#Tho Sodium will be the big tag for it

[cosmoknightchaos]

Kirby AU go brr. Ramble under the cut

(In case it's hard to read, text says Bandana Waddle Dee: Defender of Dreamland)

So nearly a year after I drafted the original story, I've finally fixed up my silly little Kirby AU enough to start posting about it!

It has no official name, though I have been and will continue calling it the Sodium AU (might've mentioned it on here once or twice?). It can be broken into two parts. There's Bandana Waddle Dee: Defender of Dreamland!, which plays kinda like a subgame centered around the titular Dee, and there's Kirby: Heros of the Stars, which plays out more like the main story mode. Though I hesitate to call them the main mode and subgame bc it's more of a Splatoon 3 fake-out situation.

The whole concept of BWD:DoD is that while Kirby was out training* with Meta Knight, a mysterious wanderer by the name of Aeon crash-landed on Planet Popstar seeking help. Since Kirby wasn't there to offer it, Bandana Dee decided he'd step up! The two end up going on a small adventure to find four mysterious artifacts... Though only one is found before Aeon gets fucking murdered and everything goes to shit.

The concept of the Sodium AU in general is a bunch of What-ifs I wanted to mess around with. Mainly, what if we made every single Galactia Knight encounter canon, what if Meta Knight was corrupted by Dark Matter, what if Kirby lost the ability to protect his home and friends, and what if Bandana Dee finally got to be the main character of a subgame. And he doesn't just get a subgame. He gets the entire AU with him as the main character, which would be great if it wasn't completely post-apocolyptic and everyone he ever knew and loved was dead, possessed, or secretly trapped in a basement in a cage in a castle on a Dark Matter infested planet waiting for their inevitable death where Dark Matter will possess them therefore causing the destruction of the galaxy as we know it (cough cough Kirby). There's a lot more to it than just this, as I also go more in depth on the Heros of Yore, Morpho Knight, and a bit of Magolor and Bandana Dee's relationship during BWD:DoD (slaps roof THEY CAN FIT SO MUCH TRAUMA). Arguably there is also a prequel that involves Magolor and Zan Partizanne, but I'm still working on it and it may get scrapped or turned into a separate thing. It (somewhat) follows the plotline of Star Allies' Guest Star mode, and involves a lot of arguing, angst, and poor coping mechanisms.

*It's not actually training. It's Kirby getting fucking wombo comboed by Dark Matter

[scoobydoodean]

Is there a season(s) where you find Sam to be the most likeable?

Idk if it’s seasons it’s more like moments. Big fan of unhinged season 3 Sam tho. Also when I think back on season 1 Sam I always feel fond of him. If he’d been born just a few years later I just know he’d have had a cringe emo phase. Also soulless Sam is hilarious.

I do have a feeling fond of Sam tag btw it's #high sodium freak.

[moonstruckmoony]

Tag 9 people you want to get to know better!

Thanks for the tag bbys @choccy-milky @the-ozzie @keri-mcberry @ethniee 🩵

LAST SONG? - oh no, you’ve opened the Pandora box. When given the chance I usually couldn’t shut up about music and when asked questions like these I can never just say only one… Mostly for the purpose of finding kindred spirits 😶 Nowadays I often listen to RnB, Soul, Hiphop, 70s-80s hits, Jazz fusion, Jpop and Rap… but I do listen to a wide range of stuff, from Jazz and Classical to Rock/Punk and Metal (loove Paramore and BMTH), to Kpop (I’m an ARMY btw) and Anime songs lmao.

But I digress. The last 3 songs (yes even now I still can’t choose just one 😔) I listened to were:

Suuper sick 1976 Japanese funk track the I discovered, I dove into Minako Yoshida’s stuff and she’s suuper cool.

There’s this lovely playlist on spotify called “sade, erykah badu, lauryn hill vibes 🧚‍♀️✨” by someone called izzy eve and as a lover of all 3 i’m living for it 😫🩵

FAVORITE COLOR? - if it’s not obvious already, it’s light blue, could be baby blue, robin egg blue, or serenity blue 🩵 though most irl people would guess black, seeing 98% of the time I wear always wear black…

CURRENTLY WATCHING? - I mostly watch YouTube nowadays but yesterday I marathoned “Madougushi Dahlia wa Utsumukanai” (or Dahlia in Bloom in English). I’m a big fan of the red-haired, strong-heroine-anime trifecta (Red-haired Snow White, Akatsuki no Yona, and The Ancient Magus Bride), so I assume I’ll love Dahlia in Bloom and I was right. I’m just a huge sucker for heroes/heroines who are both passionate and skilled in their craft/hobbies, add with a little dash of obsession in the topic that they excelled in.

