Monday Q&A | White Bedroom Furniture, Summer School, and Frozen Foods
Every Monday, I answer a few of the questions that my readers send me. If you have a question you'd like me to answer in a future Q&A post, just leave me a comment here or email me (thefrugalgirl [at] gmail [dot] com) and put Q&A in the subject line. I look forward to hearing from you!
Before I answer some questions, I wanted to let you know about something fun that Joshua and I are doing this week. For our 365 photos this week, we're switching cameras! I'm using Joshua's point and shoot, and he's using my Rebel with the 50mm lens. This will be a fun challenge for me and a nice little upgrade for Joshua. 😉
In case you're wondering what this whole 365 thing is about: Joshua and I both maintain blogs where we post a single picture each day. If you want to keep up with us, you can subscribe to my blog and to Joshua's blog (the subscription box is on the right-hand side of both of our blogs).
I have never painted any furniture, but our home contains lots of wood pieces (hand-me-downs) that don't match. You have made it look relatively simple to paint them and so I would like to try. My question is this: would you ever paint Master Bedroom furniture white? Would that look too "little girl-ish"?
I SO don't have an "eye" for decorating and so I don't want to go to a whole lot of work if it will look cheesy in the end. So, yes, I am just looking for your opinion.
M. Bedroom dressers and such white...could it work?
Esther
I definitely think you could do a white master bedroom! White doesn't have to be little girly, especially if your furniture has relatively simple lines, and you don't pair your furniture with linens that are pink and flowered. Also, if you paint your walls a more grown-up color (pastels probably aren't a great idea), that would help keep your room from looking juvenile.
If it makes you feel better, sometimes when I get a little bored with my burgundy walls and black furniture, I briefly consider painting my furniture white and doing a lighter color on my walls. But that would be so much work, I usually go right back to being content with the current look of my bedroom.
I was wondering, do you and your kids take the summer off from homeschooling? If so, do you somewhat follow the schedule of the local school system and begin and end when they do? We know we want to home school and while it's still a few years away, I find I have a lot of questions about the way people do things already! Thanks.
We do indeed! I find that after 9 months of homeschooling, I need a break maybe even more than the kids do.
Usually we start school in September and then finish sometime in May. Our ending tends to be more towards the beginning of May than the end, which is not typical of our local public schools. They seem to go to mid-June more often than not.
At this point in the year, Joshua and Lisey have started to finish up some of their subjects, so their school load is a little lighter right now. For instance, we always seem to finish our spelling and vocabulary books early, and the same goes for our English books.
If we finish a book super early (like in the middle of January), then we do often just start the next grade level, but if we finish something at the end of April, we usually just call it quits for that subject until the next fall.
Of course, during the summer we don't sit around and let our bodies and minds just veg. We read a lot, we watch educational DVDs, we swim regularly, we go to the library, we go to parks, we bike, we get together with friends, and the kids play outside a lot.
Also, the summer break gives me a chance to get around to some things I don't have time for during the year, like sewing projects, painting projects, decluttering, and organizing.
I was wondering if you ever bought pre-made frozen items? I'm not talking about frozen Lean Cuisine meals or anything, but sometimes I will pick up pot stickers, frozen meatballs, tater tots/fries, etc. I would find those things hard to make from scratch, and since I'm single, it's easy to take out just one serving to make.
-Patricia
Having never lived by myself, I've never been a big purchaser of those types of things, but I can definitely see the appeal for a single person. I think the only frozen prepared food I buy semi-regularly is ravioli. I've made my own before, but it was a LOT of work, and I lack the inspiration to do that on a regular basis.
Pot Stickers and Tater Tots might be hard to make yourself, but I will offer up that meatballs are pretty easy to make and freeze. Just make a batch (baking them is REALLY easy), put them into a ziploc bag in the freezer and you'll be able to take out just as many as you need.
