Cook with Me | Freezer Clean out/Pantry Challenge | Large Family Budget Dinners

[@FrugalFitMom]

Download the FREE Upside App at upside.app.link/frugal to get $5 or more cash back on your first purchase of $10 or more.

[@tcctocrazytccarson7309]

Does it work for Sam's Club &/or Costco?

[@dinaandrews3048]

Wait did you say garden? I'm so curious if you have your own garden? I'm thinking about starting one for me and my boys so they can help and it's another food source for us to make it easy.

[@beehappy7897]

Personally, I’d leave Hailey’s room for a few years. As a young adult, I found it easier to take ‘safe risks’ (go off to college, try a new job, etc.) knowing I could always go home. There was nothing quite like the feeling of my own bed, too.

[@kristinam2719]

I would agree with this, especially since you have the room and due to the pandemic, my son had to finish his college career at home! Just food for thought. Also, my adult children rent small spaces in our very expensive state, so we are their storage units - lol! My daughter, who rents a small house with a roommate, lives 30 mins away and will soon bring back her summer clothes to switch out for winter clothes. Lastly, it may not work out for Hailey at her college. Then she’ll want to come home to regroup before launching out again.

[@maryreddell6529]

I agree with this too - my daughter appreciated it so very much.

[@lulamamie8524]

Absolutely agree 💯 We kept our boys rooms the same until they were married and out of the family nest 🪺 Then we had fun taking all of their stuff over to their new marital houses 😆😅🎉🥳 Life changes make us stronger ❤🌷🍀🏋️‍♀️

[@maryreddell6529]

@@lulamamie8524 we kept up their rooms until marriage also. Twas fun indeed to move the stuff to marital home!

[@candyho5181]

My parents left my room as it was until I graduated and moved back home for a year, then left for good. Now it’s my dad’s bedroom because he snores 😂

[@JulieLeeNH]

Christine, although Hayley will be going to college, she will be home at Thanksgiving, Christmas, winter break, spring break and every summer for the next 4 years. We didn't make any changes to our 2 kids' rooms until they moved after college to their current homes. One of ours lives in San Francisco and the other moved to London. We are still in the same house in NH, just the two of us. You may not want to change anything for a while, just so that she has a place that's familiar and comfortable when she returns. They really do come home more than you think.

[@Hannah_MK]

My mom did this. It allowed my college-aged siblings who left to still feel like home is home, not like they’re getting kicked out.

[@carmarasmussen8118]

My daughter started college a month ago and she has been home every weekend except for one! She is only 40 minutes away so it's easy for her to drive home on weekends. 🚙

[@juliamallon2948]

Absolutely!!!

[@amyheelis-cannon811]

@@carmarasmussen8118 my daughter is in college and lives 15 minutes away and comes home every weekend.

[@amyheelis-cannon811]

@@carmarasmussen8118 I love it. I love to see she is doing well.

[@americanrebelforce8735]

My room was my room until I officially moved out at 25. I came back from college and paid rent that was charged less than the going rate and proportional to my income. Parents used it to teach me how to budget and pay bills on time. They saved that cash in a bank account and it was my budget for when I got married. They told me it was there AFTER I moved out.

[@stephaniegunnison5908]

That’s pretty amazing ❤

[@justjulie9071]

I've kept my kid's rooms as their rooms while they were in college because they came home often and were home all summer. Once they make the transition into their own home/apartment I cleared their rooms. I made one room into an office, another room into a home gym, another option could be a guest room.

[@ruthmanor70]

A guest room is always good to have for out-of-town relatives and friends to stay in when they come visit.

[@diannelarose4392]

I completely agree. She will come home for Holidays and vacations. She still lives with her. Christine needs to wait. It's crushing to find out you no longer have a room.

[@janeadams5207]

When I moved out at 17 for school, my parents moved my 7 yr old sister to my room and made her former room into a sewing room for my mom (She kept the nursery wallpaper though) 😂. I didn’t feel upset about my little sister upgrading to my (larger) room, but when I had a tonsillectomy at age 19, I got really ill and I needed my dad to take care of me. He didn’t have a bed for me to sleep on since my sister had a twin - no room for sharing. Instead I slept on the couch and he slept there with me head to toe to keep an eye on me for about a week.

