Anytime you upgrade a portion of your home it can cause a disruption to your daily schedule. When your kitchen is getting renovated, whether it is a full overhaul or a minor change, it can become a costly inconvenience. When you don’t have access to your kitchen, your family may start eating out. This can cause your budget to increase dramatically, so much so that your remodeling budget can get affected. If you know that your kitchen is going to be out of service, advance planning can help you save money and your family’s health. Here are some top tips from Joseph Kitchen and Bath that will help you live at home while renovating your kitchen.
Buy a Camping Stove
The easiest way to plan for a lack of kitchen access is to grab a camping stove from your local hiking store. You can also check out your local hardware store to see if they carry propane cooking stoves. These run on canned gas and are easy to move around. If you don’t have access to a full stovetop, a single burner portable is the next best thing.
Clip Coupons
Seeing as how your kitchen won’t be in service for the duration of the work, you already know you will need to eat at least half of your meals outside. Many restaurants offer coupons, meal deals, and frequent eater discounts. Make a point of saving coupons and making a list of offers well in advance of the work. This will save you money and help you keep your renovation budget on track.
Use Your BBQ
Most modern barbeque units include a stove attachment, and even if they don’t you can still use the grill. Plan your kitchen renovations for the warm weather or early fall so that you can take your meals to the grill. Make use of grill-friendly cooking tools or you can use bar soap to get rid of soot from your regular pots. This is an ideal time to perfect your recipes for the holidays while feeding your family throughout your renovations.
Borrow a Kitchen
For those of you who have friends who live nearby, you can swap your cooking skills for kitchen time. Offer to cook a meal for your friends at the same time as you pre-cook meals for your own family. Produce your meals in bulk so that all you have to do is heat them in the microwave and eat.
Pre-Cooking
Chances are your refrigerator will not be going anywhere, so cook large batches of food in advance and toss them in the freezer. All you have to do is defrost your daily meals and pop them in the microwave for a quick meal.
Tupperware Your Kitchen
With work going on in the kitchen it will be hard to keep track of the things you may need. To make organization easier, place your commonly used items in clear containers and bags for easy identification.
Make an Alternate Kitchen
Make a temporary kitchen in your garage or basement. Any place that has a sink or attached water source is suitable. If you are throwing out your old cabinets, ask your renovation crew to put a couple in your temporary space to use during the remodeling.
How We Can Help
If you are planning a kitchen remodel and need advice, Joseph Kitchen and Bath is here to help. Give one of our renovation experts a call at (905) 707-7756 to find out more or to set up an evaluation.
