Life in the Hooch

"Hey Roomie!"

Who knew that at this point in life, of living on your own or with your spouse and kids, you may be reverting back to having a roommate??

Welcome to life in a hooch!

Excerpted from DSMP Director, Dr. Chantay P. White's article "The Reality of Living with a Roommate" are some great 'Tips for living in the field' which will help smooth out any wrinkles that may arise from sharing tight quarters with a roomie:

Space:                  be considerate.  You each get 1/2, it's that easy unless otherwise mutually 
                              agreed.

Permission:          the golden rule is to ask permission before using your roomie's personal
                               items; no exceptions.

Shhhhh:                it comes down to negotiation.  Schedule when "quiet times" and "activity 
                               hours" are, then respect them.

Cleanliness:          it's next to godliness, or so the saying goes.  But there's no need to be a 
                               'god/goddess' but you do need to keep your space clean.  Agree upon the
                               cleanliness expectation from the beginning.

Moola:                   talk money from the start;  decide how the common household items will 
                               be divied up

Listen:                  be a good listener; be patient; make comprimises; be understanding; be 
                              asssertive (not passive or aggressive)
                       
Communicate:     Don't let things fester.  Repectful communication to solve conflicts 
                               that may arise, will go far to make a happy home.  Agreeing on mutually 
                               acceptable "rules" for living together will make having a roomie more fun!

Check out these hooches...

These hooches have a had a facelift.  Check out these creative contructions here. 

And you thought your hooch was small...

Check out these international hotels!

Employees headed to hooches...

Items you might want to include in your consumables shipment...

Soup mixes/cans

Any speciality food items you like, Thai Mexican, Indian...

Tea, coffee, coffee filter

Crackers and snack food

Laundry soap, dryer sheets, bleach, spot remover

Towels and washclothes
Bedding (beds are twin size), pillows
Small pastic container with drawers
Clorox wipes
Bath soap
Swiffer wet/dry ones (for the kitchen floors)
Small pastic bags (for the wastebaskets)
Dust cloths (it is very dusty and dirty)
Good quality air purifier and humidifier
Shampoo, conditioner, hair spray, hair color
Cosmetics you like...very little available, even the basics like mascara
Toothpaste, mouthwash
Contacts and lens cleaners, Visine
Calendars, family photos
Candles
Holiday decorations, birthday candles
Greeting cards
Any hobby items that you want to work on (in moments you have some free time)
Toilet paper, Kleenex, paper towels, napkins

220 Volt Coffee Pot, Tea Kettle

Bed risers to maximize storage under the bed (you can buy these at Bed, Bath and Beyond)

Dishes (if you don't want to eat off paper plates), flatware, glasses, mugs, plastic storage bowls with lids

Adaptors, batteries

Small stereo system

Hooches are provided with TV/DVD, microwave, small refrigerators, telephone and shower curtain

Pastime...

Check out this interesting website - D (our intern) found it for us, of course.  If you love photography- check out the inspiring collection of shots.  If you are looking for ways to design your new house, apartment, or hooch, check out their home and furniture section for unique ideas. 

Warning: you might spend way too much time mesmerized by this website.   

The world's skinniest house?

This house makes hooches look spacious!  I guess it would inspire you to stick to your diet...

Tiny houses, but BIG ideas...

Check out http://tinyhouseblog.com/ or http://thistinyhouse.com/...


Need ideas on how to maximize your hooch space?  Look at what this New Yorker did with her 90 square foot apartment!  Click here for the video. 

As Maya Angelous says, "I long, as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself."

Grow your own.......

ContainerSeeds.com

ContainerSeeds.com offers a wide variety of vegetable, fruit, herb, and edible flower seeds especially selected for successful container gardening.

You can have a productive and beautiful garden in containers: it just takes a little know-how and the right varieties.

Our variety packs are proving to be very popular. They enable container gardeners to try several different varieties at a very reasonable price.

find more ideas at http://www.containerseeds.com/

Remember back when you were in college...?

If you find yourself living in a smaller space than anticipated (or hoped), here are two tips from colleague in Afghanistan who found creative ways to manage the space in her hooch:

"I bought four bed risers to lift up my bed.  Target had them for $9.99 and the risers were stronger than I initially thought.  Each riser holds about 300 lbs and I could still get under my bed in full gear when necessary.  You might be able to find the risers cheaper, but I just went with Target."  Note: when I went to the site Target was charging $14.99.

"I also bought some storage cubes that held most of my slacks and tops that didn't require ironing or just used them for stuff that didn't fit in my armoire.  I bought six and stacked them on the side of the hooch and used the top for books and DVDs."

I found dormbuys.com which is a site geared towards college dorm living, but the space saver section seems to have a lot of practical ideas and items.  What space saving tips do you have?

A horse ! A horse! My kingdom for a horse! Or maybe just a cup of buttermilk

Okay so you don’t always have everything you need in the kitchen (and even a more limited supply in a hooch) and might have limited ingredients on hand. So, you may need to consult a substitution guide like the one from allrecipes.com.

No kitchen? Just nuke it:
Microwave Meal Magic
Microwave Cooking Recipes
Microwave Recipes
No microwave? Just iron it:
When is an iron not just an iron? When it’s a grilled cheese maker! Besides an iron, the other ingredients you need are tin foil, bread, and cheese. For more details on using your iron as a Panini press or quesadilla maker and other clever dorm (or hooch) dining tips check out Campus cooking – the advanced course.

For extra fun, have a grilled cheese Throwdown a la Food Network star Bobby Flay or turn up the heat in your own Kitchen Stadium the Iron Chef way. Not a grilled cheese fan? You could think about hosting a “cooking in your hooch” demonstration, class, or competition. Please be safe when cooking (remember contents may be hot) and have fun!

Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow? With Café jars and Afghan seeds and pretty hooches all in a row!

Here’s how you can make a terrarium fit for a hooch:

1. Find a good sized bottle
2. Use it upright or turn it on its side
3. Layer damp sand and small pebbles on the floor of the bottle. Consider a layer of activated charcoal to absorb any smells and a layer of moss to keep the soil from settling. Add your soil. Choose seeds from small plants with similar requirements that can stand a good deal of humidity.
4. Place your mini-greenhouse in medium sun and tend it carefully.

For more details, see WikiHow. (image via Medoria's Flickr Page)