This thread is not a cry for help

[L-A]

...but I will take my turn asking TB for advice.

Those who saw me in OT during the last two or three years probably know a couple of things about me. I joined Talkbass as a Cegep student in Graphic Design, and I am now in my last University year, still pursuing the same discipline, now focusing on multimedia and usability. And that's pretty much it for those who didn't know.

Now comes the relevant question. I have moved in an apartment just today. This is totally new for me, as I have lived at my parents' till yesterday, experiencing various degrees of harmony. It's a pretty big place; we're four roommates there, all with our own room, sharing a kitchen and a living room. I'm relatively prepared and I'm not stressed about the situation. I do, however, want to have a good living and lots of my day-to-day satisfaction comes from eating well. That means a high intake of mac and cheese variations will undermine my morale

So aside from general apartment living tips, which are welcome, what did you have/do you have as cool student recipes?

If this thread turns into an apartment newbie reference, all the better.

TL;DR: Move into apartment, what do?

[Jimmy Bones]

Here's one.

Buy yourself a pack of 6-8 boneless chicken breasts and a large bottle of italian dressing.

Preheat the oven to 450, put chicken side by side in a glass pan, shake up the dressing, and pour it all over the entirety of it. Bake for an hour at least. Will feed the whole house (if you add veggies and such as a side dish).

I got zillions of easy, low budget recipes, since I feed six people on $243 a month.

[Fontaine]

well I moved out to go to college when I was 17, and I love it. Last year I was in a similar situation that you are in now, I lived with 3 other guys, it can be challenging at times to keep the house clean.

But for tips on food and such I would say buy some ground beef, its cheap and u can make a lot of different meals with it and it tastes fantastic with bacon!!

Last year for fun we made a giant slip n' slide going from our pouch through the living room, through the kitchen and dining room and ramping out the back door, I highly recommend this.

[Jimmy Bones]

Also:

Johnsonville 4 Cheese Italian Sausage. Take a pan, coat the bottom with a little olive oil. Cut the sausages into pieces, and fry them on medium heat. While you do that, boil some water and cook some penne (hollow, trapezoidal looking pasta tubes). After you put the penne in the boiling water, add a can of Del Monte diced tomatoes (drain the liquid first), with oregano, garlic, and basil to the sausage pan.

Keep stirring the pasta and the sausage while they cook. Once the pasta is done, drain it, and mix the sausage/tomato mixture with the penne, to include whatever oil is left over in the pan, which'll keep the pasta from sticking. Stir it up real good, and serve hot.

Add some frozen garlic bread or texas toast for a hearty meal. Will serve two or three depending on how much sausage you use. I cook all the sausaes in the pack.

[funkalicious101]

Perogies.

[TOOL460002]

buy in bulk and freeze a good portion of that for later. buy a grill (propane is my preference due to ease, but charcoal is cool too). buy bulk aluminum foil. if you cant make a quality meal with meat on a grill and veggies in a tin foil steam packet, then you need to try harder.

i do a lot of kebabs, and dont care if i eat the same meal, or protein/veggie combo every day, or for both lunch and dinner. im all about eating good on the cheap, and a grill is absolutely key. you cant do pasta or rice on a grill, but i tend not to go with carbs with meals, as i get plenty throughout the day via snacking.

also, if you know of a farmers market, they have food that is cheaper, and a million times better than grocery store stuff.

[WookieeForLife]

Buy a big pack of cubed steak. Get hot dog rolls. Cut the cubes alot smaller, and fry in a pan with olive oil on medium. Add cheese of your choice, onions, peppers, or anything else and you have aton of steak and cheese. Not sure if this is tooo cheap but it is really tasty.

[MatticusMania]

Ramen is your friend!

I recently just move into my girlfriends condo, so any info will be relevant tome as well.

The 99cent Only Store is your friend as well

Also, a cheap bottle of whiskey and some shasta soda is a cheap drunk. I speak from experience.

[Jimmy Bones]

Save your money for what's important:

Porn and World Of Warcraft.

[Muusers]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Bones

Save your money for what's important:

Porn and World Of Warcraft.

What year are you from? Don't you know you can get porn for free nowadays?

[Tsal]

We sometimes make pizza with my flatmate, it's pretty painless to throw together the dough and put whatever is in the fridge on it. We usually cook separately, but share any leftovers.

In a new flat, have an evening with all the flatmates right away, have some beer and arrange all the important things while at it, mostly about cleaning the place. If you are not happy about something, bring it up. I recommend sharing only the tasks and stuff that's absolutely necessary - sharing, scheduling, expecting someone to have done their part etc. is exactly where the "crappy flatmate"-arguments start from.

[L-A]

Thanks for the advice everyone. Reading some posts makes me glad I chose to live with responsible roommates, as there's already a lot of stuff in place to ensure harmony and maintenance of the place.

We do have some common dinners throughout the week, so there will be moments to bring up the bulkier recipes. Or the slip'n slide.

@MatticusMania: I myself prefer cheap rum or vodka+brita filtering when possible. Often though, I drink less and better stuff. I like the formula.

@Jimmy Bones: Thanks man, I appreciate the recipes.

[WookieeForLife]

Sell me your bike for money

[iamlowsound]

Pasta of any sort. Easy to make and you can throw just about anything in it and it will taste good. Plus, it tastes almost as good reheated, so you can make meals for several days at a time.

lowsound