[@productionXerror]

I would leave the room the way it is I think it's so important to have a safe space to return to at least in those first few years of college and so on...

[@smartin5888]

My grandma left my room for me as it was when I left for uni. Came in handy as I went through some rough times in my early 20s. I love my grandparents and wouldn’t be where I am today without their constant support.

[@scarletbluefield2542]

We kept our college kiddo's bedroom as it was while he was in school, because I wanted him to know he's always welcome.. He started a full time job and moved to another city, and we pretty much cleared it out, but kept his bed. Now we're turning it into a guest bedroom, but he sleeps there when he visits, even if we have other guests. So bottom line, I encourage you to keep Hailey's bedroom as is until she has a job and is supporting herself.

[@Ater_Draco]

We were a large-ish family, but parents kept my room as it was whilst I was in uni. It was the same for my siblings. I'm glad, as we would have felt pushed out if our rooms weren't there when we came home for the Uni holidays. It only stopped being my room when I got my own place after I graduated

[@Ind.strength]

Tips for adult children’s rooms. I moved out a couple months ago and my parents left my room as mine. So I always have a place to come home to. My closet has clothes in it my bathroom has products in it. I can go home at the drop of a hat and bring nothing. The only thing that changed is my dogs sleep in my room now and my mom uses my desk areas as an office if she needs to be closed off from the rest of the house.

[@baileyrau3959]

As a child who recently left home (3 years ago but still 😂) and my parents had been separated for most of my life - my dad kept my room and had space for me. My mom needed it for their business so she used it. There was no hard feelings from me at all about it, but when I needed to leave a bad relationship really suddenly I went to my dads because I felt like it was less of a burden. I’d say keep it at least the bed in there until she’s been out for a while ❤

[@kikihammond5326]

Kids come home to visit and many don't want to see major changes because it feels like they are no longer welcome. Wait until she's out on her own before making big changes.

[@kristianeludtke9211]

Keep the room the way it is. She'll apreciate it when she comes home on weekends or holidays. She will still feel AT home.Love from germany

[@tanjastraumberg]

Our oldest daughter just moved away for univerity and we're keeping her room for her to stay during breaks or the weekends. But we're slowly starting to use her room as a craft room / home office. So I basically move some stuff into her room and hubby can work from her desk instead of the kitchen table, but the room stays mostly the same.

[@catherinefoster1481]

I have 2 grown (and married) daughters. I left their rooms alone. They were coming home on college breaks for 4+ years. When they got married I updated the rooms to accommodate them and their husbands etc. It made them feel as if they were always "coming home".

[@paularoyer-azizi5354]

My daughter is back home after 4 years at BU (Boston univ) she is working full time and another job part time to save and travel. My only one so I say let them stay home as long as they want! Lol

[@laurab.fierce3523]

When I went to college we kept my room because I came home on breaks and summers and when school was over I did move home for a year. They didn't do anything until my dad retired which coincided with covid starting and now it's a gym with proper gym flooring, a total gym, one of those benches that you angle and you can use em for legs and for arms, and some free weights.

[@lesliekanengiser8482]

This week, I got kerrygold butter for 1.50 each, packs of stock cubes for 10 cents each, yogurts for 25 cents each, a giant alouette cheese tub for 5 bucks (small ones are that price), a giant kit kat for 50 cents (rare treat for the kids),and several drink mixes that were about 75% off. (Can't remember exact numbers). Too often, a lot of people focus on the hauls, and then don't talk about what to do with their hauls.

[@LeMErin21]

Where did you get those deals?

[@rangerlove7]

Kerrygold for 1.50?? Wow that’s a steal

[@lesliekanengiser8482]

Walmart. Which is shocking Usually Walmart has no deals on clearance. Their idea of clearance is 10% off.

[@terideyo836]

Like many said, I kept my daughters room for home for the holidays, illnesses and the dreaded boyfriend break ups until she had permanently moved out which ended up being her college junior year. I now foster neonate kittens and my daughter's room is now my kitten ICU!