That said, I don't think that pre-made, frozen items are necessarily bad to buy, and they could very well be a wise choice for a single person, especially if you'd be tempted to buy takeout without them or if you'd end up letting food go to waste otherwise.
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Readers, what are your thoughts on white master bedroom furniture and frozen prepared foods? And for those of you that homeschool, do you take the summers off like we do?
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Today's 365 post: Cinnamon Burn
Joshua's 365 post: Lisey's Pearls (on Ann Marie)
My parents have an all white furniture master bedroom, which looks really nice. They also have white plantation shutters (live in SC) on the windows. Walls are a soft cantaloupe melon, the bedspread, window valences on 2 windows the flank the bed, drapes with valance on big picture window are a fairly large w/ lots of leaves and stems, creamy white background floral in green, black, melon. Not too girly. Carpeting is a neutral grey tone.
HTH
My parents have an all white furniture master bedroom, which looks really nice. They also have white plantation shutters (live in SC) on the windows. Walls are a soft cantaloupe melon, the bedspread, window valences on 2 windows the flank the bed, drapes with valance on big picture window are a fairly large w/ lots of leaves and stems, creamy white background floral in green, black, melon. Not too girly. Carpeting is a neutral grey tone.
HTH
I am single and I buy some frozen prepared foods, mainly things I can take out some small servings of and make as I need (like lasagna rolls, chicken nuggets, fish sticks, etc.). These are also items that are a real pain for me to make, myself. For most other things, I will make them myself and freeze them in small containers so I can take out just what I need. I actually enjoy cooking and enjoy eating well (restaurant quality foods) so cooking definitely saves me a lot of money over buying everything prepared.
I look at frozen stuff as an alternative to take-out, or the lesser of two evils 😉
There are techniques to make furniture look whitewashed, which I think gives them a really cool shabby chic look and not at all juvenile. That said, I don't think solid white furniture has to be juvenile, but I would be challenged by it.
I could definitely see white furniture in a master bedroom. Two options immediately come to mind: first would be with dark gray walls, everything very simple and understated. Something like "Real Simple" magazine. The second idea I had would be to do it with aqua walls, like a beachy theme. You could distress the furniture some if you went that route. I'm sure there are lots of other ways you could do it, too.
Shabby Chic would definitely work, and there's a line of linens at Target (or at least there was five years ago when I got married) called Shabby Chic that you could look at for ideas.
I just found this blog from another blog so I've only read the first post with these questions/answers!
as for the white bedroom furniture - it's not my thing - I like white walls but love the look of wood with the grain and all..that's just my preference. There's a website roomstogo.com and you can type 'white bedroom' in the search and a whole page of bedrooms with dressers and everything comes up so you might can get an idea how you like it. They have stores in my area though so far I've stayed out LOL!
the post from the single person caught my eye - I'm also single and have done the eating out fast food deal for years but have tried weight watchers off and on and the frugal lifestyle off and on. I'm currently feeling guilty about wasting money on these convenience foods but I've come to the conclusion that if I like the food wel enough then it's worth it. I do agree with the meatballs but I haven't found a recipe that's tried and true that I like.I would love to make up a bunch of meatlballs and pull out a couple for spaghetti! I have bought the frozen fries(not tater tots) and I know if ore ida can freeze those suckers I should be able to take a 1.99 bag of taters and do the same but I don't know how to deal with raw stuff! I can make some good 'fries' in the oven with fresh taters but not sure how to freeze them so the texture is right. But yes as a single person I guess the cost isn't too much for the convenience that's it's worth figuring out the long way. egg rolls are another infrequent purchae I make in this area - there is no way I'm making those -a friend tried and she says it takes time and patience and they tasted no better than the frozen and that's what she was doing for the rest of her life LOL! If we were cooking for a family of 3-6 or more then definitely would be worth looking into 'from scratch' but unless we're eating a bag of tater tots a night then I don't think it's costing that much money. But then I don't buy these things all the time except for some frozen dinners that aren't my fave but with 12 hr rotating shifts I'm caught unprepared quite a bit.
another thing I do being single is I freeze leftovers in portions ready to eat - like chili , soups, meatloaf. this has helped a lot and are more satisfying that lean cuisine,etc. I use the sandwich bags inside freezer bags or those screwon lid containers at walmar but some use those vacuum sealers to save space. I may invest in one of those eventually.
