While not as major or time-consuming a project as a full remodel, renovating or replacing kitchen cabinets is still likely to put your kitchen out of service for a few days or weeks. The obvious solution is to simply eat out during that time, but that gets expensive fast! So here are some alternative steps you can take to prepare your home and yourself for a minor kitchen remodel.
Find a Space for a Temporary Mini-Kitchen
If you’re lucky enough to have a breakfast nook, a wet bar in the entertainment room, or a guest house, that’s an obvious and easy choice. Otherwise, even a table or workbench in the garage or a largish laundry room can suffice. The idea is to create a space where you can make simple breakfasts and lunches, prepare coffee, and heat up snacks.
If possible, move your fridge to the temporary kitchen space. If not, consider investing in a mini-fridge and a chest freezer. Both are quite affordable, and both are items you’ll make use of long after the kitchen renovations are complete! If that isn’t in your budget, see if any friends or family members might have at least a mini-fridge you can borrow.
Stock your Mini-Kitchen with Must-Have Appliances
If you plan your meals carefully, you can do a surprising amount of cooking with certain appliances that are mini-dynamos in or out of the kitchen. Microwaves, toaster ovens, slow-cookers, hotplates, and electric griddles all make the cut. On the other hand, you’re probably not going to use your food processor, mixer, blender, bread machine, and so on, so you can probably store those out of the way if the countertops are coming off.
Stock your Pantry with Ready-to-Eat Foods and Disposables
One thing many homeowners don’t realize when planning a remodel is that the single most challenging aspect isn’t cooking (you probably have many small appliances that can step in in a big way for that), it’s doing dishes. Some dishes, like the cooking vessel of your slow-cooker, or your electric griddle, are unavoidable, and you’ll just have to get creative with bathrooms, the laundry room sink, etc. However, by stocking up on paper plates and bowls, and plastic cups and silverware, you can cut way down on the amount of dishwashing you have to do.
Similarly, by stocking ready-to-eat foods like snacks and crackers, and foods that only take microwaving, like canned soup and frozen dinners, you can keep your family eating on-budget and without undue stress and work, even while your kitchen is out of commission.
