment but setting my own boundaries became a priority.
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My time living alone left a lasting mark on me, in that I am absolutely fine with being home alone. I have become very possessive of my time, and even though I'm a basically a social person, I find myself declining invites a lot. I like to control my life, rather than relinquish that to someone else. No nursing home for me, if that prospect ever arises my kids will have to hunt for me in the homeless camps.....
 
Jules said:
This is not my advice, just something said from an incredibly classy senior many years ago. A totally contrary approach to eating over the sink, use your good dishes & silver everyday. She said it kept her mood elevated. I guess if you’re just washing a few dishes by hand, it would be no more work than the Corelle.
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What a great idea! I have a full set of beautiful Noritake china from the late 60's that has rarely been used. When I moved in 2018 I took it to a consignment store but they weren't interested. They said it wouldn't sell because nowadays no one has any interest in fine china. So I then offered it for free on a local public marketplace. No takers. I certainly couldn't just throw it away, so it now resides in my garage, carefully stashed in its quilted and padded storage boxes. Who knows, when I die maybe there will be a revived interest in fine china and my heir can make some $$ 😊
 
You can throw a frozen burger patty on the skillet if you want. One of the most famous burgers in my town are all frozen solid as they hit the grille. Slow cooker recipes are ideal for making/freezing stews, etc. I don't cook and freeze burger meat and sausage because I don't like the texture. Quick thawing is simple, just place the item in front of a small desk fan!
 
Lewkat said:
Aunt Bea has the most useful tips that I have often used. Now, I am about to be challenged since I will be visiting my son for 2 weeks and he expects me to make him full meals every day. While I used to enjoy cooking and being creative in the kitchen, I really don't have that interest any more. Especially since I lost my sense of taste and smell while ill with the virus. Neither has come back in full force so I eat perhaps a half of a sandwich if I am hungry or have a couple cups of coffee. Both satisfy me. But, my downfall is eating sherbet. It is cold and ours is smooth and dense. A lot like gelato which, whether I can taste it fully or not, I lap it up. Not the healthiest way to live.
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Here's a suggestion for your son: Hungry? Make it yourself!
 
Lewkat said:
Aunt Bea has the most useful tips that I have often used. Now, I am about to be challenged since I will be visiting my son for 2 weeks and he expects me to make him full meals every day. While I used to enjoy cooking and being creative in the kitchen, I really don't have that interest any more. Especially since I lost my sense of taste and smell while ill with the virus. Neither has come back in full force so I eat perhaps a half of a sandwich if I am hungry or have a couple cups of coffee. Both satisfy me. But, my downfall is eating sherbet. It is cold and ours is smooth and dense. A lot like gelato which, whether I can taste it fully or not, I lap it up. Not the healthiest way to live.
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My son knows what my reaction to that expectation would be! If I'm a guest in your house YOU cook. My son wouldn't ever make such a demand on me, anyway, he has better sense.
 
I buy those large cans of dehydrated vegetables sold for emergency preparedness. One can will last for a very long time. I have green peppers, red peppers, onions, diced carrots, asparagus and tomato powder (I had celery too and it was not very good). I use them in recipes all the time and it saves me from having to cut up fresh vegetables. I don't use them every time, but they are very handy and taste just like fresh.
 
...when I get old!
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I like this phrase. It connotes that I'm not there yet!

For protein supply, I buy lots of protein and nut bars, they don't spoil and I eat them with apples, grapes, strawberries or whatever fruits are on sale at Aldi near me.
 

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