Ore Ida has equipment no one has at home and control we can't hope to duplicate. I know more about how McDonald's makes their fries so I'll talk about them. First, it specifies exactly which breed to potato to use, for the ideal starting ratio of starch to sugar and good slicing properties. Then the harvested potatoes are stored in very specific conditions for a specific amount of time so the right proportion of starch converts to sugar. Then they're sliced by very even dies so each fry has the same cross-section. Then they're fried for a precise amount of time in oil of an exact temperature, and I wouldn't be surprised to hear that there are additives in the oil. Then they're drained and dried in some way, then flash frozen and shipped to McD's restaurants for more frying under extremely precise conditions in oil with additives.
Frozen fried potatoes (fries, tater tots, patties) are fried at the factory, and have a lot of extra oil added so they come out crispy and tasty even from oven cooking. The "extra crispy" products have even more extra oil.
In short, the factories can do things most of us haven't the experience to do (such as double-fry at two different temperatures, in enough oil that the temp doesn't drop when we add the food), and some things we can't do at all (such as flash freeze). I'm content to buy tater tots for when I want fried potatoes.
White would be lovely for a master bedroom. There is a blog called Shabby nest that has some terrific examples and links to help you out.
I hear you about the homemade ravioli. I often buy it pre-made but I've also gotten in the habit of using wonton wrappers in the place of my own pasta. MUCH quicker and easily as tasty.
I usually keep some frozen food on hand. As hiptobeme says, it's an alternative to take-out. I don't usually have the sorts of food that Patricia is refering to, though. Except dim sum. I've made dim sum before and the wrapping is a lot of work. In the native cultures, making dim sum is a collective activity - like corn husking was in the US - so at least you have good company to help time pass.
To help make meatballs faster, I use an action scoop like these:
http://www.surlatable.com/product/PRO-698407/Stainless-Steel-Ice-Cream-Scoop
Makes the scooping faster, easier, and since they're all the same size, they cook more evenly too. I use them for meatballs, shrimp balls, cookies, muffins, drop biscuits, ... many things that needs to be evenly sized.
First, white furniture. My bed is white iron, and I painted my bedroom Moody Mauve and Old Burgundy. There is a lot of white woodwork, a white ceiling fan with light fixure and white heat/air vent in the ceiling. There is a tray ceiling with white molding around it, and the ceiling itself is the burgundy color. The walls are mauve with 18 inch burgundy stripes on two (I ran out of paint), and it looks fantastic. I love it, and it definitely doesn't look feminine or "cutsey pie". I like my bedroom as dark as possible, so the dramatic color scheme worked great for me.
Second, I've been single my entire life, and I use a lot of frozen foods, especially single servings. There's no shame in that! Especially if it cuts down waste. I always have waste with fresh produce, but there's not a lot you can do with lettuce when you're tired of eating it. I'm just now really learning to cook, and I freeze the deliberate leftovers in meal size or single servings.
1) I love white furniture. I see it as a neutral--sort of like how natural wood or black is a neutral. Goes with everything. Has clean lines. And definitely not girly! My hubs willingly chooses white paint with me 🙂
2) I miss school...
3) We also view frozen food as an alternative to take out. I prefer to make everything listed. However, if I have a lot of people to serve those kinds of things to, I'll doctor up some of the frozen varieties so that I can concentrate on other food items (like dessert! yum!).
I think white furniture in a master bedroom would look lovely...very clean and classic. As Kristen said, just try not to go too girly with the linens (I'd go in the opposite direction with bold colors and a more modern style) and veer away from pastels for the walls.