SWEET/SPICY/ SAVORY? - SAVORY. Same as you guys @choccy-milky and @the-ozzie , I’m an absolute sodium menace. Bags of chips and instant noodles (particularly Shin Ramyun, or Indomie) are my kryptonites…. I’ve been eating healthier these past few months though. I set a rule for myself to put in veggies and fruits and good proteins first before I’m allowed to eat whatever I want. But yeah, even tho I do love spicy and sweet as well, I’m addicted to salt 💀

LAST MOVIE? - Wow I don’t remember which one was the last one, it was either Ultraman: Rising or Women King (I know I’m late but God, Viola Davis was magnificent in that one).

RELATIONSHIP STATUS? - I leave it to you guys to guess lol

CURRENT OBSESSION? - Well, Hogwarts Legacy is a given, but besides that, a resurfacing obsession is The Umbrella Academy… 👉🏻👈🏻It’s my comfort show, comfort characters, comfort cast! Just got back into it again since it has ended. And with how season 4 being so…. lackluster(I wouldn’t call it total garbage like most brellies bcs there are things I enjoyed but I agree that it’s a mess and I hate that they ‘ruined’ many of the characters.), I started rewatching my fav scenes from previous seasons and started seeking for fics in Ao3 (my first time ever hunting for TUA fics even tho I started watched TUA the year S1 came out). Fic author brellies are such a blessing, I’ve read fics that are so much better than the experience of watching season 4, with all the emotional complexities they’re able to write and their creativity… just chef’s kiss.

LAST THING YOU GOOGLED? - Cyrillic alphabets lmao. I learned how to read them back during the pandemic out of boredom and curiosity… Yesterday I came across a Russian sentence on my friend’s laptop sticker and I forgot how to read “ю” and “л” so I googled it 😂

Non-obligatory tag, you don’t have to do it! ☺️ also idk who amongst you has done it already, sorry if you have 🥲 I’m just tagging HL people I genuinely want to get to know. @diana-bluewolf @rednite-dork @tamayula-hl @sallowly @sparxyv @ccelicaa @hummingmuggle @gogglesyoyinyin @applinsandoranges @alun1r @gce-hiiragimare @morelikeravenbore @vienguinn @alliezarin

[jrueships]

Fic you would 10/10 recommend

OKAY so i think or i heard or maybe i think i saw smthin abt this day being fic appreciation day or whatever so IM HURRYIN WITH THIS ONE so i might come back here later n reblog with some more fics i missed but I WILL GIVE YALL SOME!!! just to note tho im honestly not a big fic reader in just regular gen? I'd say I prolly read maybe like.. one fic over 2 months? And that's if a fandom gives birth to a new fic with people im intrigued by! Im a very picky reader so i don't do it often (as u can tell by my VERBOSE vocabulary of same one word showing up 50 times in one sentence i try to write) SO DON'T RLLY EXPECT LIKE. A BIBLE of recs! i also really like reading shorter fics!

You know for fic recs i GOTTA recommend the MOOTS writings!!!! btw if any other moot on here writes and posted a story that's not recommended here LEMME KNOW! LEMME READ THAT SHIT!! ANYWAYS from the moots ive read from: ok. Nevermind. I was gonna link each story and it would have been awesome but the links won't link so 😭 um. I'll just say the title of the fic and the author LMAO sorry im on mobile. OH ALSO most of these fics you're gonna need an ao3 account to read! But it's WORTH IT trrrust me paps!!

Wreck my plans (that's my man) : sunlightdappling!!! I think I read this b4 we became mooted or at the very beginning of moothood but!! The title ALONE made me excited to read it! I love titles with parentheses i love you song titles i love you two verses! The verses are unfamiliar to me but if i had to guess the title is from a swift song? Idk why! I've never really listened to her but i just get the feeling it's something she'd say? IDK what i mean is THE TITLE IS VERY SMOOTH AND ROLLING!! Which is very much how the whole story feels! It all flows so well and everyone is so real!! I love wall street exec/principal/dad/mom andre a ton here! So cool when authors include more teammates in the fic besides the two it's centered on! I'm personally not big on the warriors cause im attracted to poverty (spurs) BUT i LOVE this fic and tbh like all the warriors related stuff my moots bless me with because Warriors are Gay. And my moots? Gay. This is good stuff, everyone just IT IS JUST SOMETHING YOU WANNA AND SHOULD READ and my picky pallet self loved it VERY much! READ IT!!!!