[@farm-ish2708]

I have 3 adult children. Its so cute that you that you think that they will move out. ❤️

[@debbiemize2269]

🙋‍♀️ Yes! Bring on the deals, and prepare those meals ahead of time! Before I retired from teaching, I would make enough freezer meals during the summer that I wouldn’t have to cook for the first six weeks of school! What a blessing my summer self gave my Start Back to School self! I still double or triple the recipes and freeze them for those times when I just don’t want to cook! 😃

[@terrihanson3907]

When our daughter left for college, we redecorated her room and made is her bedroom/guest room. The furniture was all the same so it was basically still her room with a refresh.

[@lisahayford4367]

I would leave Haley's room as is until she graduates from college so that she has her own space for when she comes home for the summer/holidays, etc.

[@ronacrandall]

this is called the burden of abundance. I just scored grass-fed beef 85/15 for $2.50 a pound at Kroger. I grabbed 15 pounds and pre-made meatloaf, meatballs, sloppy joe mix, spaghetti sauce, and burger patties.

[@alisien6227]

I was the last kid at home and the only one that really lived in my parent's current house, so my old room is still my old room. Only difference is it now has a pac n play and a stash of diapers and wipes for my babies. The other 3 extra bedrooms are guest rooms, since half my siblings don't live nearby anymore and need a place to stay with their families.

[@ashtonreagan4]

You obviously know what is best for Hailey, but I wouldn't touch her room for atleast the first year. I was an RA in college and so many of my residents got home sick, some would go home for a weekend and it would cure it, others ended up not making it through college. But I had residents that were so sadden by their rooms being changed, even if they were aware it happening... it hit them harder then they were expecting. Me personally, even though I never had terrible homesickness, it was always so comforting to come back to my room that was unchanged:)

[@amybarthel479]

I make baked oatmeal muffins with my bananas. Great snack or breakfast with a smear of peanut butter.

[@Ekat1971]

I also say "snausages" and fondly think of the cute cartoon dog from the commercial every time. I think my kiddos were surprised to find out that not every family has our sense of humor. I'm also from Texas. Maybe that's it! Love your channel!

[@somewherenorth4092]

I think I've picked over 30# of green beans from my garden this year! I've canned over three dozen pints, blanched and frozen two gallons, and we've eaten it as a dinner side many times. Such a great crop this year!

[@judyj4527]

That is awesome!

[@michelestarkey5564]

I have canned 21 quarts and 20 pints of green beans just from my backyard. We have also eaten a lot and I have gotten to the point where I am giving away just about all I am currently picking. I had purchased a couple of bushels in April and canned those so I think we might be set for a bit:)!! I have a small garden with the bean plants tucked into empty spots, it has definitely been a good green bean year!! But lets not even talk about how bad a tomato year I have had:(!!!

[@ronacrandall]

did you make dilly beans?

[@somewherenorth4092]

@@michelestarkey5564 such sad tomatoes! 😭 I need to top mine and pull new blossoms soon, to try and force what's there to ripen before it's too late.

[@laurahirsche3673]

Canned 72 jars of green beans from two picking. There wasn’t a third picking lol! About 40 lbs carrots, so 13 pints carrot ginger soup canned and 14 pints diced carrots done. Rest in spare fridge. Needless to say, I am tired.

[@jazmineking7954]

As a young adult keep her room, it’s a safe space she has while dealing with the challenges of being a young adult!

[@alexacuffaro262]

If you have never cooked your pasta in the tomato sauce with about a tablespoon of beef boulliom you have no idea what your missing! Great video, Christine

[@MillersLostGoatFarm]

You mentioning getting a 4H cow every year warmed my heart. As a proud 4H mom, thank you for supporting the youth! Love your videos.

[@terrinewton39]

Nothing, I did nothing to the college students bedroom. They come home for fall break, Christmas break, spring break and occasional weekends. Then they are home each summer. I leave the room alone aside from some good cleaning, until after graduation.

[@britiabradshaw3878]

My daughter is a college sophomore and I have left her room alone. She still lives in it for about 4 months a year. Holidays & summer break. Until she graduates and gets her own home it will be her room. Then I will redecorate and use it as a guest room for when she visits.

[@lynncrooks64]

So when our girls went to college everytime they came home we went through stuff and purged. I also would put a box of housewares stuff I was getting rid of in there so they can grab stuff they want and the rest can go. Now that they are completely moved out it is still a bit of storage but getting ready to redecorate for downsizing lol

[@cupidhart-james4277]

I grate zucchini into my pasta sauce. Sneaks in veggies.

