Any handy hints for single living?

Gaer

Gaer

"Angel whisperer"
Location
New Mexico U.S.A.
I've got one.

Finally found the CHOICE ground beef (instead of SELECT) and as I was putting the groceries away,
aha! a way to thaw ground beef more quickly from the freezer! Being single, I can't use up a pound of beef before it goes bad.
I separate the packages into serving size chunks and put them in baggies or freeze proof plastic bags, seal them and SPREAD THEM OUT into one single layer. SPREAD THE MEAT OUT FLAT.
This way, when i take them from the freezer, the meat isn't in one big chunk. It thaws very quickly! Great for one person!

What are YOUR helpful hints?
 

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While I’m not single, I do the above all the time.
My man eats lots of meat and so do our dogs while I don’t so I put them in individual portions before freezing.
 
We don’t eat much meat, so I do the small packets too. Sometimes I cook up the whole package and divide it into smaller packets for spaghetti, etc. Those defrost very quickly.
 

I usually prepare meals in advance, and freeze them in individually-sized portions.
This works for many different kinds of recipes- homemade pot pies, Shake'n'Bake chicken, casseroles, etc.
If you have a microwave, all you need to do is "heat-and-eat;" I use a regular oven.
 
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. ;)
 
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.
 
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.
 
Hmmm..........not that it would interest anyone..............I put all my valuables into my underpants when I go to bed, that way, if there are any 'Raffles' type ladies breaking into my home to rob me, then to retrieve the valuables, they have to 'thrill' me to get them. 😊
 
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.
 
Gaer said:
let's have some MORE helpful hints! I know you guys have a lot of them!
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If you buy a package of fresh Italian or breakfast sausages, chicken parts, or something similar, and you want to freeze them here's what I do: Separate them out on a cookie sheet and put them in the freezer til frozen solid. Then take them out and put in a Ziploc and put back in the freezer. This way they will not freeze and stick together and you can easily take out one or two pieces.

Another thing I do: When freezing meat I include the store label in the bag with the "Buy or freeze by Sept. XX", so later on I know when I bought it without having to otherwise mark the package somehow. (Yes I'm lazy and am always trying to simplify my life)
 
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.
 
Wren said:
If practical, sleep in a single bed, much easier to change the bedding, turn the mattress etc. especially as you get older
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Yes ... had a king-size bed at my former house, and when I moved to my apartment, bought a twin size memory foam for myself. So happy with it, and agree about the ease of changing bedding, etc.
I down-sized with everything it seems. I like to move things around when I clean, so heavy furniture had to go. I don't miss any of it.
 
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.
Click to expand...

I like the single servings. This helps me with portion control. I'm trying to stick to portions more now in hopes that it will help me to lose weight. I do like chips with sandwiches so the individual bags or containers help to keep me from over munching. I like single serving fruit cups and individual snack packs. They have servings for one or two in other places in the store. I look for those first.
 
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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.
 
Any handy hints for single living?


Gaer said:
let's have some MORE helpful hints! I know you guys have a lot of them!
Click to expand...

Do NOT! buy in bulk
Sure, a freezer full is nice
But it gets old
Not old as in going bad
Just old in taste

Oh, and eat over the sink
Saves doing dishes
And who wants to sit alone at the table

Moving along;

Don't ask marginal friends over
It gets sketchy when asking them to leave.....right around the 3rd day

Entertainment? There's always a taproom somewhere, where everbody know yer name
Oh, and don't tell them yer real name
They'll find yer place
.....and come over

I've got many more helpful hints, but I'm writing this book.....
 
Ferocious said:
Hmmm..........not that it would interest anyone..............I put all my valuables into my underpants when I go to bed, that way, if there are any 'Raffles' type ladies breaking into my home to rob me, then to retrieve the valuables, they have to 'thrill' me to get them. 😊
Click to expand...


Ferocious, Were you the role model for Basil Makepeace in "Waiting For God" ?:unsure:
 

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