Kdsburneraccount : <- author!! GO CHECK OUT THIS AUTHOR!!! Moot does it ALL! You see a fic in another language you really wanna read because it's like 1 outta the 4 fics your ship has? CHECK OUT KDSBA!!! (Not actually kd) translates the CUTEST stories with permission ofc so OTHERS can enjoy as well! ANDDD moot ALSO writes GREAT fics ! For very interesting ships!!! Includes lots of people in the fics without any being ooc! You can tell moot takes TIME with these!! If you're thinking of getting into nfl fic! This ur person! AND IM YOUR PLUG ‼️‼️

The whole kyle/demar tag. Read it . Just. Read it. 29 fics with love poured into each and every ONE of them (i think idk i read like half i don't remember) putting it in the moot section bcs there's gotta be some tumblr moots of mine established in these stompin grounds (or planning to set ship root here!! So just keep an eye out on this tag !)

Nahco3 : <- author! BRO. IF YOU ON SPORTS TUMBLR N NEVER READ A NAH FIC. DO IT. RN. Reading at least THREE sodium bicarbonate fics is required! Sorry! Either witness greatness or lag behind idk what to tell ya buddy! Moots ability to write like SO many 10k+ works where every single word sounds MWAH is so MWAH it's MWAH just CLICK ONNA FIC MAN!!! SEE FOR YOURSELF!!! my personal fav favs are the fics with russell just cus his personality and behavior are A1 both in real life AND fiction. Russell fics are just something to read if you like those kinda elegant but POPPIN personalities IDK lol READ IT!! Read a kyle/demar story and thank nah for being the strong pillar that ship needs to stop it from falling into the 'short one uwu smol bean baby tall one MEAN and emotionless daddy 🥺' trenches. Seriously. That's a real savior right there !!! Also james harden is so funny in the fics we hate him but we all agree a straight guy who is Straight can just be hilarious sometimes

Freaky Friday : hardlythewiser (sequinedfairy)/ just moots fics in gen also legally if you read nahco3 you read HTW too! TWO-PACKED DEAL!! it's like getting TWO ps5s for the price of ONE ps5! SERIOUSLY READ THIS FIC!!! READ THE FICS!!!! I included the one that got me into moots fics (b4 we were moots! It was just such a creative concept AND all done in one chapter too? The DEDICATION??? i HAD to check it out), but read them All. OR YOU ARE MISSING OOOUT!! writing main ships are HARD. Yet this account manages to knock em outta the park EVERY time!!

Of course i love ALL my moots AND ALL THEIR WORKS so if yall want to be included LEMME KNOW and i will add yall in the rec! I'm just writing this at night rn so im trying to go a lil fast n post!

Ok now just for fics in general hmm

Tonight : anonymous A BRAD/JOHN FIC!!!!! and the fic that encouraged me to join tumblr n scrounge up some fics of my own for the fandom! John n beal have such an interesting relationship and storyline which NEEDED to have a fic done on it! AND THIS ONE IS SO GOOD! i haven't read it in forever since my start here so i can't describe all the deets but! I like it :). It has my og fav there and the perfect melancholy kind of vibe beal/john gives off.

A little TLC : madina / madina fics overall. Madina was probably one of my first fav fic authors for the fandom. AND IDK IF I JUST HAVENT MET MADINA AS A MOOT HERE OR MADINA DOESNT USE TUMBLR OR SMTHIN BUT IM KINDA SAD I CANT BE MOOTS WITH MADINA! because i just wanna COMPLIMENT madina so BAD madina is a GENIUS i LOVE madinas fics i love how madina writes russ , (and yes i am biased because madina writes a lot of my favs but STILL), IF YOU LOVE RUSS.. you'll love madina! Madina just gets PEOPLE! So right! And knows how to write main ships AND rarer ships so well! Only weakness to madina i can think of? Lakers fan lol

Just read all the kd/russ fics they're like all so high quality and good concepts and it's all written about a really complicated relationship but the fics do it so well ! JUST READ EM!! (again tho i read like half and a long time ago so😭)