[@wolfc8755]

I add grated carrots instead of sugar to sweeten up an acidic spaghetti sauce (AND it adds a bit more veg) 🙂 If you've got enough bedrooms to go around and you're able to, I'd recommend leaving your daughter's room as-is for the next few years (I'd say at least until she gets her own first apartment). Being able to come home at any time and go into her same old familiar bedroom that you've been keeping for her will feel so safe, warm, welcoming, comfortable, homey, etc (because she WILL be coming home, and maybe a lot more than you think - plus life is not always a straight line and they sometimes need a safe, supportive place in which to recover from unexpected difficulties and/or make new plans). It'll feel SO much better than being shunted into a room that was quickly turned into a guest room, office, storage room, etc, the minute she left - ugh. Oh, and buying stuff on sale can be VERY addictive!! It becomes almost impossible to STOP buying and just start using - even when every last speck of space is crammed full of food. FOMO hits SO hard if I'm not checking flyers and websites every week for sale items!!

[@aprilok440]

You should do another freezer clean challenge like you did about year or so ago.i really liked when you did that type of video.

[@danyelwatson4715]

I would keep Haileys bedroom because I have a daughter in college who want to stay home her last semester and drive back and forth. I also really like those dinner ideas. I’ve been “ what am I making dinner?” Here lately. No chicken that’s for sure, the price has really went up. Thank you!

[@CookingwithKatelyn]

I love clear outs I often forget I have so much stuff!

[@lindagrimmett6564]

I haven’t cooked lasagna noodles in years! I always make it the day before we want to eat it and put it in the fridge overnight. When my son left home, we just turned it into an extra bedroom. For guests. I have a lot of family out of state that stay with us.

[@apriltunstall4929]

Moved my office into my daughters room and made the smaller Room a spare bedroom/sitting room

[@ruthtingle7219]

Chicken pasta bake is great for using pasta sauces, pasta and vegies xo

[@daliahsmith-djs-1924]

Leave her room. She will have it when she comes home when going to college and after if she needs it. As a girl, it is always nice to have that safe space even being out of the house at college.

[@leahirvine3522]

YES!!! I LOVE your pantry clean-outs

[@FrugalFitMom]

Me too!!

[@annawiest8760]

I love when you do videos with backwards meal planning like you did today. When I moved out 10 plus years ago, my mom kept my room as is until I officially moved into my first apartment a few years into working at my first job as a professional. Then, she started giving me boxes of my stuff.

[@earldouglas3631]

Stick of Butter Rice is the best rice EVER!!!! I have only done beef flavor, but now I am going to try chicken.

[@carolsmith2969]

I am a senior and look for deals is how I survive. I portion all my food to make it work. Thank you for all you do.

[@FrugalLifeThriftyWife]

I love a good pantry cleanout challenge! I’ve done several on my channel and have another one going up on Sunday in honor of Shelftember 😊. My clearance foods were filling up my freezer so I just had to do another one.

[@Ford98270]

We have left the rooms as is. Safety net the first few years. As they moved into college apartments, items have moved from their rooms. At their pace. Daughter (23) only has a few items in room and two sentimental bins in our garage. Son (20) just figuring out the apartment life. Not much has changed in his room.

[@viviannichols3582]

My parents use my old bedroom to store craft supplies and such. My brother’s old room is a combination guest room and walk-in closet.

[@jennypecht9809]

We love the Rao's sauce at our house! And I often put diced zucchini in my pasta sauce. I like to cook it separately and get some good color on it. Thanks for the great video! Even though I have a small family (3), you have taught me to keep a few extra things in the pantry so I can put together meals or snacks without having to do a full grocery shop every week.

[@TaylorTisdale]

I’ve been out of my parents house for almost ten years, they still call “my room”, my room. And that’s not to say they haven’t changed out the cringy teen decor, but to this day I know I have somewhere I will always feel comfortable and somewhere I can call and feel at home. NO MATTER WHAT. ❤️

[@lisascott8801]

Our oldest daughter is the same age as Haley but went to college this year. Since you don't need the space, definitely keep the room for her. She'll appreciate it when she comes home to visit.

