Crabby Housewife

10 Tips for College Students Who Hate Cafeteria Food

March 25, 2016 November 10, 2015 By Caitlin Soard Leave a Comment

Some college campuses have amazing food service, from huge cafeterias offering any kind of fare students could wish for to fast food services located directly in dorm buildings. However, especially at smaller colleges, you may be limited to just one or two cafeteria options. This can get old very quickly, especially over the course of four years. Here are 10 tips to make the most of your college dining experience, both on and off campus.

1. Don’t underestimate the power of your microwave.

It’s easy to dismiss a microwave as just a way to make popcorn or tea. However, this little appliance can help recreate just about any dish college-style. A quick Google search will pull up hundreds of “mug recipes,” which are recipes that you can typically make with only a few ingredients and a coffee mug. Ramen noodles can also be made with a fancy twist by steaming fresh veggies in the microwave and adding them post boil.

2. Use mobile apps.

If you find yourself ordering pizza often, check to see if your favorite chain offers a mobile app. The Papa John’s and Domino’s mobile apps both offer a function that allows you to earn points toward a free pizza with every purchase. Taco Bell’s mobile app often offers app-exclusive coupons, such as $2 off of a $10 order.

3. Get creative with the daily options in your dining hall.

Most campus dining halls offer certain items daily and also have a rotating menu of other offerings. Don’t be afraid to mix and match things from different lines to create your own dishes!

4. Ask for student discounts

College towns know their main customer base is usually students, and they also know college students are broke. Many places will offer a discount to students—you’ll probably need to make sure you have your ID on you, though.

5. Take advantage of campus kitchens.

Most dorms offer an in-house kitchen with a stove and oven for residents to use. As long as you have the cookware, you can make pretty much anything you’d make at home, as long as your cooking skills are up to par with your mom’s.

6. Cold cereal saves lives.

When all else fails, cereal will always be there for you. Especially if you’re up late and nothing is open, cereal makes a fail-safe meal plan. Just be careful to not let milk spoil in your mini fridge (you can buy soy or almond milk to avoid this!)

7. Go to campus events

The fool-proof way to get college students to come to something is to offer them free food—usually in the form of pizza. Go check out some clubs, often the first meeting will include snacks, and events offering food will always be posted around campus or sent via email.

8. Gift cards

With Christmas coming up, you may have relatives who are a little stuck on what to get you. If someone asks, say gift cards! They come in handy when money is especially tight and you can’t afford that Taco Bell run on your own.

9. Campus coffee shops

Often the on-campus coffee shop will offer small things like salad or sandwiches that you can purchase on the go for cheap or discounted rates.

10 Consider a move off-campus

If you really cannot stand eating the food provided with your meal plan, it may be cheaper to look for a place off campus where you could cook for yourself—if your college allows you to live off campus. The main downside to this is paying rent monthly, though if you get together a few roommates, it’s usually doable.

How to Choose the Perfect Paint Color for Your Room

March 25, 2016 November 9, 2015 By Crabby Housewife Leave a Comment

As many of you know, we’ve recently undertaken some home remodeling projects, starting with our master bedroom suite. I was on the hunt for the perfect paint color for my bedroom, but I was open to nearly any color. I finally decided on a neutral-ish hue because I may decide to take it on into my living room/kitchen area at some point.

So, that left me with grays, tans, etc. I decided I wanted a tan, but a WARM tan and went with a color called Warm Caramel. I ordered the sample, loved it, and went and bought a gallon. I only finished the trim in our closet when I realized the color was way too dark for my liking. I’m still going to use that paint for a dresser I am revamping and doing a chevron pattern on, but not on the walls.

The problem with choosing a color is that it will look very different in the store under the fluorescent lights, but when you get it home it won’t look right. My husband finally found a color at Porter Paints called Rabbit that we liked. So, I am now in the process of getting it up on my walls.

Choosing a Paint Color

Consider your color preferences. Is there a color or set of colors you gravitate to? Throughout our marriage, I’ve gone with deep reds and sage greens and tans. I don’t know why, but I like the way those colors mesh together.

What Goes Well?

What colors go best with those foundation colors you love? Perhaps your furniture is blue. Then, you’ll want to stay in a cooler range of colors. Blue is hard to match, but you could easily paint your walls a soft gray.

What Do You Love?

Next, go to the paint store and just choose a bunch of sample strips of colors you love. Don’t worry for now about what goes with what or your overall palette. Remember that when you get the colors home, they’re going to be really different than they look in the store.

Sample Match Up

Now, you are going to hold those samples strips up in the rooms you’d like to paint and see where they look good and where they don’t. Once you’ve narrowed the choices down, you should also hold those strips up to your existing furniture, carpet and other transitional items.

Order Sample Batches

Now, you probably have narrowed your choices to two or three colors. You should order small samplers of actual paint at this point. Place them on the wall right next to one another and figure out which one you like.

Paint Just One Small Wall

I did all of the above and remember that I had chosen that warm caramel. I still actually love that color but when I got it onto the wall in a wider section, it was far too dark for my taste. Instead of investing in paint for an entire room and deciding you hate it, paint one small wall or a larger section with the sample you have left. These sample containers have quite a bit of paint in them. It should be enough to give you a good idea if you like the color on your walls or not.

Love it? Great! Then go get the gallons you need and get started changing the face of your room. Happy painting!

Whipped Pumpkin Pie

February 16, 2018 November 6, 2015 By Crabby Housewife Leave a Comment

Is pumpkin pie a little too much for you, but you still enjoy the taste of a pumpkin dessert this time of year? I have always liked the taste of pumpkin, but pumpkin pie is heavy and just blah to me. A few years ago, a friend shared this dessert with me and it has quickly become a favorite for us this time of year. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do. It is so easy to make!

