therealamydc's Profile

I've used Airbnb twice (Austin and New Orleans) and it is exponentially more affordable to travel this way if you're on a budget. Yes, you may end up in a place that not as posh as a hotel (like I did in New Orleans), but you're also not breaking the bank - plus all that money you're saving can be spent on actually enjoying the city you're in by visiting nice restaurants, bars and shops.

I've found my go-to oasis in Austin, and it's quickly becoming my permanent dwelling for vacations - affordable, outdoor shower, chickens in the backyard, and close to downtown - you can't really want for more!

I'm not sure how much time you all have throughout the day, but I like too take a brain break during my lunch hour and scour the web for quick, easy, pantry-friendly meals I can make that night without a trip to the grocery store. I obviously love thekitchn but check out http://tasteologie.notcot.org/ too.

They update around the clock it seems like, so you should be able to find at least one recipe throughout the day that will work for you.

I also agree that keeping a pantry and freezer stocked with staples helps tremendously with this!

We too have a tiny living room and have had to figure out something besides the traditional coffee table. My boyfriend has a really awesome vintage military trunk that we use for a coffee table. It's the perfect size and height, and it allows us a place to keep a lot of things that don't need to be displayed (or accessed regularly). I found a link on AT to a couple 'trunk as coffee table' displays.

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/doubleduty-furniture-the-trunk-113912

I couldn't have cable at my last apartment, so my boyfriend gave me a Roku for Christmas. He thought it was a pathetic/heartless present, but it was a total lifesaver for someone who's addicted to watching tv (and not on a little computer screen). It worked well for me because I was able to use my roommates Netflix subscription, another friends HBO GO subscription, and then I purchased my own Hulu Plus subscription - so the overhead was relatively low for me monthly. A couple cons for me: couldn't watch live shows like the Today Show and you can't stream certain shows through your device (i.e. 30 Rock..sad face). All in all, if you can't have/don't want cable and you know people with subscriptions they're willing to give you the password for it's total win situation. Even now that I've moved in with my boyfriend and we have cable, we still use the Roku all the time!