[@michelestarkey5564]

We get our 1/2 a cow in January and when it got close last year and I needed to make some freezer space I canned some of the roasts and steaks. I canned them in pints, just 3 people in my house, and they are great for soups, pot pies and making beef tips with pasta. If you sear them a little before packing the can they hold together a little better.

[@joannaazar7396]

Hey Christine!!! I was so excited to see Raos spaghetti sauce. It’s a little pricey, but definitely worth it!!! Thanks for ur videos. ❤ NewJersey ❤❤

[@sherilynalexnder897]

I can't believe I'd never heard of pantry/freezer clean-outs (or freezer meals!) until I started watching FFM, which was one of the first YT channels I ever watched. Here I am - still watching!!! Yes, I used to live under a rock, lol. Now I have freezer/pantry goals (not just stuffing them as full as possible), which are somewhat organized but nowhere near Pinterest worthy, and I'm okay with that.

[@sherrydaugherty6144]

Christine and family have a great week have fun thanks from Oklahoma

[@meredithmelillo8122]

Yes! My favorite KZbinr doing my favorite type of video !

[@tiffanyhopkins8887]

Ohhhhh my goodness!! That baked rice is a game changer! I made it last night and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to make it another way! Thank you so much!

[@magaperson3402]

When each of my kids left for college, their rooms were kept as is because they'd come home occasionaly (when they need stuff...lol) sp their rooms were still there for them. They come home for summer/winter breaks and need a place. Now when they finally graduate, get a job and moved out (or got married), then they took what they wanted from their rooms. I repurposed one bedroom as a guest room, and the other became my husband's "man cave". I love your idea of baked rice. Can't wait to try that one.

[@davinacipriano5642]

I kept my daughters room exactly how she left it. I want her to come back and feel welcome whenever she wants to come home.

[@vanessaguerrero3478]

I made last week the same recipe last week but wiht ground meat but I have so many zucchinis from the garden

[@dianebondhus9355]

We kept our kids room for them while going to college. It was convenient as they often brought friends home too. 😉❤

[@hannayoung9657]

I monthly plan my menu, which mean 4 dish of each of 7 themes. So this month 4 chicken currys , 4 stews, 4 woks and so on. Then i match them up so I use all it all up. So here we always knows what's for dinner. My parents made my room into a computer room and realised I was right, my room was cold because vent was set the wrong way. I froze in that room for 14 years!

[@v1c4r10u5]

As a former child who left home... my mum went back to school for registered massage therapy and turned my old room into a massage space LOL. But if you don't need the space, keeping it as her room for whenever she visits or in case she falls into a rough time and needs to move home, isn't a bad idea. It'll help put her mind at ease that if she ever messes up or needs to, she can always come home. Especially with how rough things are lately-- insane cost of living, insane rent, really low wages-- she might need the support. I moved home after college for a year and a half before moving abroad, and I'm very grateful that I was able to do that.

[@brandicarey7351]

Zucchini and scrambled eggs are my jam!! Grandma made it all the time growing up! I have a zucchini the size of my arm im def doing that, and fried zucchini of course 🤩👌🏼

[@cherylallen5188]

Awe happy for daughter's birthday And milestone

[@valeried2941]

Love the upside app. It is amazing..Wow she is 18 you may want to keep her room open..my mom did when I went to college. For vacations and after I graduated. I stayed til I got on my feet with my first job! It was comforting for me to know it was still there! Independence was GREAT but was nice to have it as a comfort til I found my way in the world.....

[@snuassauns]

It's always nice to have a spare room for guests and your daughter will come back at times. I have kept my daughter's bed and dresser (great place to store wrapping paper etc.) I am using her desk for my sewing machine. You could make it a craft room. Trust me, there will be times when you or your husband is not feeling well and someone wants to sleep elsewhere!

[@rhondamorrill2429]

I have to laugh about the frozen bananas! When they start falling out of freezer…it’s time to make banana bread/muffins. Thank goodness we have friends and family close by to share in the bounty. 👍🙌😂🤣

[@jessicakarn819]

I found you like a month ago and been binge watching you. Appreciate your content and love watching your videos.

[@donnahollenbach8485]

Same here! So inspiring!

[@FrugalFitMom]

Welcome aboard!