As to white or even mismatched bedroom furniture, here's a link to a couple that has a white bed, but a wood dresser. And they run a website dedicated to interior design and remodeling!
http://www.younghouselove.com/2011/03/not-your-fathers-dresser-well-actually-it-is/
Hey Esther,
Check this out. http://www.abeachcottage.com/
THat's not my blog, I'm not promoting, just some cool white inspiration. I bet you'll love it.
As another single voice chiming in, I'd add that in addition to frozen pot stickers every now and then, I keep a few frozen dinners on hand all the time for the days when the plans for the week don't pan out and I need something to take for lunch. I get Kashi meals usually because even though they're more expensive than a lot of other brands, they're healthy, and they fill me up (unlike most frozen meals), and they're cheaper than getting take-out near where I work. I grab a few every time they're on sale and then I don't have to stress about leftovers that run out too soon, or whatever else might happen to the menu plan for the week!
On frozen prepared foods:
During my first trimester with this second pregnancy, I was wiped out all the time. I took to keeping bags of frozen tortellini or ravioli plus frozen veggies in the freezer so I always had easy meals at my fingertips - throw some frozen ravioli in a casserole dish, top with sauce and thawed frozen spinach and a bit of mozzerella, bake at 350F for 30 minutes - Dinner! Microwave some mixed veggies for a side and slice some bread, and I could have dinner on the table with a minimal amount of prep mess and effort.
Now, although I'm not exhausted all the time (yay third trimester!), I keep a frozen pizza or two in the chest freezer for those nights when eating out is very tempting. I figure better to spend $3.50 on a frozen pizza than $10+ on a meal out.
I think frozen prepared foods definitely have their place, especially if you have a chest freezer (which is more energy efficient than the freezer of a typical fridge). Ravioli, tortellini, prepared veggies (mixed, green beans, peas, etc.) - anything labor-intensive or easily perishable seems like a good candidate.
Yes, I agree that white furniture can look very simple and lovely. My favorite combo would be with a cornflower blue/ periwinkle, sort of a Martha Stewart or Simple Living look. Very Cape Cod. I would suggest going to the library where you can look at magazines free, like Martha Stewart's Living or Simple Living. May issues would be coming out and may have just what you're looking for.
The frozen items I buy for my husband and I are potstickers and veggie meatballs from Trader Joe's. Tasty, and so easy to make after a busy day.
We homeschool... and we take a bit of a break in the summer. Since I work part-time (~18 hours/wk) and my son is bouncy, we don't do as much as I'd like every day during the school year. I feel that we need to keep plugging away in the summer. We only do Math and English, though...
I've always kept shop bought food in the freezer. Vegetables such as peas and sweetcorn aren't always easy to come by in the greengrocers and we're assured that on account of their being frozen immediately after picking they're actually more nutritious. I almost always also keep a bag of oven chips (healthier than deep fried for an occasional treat) and icrecream. At various times I have Ikea meatballs (my younger daughter's favourite), summer berries (for puddings/smoothies), puff pastry, Chinese pancakes (for crispy duck) and fish fingers.
I also freeze prepared fresh food from the butcher or fishmonger ie sausages, hamburgers, fishcakes etc, for use a later date.
I'm not a great fan of ready meals but I try not to give myself too hard a time on the odd occasion I give in and buy one, as it's usually when I've been too busy doing something important, or am just too tired to cook something from scratch. None of us is perfect. We're all work in progress!
My guest bedroom has all-white furniture. The walls are taupe and the bedding is a royal blue/white hibiscus print. I have white (wide slat) blinds on the two large window-seat windows with white shears that are on rods that swing out from the windows.
So yes, white is totally doable! Have fun!
that sounds so pretty!
I would love to homeschool in the future, but I think we would end up doing it all year but for fewer hours each day. The thing that is really holding me back is the language and social issues. My daughter is in an awesome school and we live in a french province. I just don't think it would be responsible to take her out when I won't be able to give her the French language component at home.