Milk: there has to be an alternative

One of my biggest challenges living alone is grocery shopping for perishables. I work at a restaurant and so I usually eat at dinner there five days a week which greatly impacts the way I buy and use my groceries. I don't crave milk and it's a rare day that I drink a glass of it just for the fun of it. But, when I go to the grocery store I can't help but buy the half-gallon container because the value is just so much better than buying a smaller size. I mean, that is until more than half the carton ends up going down my drain because it has spoiled before I could use it all. 

So, I started exploring some solutions to my milk problems. I tried going to soy milk for a month. This seemed like an ideal solution because (1) I love soy milk in my coffee and (2) it keeps almost twice as long as cows milk. But have you ever made Mac and Cheese with soy milk? It's so gross! Maybe if I had grown up eating mac and cheese made that way I wouldn't have noticed any difference, but I longed for the flavor I recognized as I reluctantly ate the weird tasting noodles in my bowl. And then I made scrambled eggs and put some soy in them (as I have done in the past with cows milk) to help them fluff up a bit. But they were inedible. Seriously. I took two bites and threw the rest away. And then I ditched the soy milk. 

Solution two came in the form of Horizon milk boxes. Think juice boxes, like in lunch boxes for kids, only with milk inside. These milk boxes have an expiration date, but they keep so much longer than the traditional cows milk. And the Hoizon milk boxes don't have to be refrigerated!! Honestly, this freaked me out a little but after a little research about their packaging and pasteurization process my mind was put to ease. The only downfall with the milk boxes is the price. They are not the most economical option for those of us on a budget, but then again, pouring dollars down the drain every two weeks or so isn't exactly a great option either. 

Solution three looks a lot like use your leftover milk in recipes that require large amounts of it and can be frozen and eaten when the mood strikes you. Stay tuned for some recipes to help you use your leftover cows milk before it goes bad. 

Living Alone - The Struggle is Real

Hey everyone! I'm Holly and I am a twenty-something that's just moved out on my own for the first time! Now, for some background about me and why this blog even exists:

I moved out of my parent's house in April after a hunt for the perfect apartment that took several months. My dad retired in February and I was so lucky to have him join me on every apartment hunt I went on. We looked at some awesome places, but I ultimately decided that I wouldn't settle for just and place to live. I wanted to wait until I had found an apartment that checked off every box on my list and the wait was so worth it!! I love where I live now, even if the transition from living with my family to moving out on my own has presented a unique set of challenges.

Over the course of two days my dad helped me move everything I owned into my new place. He napped while I washed my new dishes and he helped me put my bed, sofa, and dining room table together. Really, he was a total rock star over that weekend! On the second of the two moving days, my mom joined us and we hung my artwork and made the apartment feel more like "home" and less like "a place to sleep." We went out to dinner that night and then they left me in my new home and went back to my old home.

That first night was so hard. The silence was the most difficult thing to get used to. I came from living with three people to living alone - no one to talk to, no one to sit next to, no one to share space with. It was a brand new experience and I was terrified and uncomfortable. Thankfully that feeling only lasted a short while.

As the weeks passed my milk went bad before I could drink it all, my eggs sat uneaten, and I began to lose weight just because I didn't want to dirty my kitchen to just cook for myself. It was during this time that I began scouring the internet for a resource for us single folk or, at the very least, those of us that live alone because of whatever circumstances life has thrown our way. What I found most interesting is that there wasn't a resource to be found. I couldn't figure out what to do with my half-drunk, half gallon of non-fat milk so I poured it down the drain and my frustration turned into motivation.

And so here we are. Well, here I am. I don't really know yet what this blog will turn into, but for now I want it to be a resource for anyone who is living alone and needs a little help, a little support. I will not have all the answers, but I will have ideas to help you - at the very least - figure out what to do with that left over milk that you cannot drink before it goes bad.

Let's have some fun!