[@michellechannell1219]

We keep the room as is for about a year. Then it becomes a craft room, or reading room, or guest room, game room. My boys that are grown always loved coming home and staying in their bed.

[@angeliquerael]

I love watching your videos. Hailey will still come home for holidays and summer etc, at least for a couple of years. Your rice looked SO GOOD!

[@gladyschandler6724]

Wow you're on a roll prepping food.

[@gladyschandler6724]

I'm cooking tonight pork tenderloin in air fryer, also have string beans & yams

[@Bex-rg8pj]

My rules were: First year. No car. Stay in a dorm. No coming home until Thanksgiving. I really think it helped them to adjust into being an adult. I kept the rooms the same. I watched so many kids that came home every weekend to see friends that they never got their dollars worth of college experience. By their second year they were apt or townhouse sharing rent with a couple of friends. We built our dream home and still made a bedroom for everyone. It was obvious they were going to live in larger cities and I wanted enough space for their families to visit!

[@ilenehorowitz3060]

I am a gardener. I would love for you to give us a quick tour of the garden and what you prep and freeze and how you prep and freeze. I think more and more people are gardening and it would be interesting and instructive. BTW i love your $1 Tree tips.

[@loniivanovskis1239]

I waited until kid moved out and got his own place before I fiddled with his room. Now that he has his own "home" he no longer needs mine; but we kept it during college so he would have that home feeling when he needed it (he moved out 7 months after graduation.)

[@rachelschroeder7675]

I've been doing pantry/freezer clean out for the last 7 weeks! I think this week will be my last one until sometime next year. It has been fun to see what I can come up with. And eye opening that I need to reign it in and stop overspending. 😳 Like I'm all for having some extra on hand for whatever may come, but I need to stop going overboard. Some of it has been out of necessity the last 7 weeks because we had some unexpected expenses. But my goal was to pay off some of our lower balance credit cards which I was able to do on top of the unexpected expenses we had. It felt nice! I could probably continue my pantry/freezer challenge for another month but I don't want to completely deplete what I have. Going forward I'm just going to focus on shopping for week to week groceries and not on also stocking up. I'm sure I'll still end up with extras that'll roll over to future meals.

[@stephaniegunnison5908]

For pasta sauce my mom makes this amazing one and grates up zucchini, summer squash, and eggplant along with some onions, hamburger meat, sausage(ground and sliced) and shredded chicken. She makes a HUGE batch of it and freezes some for later. I make my own slightly cheaper version with all the grated veggies and hamburger meat and add ricotta cheese and use a good marinara sauce and it’s phenomenal!! Love love love it! I usually make a large batch too when I find a good deal on veggies and freeze it. Works so damn well and it’s so much more filling ❤

[@suesmith5033]

When my son's went to college I left their rooms as is. I wanted them to know they had their room still. They gobthrough enough changes without feeling like they had no home bedroom. After college graduation and they moved to their own place then I made tge decision what to do with their room

[@washkoskat]

When my sister moved out to go to college my parents didn't ever ever touch her room. its was the shrine to miss perfect... 2 years laster when I went to college my bedroom instantly cleared out and turned into my dads home office. I got to sleep on the couch when I came home for vacations and summer break I'm promise I'm not bitter even after all these years. Lol

[@lesliehunt3841]

Hi Christine - I use regular lasagna noodles without cooking them every time I make lasagna. When I'm done assembling them I take a few teaspoons of water around the edge of the lasagna...cover will foil, instead of cooking for the 30 minutes I cook for 45 - uncover at 30 continue to bake for remaining 15 - Never an issue with uncooked pasta!

[@ellenmurphy3100]

When my brother went to college, my parents kept his room the same. He still came home for Thanksgiving, Christmas/winter break, spring break, and summer. Once he moved across the country, it became guest/craft/sewing room. Same with my sister's room, hers became yoga, my mom's office, and storage room after she moved out of state.

[@mamabairds]

Love to see that you canned some of your own pasta sauce!! What other things do you make and preserve yourself! You are so creative!

[@sashimb11]

I love your clean out videos! It inspires me to do that same 😊 My mom left my room in tact until after I was finished with college (thankfully) because I ended up needing to move back home for a year after graduation until I had my own place.