Whipped Pumpkin Pie

Author: Crabby Housewife

Ingredients

1 Can Pumpkin
1 Container Cool Whip
Pie Crust you can make your own, but a premade graham cracker crust is super easy
1 Vanilla Pudding Mix
2 Cups Milk

Instructions

Mix vanilla pudding according to directions.
Blend in pumpkin (I just give it a whir in the blender).
Blend in half of Cool Whip.
Pour mixture into pie crust.
Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Add Cool Whip to top and spread out evenly.
Slice, eat, enjoy!

How to Fight Back Against Rising Grocery Prices

March 25, 2016 November 5, 2015 By Crabby Housewife Leave a Comment

This week, I went to the grocery store and my bill was just a few bucks under $200 – for one week. Granted, we purchased some non-food items, however we have always done that here and there. I have never had a bill this high and I blame it on the rising cost and shrinking size of food items. Everything costs more and has less in it.

I pride myself on couponing, finding deals, stockpiling and keeping my grocery budget well under $100/week. However, I was in a rush this week and had allowed my stockpile to run low. You can imagine my shock that the total was so high. It got me to thinking about all the ways we can fight back against the rising cost of food.

Grow Your Own

One smart way to start cutting down on some of your food costs is to grow what food of your own that you can. Personally, I love our container garden we had this year, and we’ve also experimented with raised bed and traditional type gardens. Hated the traditional type. There is so much wasted space and produce and the bugs loved trying to eat my crops.

You can actually grow crops year round if you have a cold frame over a raised bed or container. Right now, I have some lettuce growing in my containers, which I plan to harvest tomorrow. I will then plant a winter crop (not sure yet).

You can also grow some plants inside on your kitchen windowsill. That said, summer is obviously the best time to grow a nice size crop. You can freeze or can items to use in the colder weather months.

Buy Local

If the grocery stores are going to charge crazy prices (I’ve seen yellow tomatoes going for $4.69/pound this past summer), then at least buy from local, organic farmers where you can control the quality of the food you’re putting in your body.

Small farmers markets are great in warm weather. In the winter, try your local health food store. Most have a small section that features items from local farmers, even grain fed, no hormone meats. Yes, you are going to pay a little more, but you’re already paying a pretty penny at the grocery store, so you might as well make sure you are getting qualityfood.

Some friends of ours sell non-food grade milk that is unprocessed. Technically it isn’t for eating, but of course people buy it to eat. They also have meat and eggs available at times. They are very committed to providing a quality product and really it is worth the minor extra cost to get quality food.

Use Coupons and Stockpile

Clip coupons for what you actually eat and then watch for it to go on sale. Buy as many of that item as you possibly can. This will save you a lot of money over time.

If the store is out of the item, ask for a rain check and go back and purchase it later on. When my stockpile runs low, I always spend more at the grocery. On the other hand, if I can keep certain items that I use all the time in stock, then I can wait for it to cycle back on sale again and get the best price possible on it.

Shop Discount Stores

If you are just getting started on your stockpiling journey, or you don’t have time to clip coupons, you can always hit the discount stores, such as Aldi’s or Save-A-Lot. Another option is to buy in bulk from wholesale clubs.

With rising prices and smaller sizing, saving money at the store has become a huge challenge. If you have additional ideas for lowering the rising cost of groceries, please share them with us in the comments below. If we all work together, maybe we can avoid huge grocery bills like the one I dealt with this week.

Thanksgiving Centerpieces

March 25, 2016 November 4, 2015 By Crabby Housewife Leave a Comment

When I was a little girl, we would always go to my Aunt Dean’s house for the holidays. Oh, how I loved to go there. She was one of those women who made you feel welcome and like she’d been waiting for just you to arrive to start the party (she made everyone feel that way). She always had each person’s favorite dessert ready and her house would be decorated beautifully.

There have been few times in my life that I’ve really felt that loved and wanted in an environment and like I could be completely myself and she would love me anyway. Thanksgiving always makes me think of my Aunt Dean and of the holidays. She always had a beautiful centerpiece on her table and so I thought I’d spend a little time sharing some centerpieces I’ve come across lately and loved.

Make These Gorgeous Thanksgiving Centerpieces

Tiered Dessert Centerpiece

This centerpiece is so simple but looks quite elegant. Simply take a dessert tray with three tiers and arrange some pumpkins and gourds on it. You could also weave in some brightly colored fall leaves.

Golden Pumpkins

Sometimes taking something as simple as a pumpkin and changing it a bit can make the most beautiful centerpiece you’ve ever seen. Better Homes and Gardens offers this image of gold painted pumpkins and candle holders to show you just how easy it can be to achieve a look of elegance for your Thanksgiving table.

Roses in Pumpkin

A pumpkin as a base for a rose floral arrangement? Why not? Jenny Steffens proves on her blog just how simple putting together this centerpiece is. Yet, it is so very elegant and beautiful. The key is to use the right colors to get just that perfect fall fresh look. She uses a mix of orange roses and burnt orange mums. If you stick with yellows, deep reds, oranges, and browns, you shouldhave the perfect look.

Hurricane Vases/Candle Holders

Amanda Jane Brown had a simple idea that also turns out to be a gorgeous centerpiece. She took three hurricane bases, filled them halfway up with corn kernels and then set candles inside. She finished the look with a leaf on the outside tied into place with twine. Gather them all on a tray or arrange them however you’d like.

Keep It Simple

My Aunt Dean knew one thing. She knew to keep the little things simple and to focus on the people. Don’t get so caught up in creating the centerpiece that you lose time with those you love. After all, Thanksgiving is all about time with family and remembering what we should truly be thankful for.