[@AnnCulver82]

My oldest is 20, when he was 18 and went away to college in Arizona we turned his room into my holiday decoration storage room...we did keep his bed and furniture in there as well "just incase "

[@kaitiesanders993]

Leave Hailey’s room alone. Especially since you don’t need it. I was home on breaks during college, and moved home for about a year while I got on my feet with my full time job. That may not be your parenting approach I suppose, but my parents were great as long as I was clearly working and setting up my foundation. It worked and I was able to buy a home with my husband a few years later, largely because I was able to save and get a solid start that first year.

[@jessica8518]

I'm starting to think my family is the only one incredibly underwhelmed by Rao's sauces. Love the video!

[@melindalachapell4478]

@Jessica- we don’t like it either. It’s too blah. We like prego or homemade.

[@LeMErin21]

I prefer Ragu Simply to Rao’s.

[@sw3et24x7]

I didn't care for it either. I had to add so many seasonings and such to make it palatable that making it from scratch would have been cheaper.

[@Ginger_Lily]

We aren't fans of it, either. It's bland and has too much oil in it for our tastes.

[@jlow27]

I’m a big fan of the Victoria’s sauce but I only buy it at Costco as two huge bottles are about $10 but at the grocery stores, the normal size bottles can cost up to $8. I only add a little sugar to cut the acidity and that’s it. My mom is full Italian, and this is the closest sauce to homemade I’ve ever found. My mom and her sisters like it too. Plus there’s always homemade sauce (gravy to us here in NJ) in the freezer at all times.

[@draumpje]

No adult kids here Or kids of any age really But around me (growing up and now as an adult) most people keep the room of college going children as the room of said child until they finish college and actually move out into the adult world Or whenever the kid actually moves out (room is used when child comes home for the weekend , holidays and so on maybe even when things do not work out as planned and child returns home for a period etc)

[@karincope3019]

Our son has moved back home 2x since he moved out , I didn’t change His room much , it’s our spare room . He was so very thankful to be able to return home . I have always let my kids know they can always come back home at any time . Rent here starts at 1500.00 and the average home to buy is in the $700,000.00 I live in the Interior of BC Canada . This spring homes were going for $150k Over asking price , it was crazy .

[@jamiejudd4109]

Love seeing these kinds of videos please keep showing us more!

[@annswann1941]

Yay! Cooking with Christine 🙋🏻‍♀️

[@cheryldelacruz7731]

I also use the upside down. I love it and what I do is when I get ready to run errands I open up the upside app and look at what gas station has the best price in the direction I'm headed already.

[@courtneyprovenzano4637]

I joined the military at 18 right after high school almost 6 years ago, I have 2 kids and a husband now and my mom still has my room pretty much the way it is before I left. She kind of moved into it since it was a little larger room but all my pictures and decor is still there. No shame is keeping her room if you don't need it (:

[@gladyschandler6724]

Already know I'll do a chicken recipe in the slow cooker on Wednesday. I'm in Austin hot weather this week.

[@kevinanddeb8829]

My daughter is an engineer so for us it was a bit different. After Sophomore year she didn't come home for summers because she had internships and then she had a job lined up in January of her senior year. She was supposed to have a couple of months but they kept moving back her start date so she only had a week after graduation to pack and move (plus finding housing in that state!). We have slowly gone through her stuff, packed what she wants once she has a house and a definitely settled location. Her room is a combination guest/sewing room now. But this house is small, if we were still in our previous house I probably would keep her room the same.

[@susanfisher77]

We all had a bedroom in the house until we graduated from college- home for vacations, summer breaks, random weekends, etc. Home was home until we has full time jobs- which happened pretty quickly after graduation from college.

[@eringrant8221]

Old bananas: I toss the one or two old bananas that didn't make it before they got too old into my freezer (in a designated basket) peels and all. When I have about 15 frozen bananas, I make a quintuple batch of banana bread and add oats and walnut to the batter. Instead of loaves, I make muffins, (it makes over 100 muffs) and freeze them in gallon bags. They make really great snacks for my kids as they are coming and going from their activities. They grab a couple out of the freezer, microwave about 30 seconds and spread a thick layer of peanut butter on them. They are so good! My daughter's room: my husband used it for an office, but we kept the bed in the room for guests and for when my daughter came home.