Football fics now I TOLDYOU I DONT READ ALOT anyways Prom King by playclock!!! When /I/ was rec this, i thought the authors name was playc*ck so i was a little confused 😭 waiting for that thing some writers do where they label it unexplicit or mature then it has l*wd in it LMAO but no! This one is just a really soft really cute fic about stef and allen! If you're looking into getting into nfl through that ship or just that ship, READ THIS FIC!!! it gets INSECURITY it gets PLAYFULNESS it gets FRIENDSHIP it gets LOVE!!! i love it im so glad i was recced it and now im reccin it TO YOU! guys

Easy like a [tuesday] morning : counselor. CUTE title for a somber soft fic!! I love sports fics that dive into issues athletes might have that no one really considers! This one was so understandable it was sad AND I LOVED IT!! a lovely lamar and hollywood fic, their friendship is shown so well!! READ.IT.

AGAIN i mainly read whatever catches my eye, whether that be interesting characters, title, coverart, booksleeve, SO TAKE MY RECS... however you wanna take em JUST KNOW i am no historian of literature or WHATEVER ! THESE ARE FICS I LIKE, you may not like em, who cares everyone knows everything is about me lol eat shorts

[aaternum-a]

GET TO KNOW THE BLOGGER.

can be used for rp & non-rp blogs to get to know a bit about the person behind the screen !

1. FIRST NAME  ⇢  cherub

2. STRANGE FACT ABOUT YOURSELF ⇢ hmm, not sure if this is strange, but i’ve never traveled outside the east-coast .. so i dunno what jet lag and allat other stuff is like!

3. TOP 3 PHYSICAL THINGS YOU FIND ATTRACTIVE ON A PERSON  ⇢  ummmm, eyes, smile, and uhhhhhhhhhhh--

4. A FOOD YOU COULD EAT FOREVER AND NOT GET BORED OF  ⇢  this is gonna sound like the real struggle lmao but bear with me, i really love a spam and cheese sandwich. it’s saturated in sodium, i know, but growing up i had it a lot. issa real struggle meal, i know.

5. A FOOD YOU HATE ⇢ spaghetti squash. 0/10 would not recommend. 

6. GUILTY PLEASURE ⇢ lol i like watching house hunters: renovation on hgtv, knowing most of it is fake and still being like ‘wow i want that’.

7. WHAT DO YOU SLEEP IN ⇢ big t-shirts, sweatpants or pajama bottoms, nuffin’ special.

8. SERIOUS RELATIONSHIPS OR FLINGS ⇢ i’m married, so serious relationships. c:

9. IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN THE PAST AND CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT YOUR LIFE, WOULD YOU AND WHAT WOULD IT BE ⇢ man, unless i had a guarantee that i’d still have my kids, nothing. i could say i wished i started school sooner, but at the same time, i don’t think i would have done as well as i’ve done now. so .. yeah, maybe study better in high school. that’s about it!

10. ARE YOU AN AFFECTIONATE PERSON ⇢  with my kids, yes. with other people, not really. at least not physically. i’ll spam you with verbal love tho!!!! 

11. A MOVIE YOU COULD WATCH OVER AND OVER AGAIN ⇢ dragon ball super broly ... i’ve watched it more times than i care to admit. but i love it. i need more bardock and gine. pls.

12. FAVORITE BOOK ⇢ uhMMMMMM, i don’t know! it’s been a while since i’ve really sat down to read. probably over 5 years (aside from self-help books). and lol .. all i ready were .. young adult dystopian, romance novels. like the shit you’d find on the episode app sjkfnjkasnfka but the last one i remember really enjoying was eve by anna carey. think handmaidens tale? it was really enjoyable, idk. maybe i won’t think so now since that was a while ago!

13. YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO KEEP ANY ANIMAL AS A PET, WHAT DO YOU CHOOSE ⇢ i live with my in-laws and they have a lot of animals .. 20? (snakes, bearded dragons, dogs, cats, birds  ...) we don’t need more. 

14. TOP FIVE FICTIONAL SHIPS [IF YOU ARE AN RP BLOG, YOU CAN USE YOUR OWN SHIPS AS WELL] ⇢ kanda/lenalee (d.gray man), kiba/hinata (naruto), sion/nezumi (no.6), superboy/miss martian(young justice) ( tbh i ship most things that aren’t canon so ye)

15. PIE OR CAKE ⇢ mmmm, i used to be cake, but now i think i’m a pie kinda gal.

16. FAVORITE SCENT ⇢ i love the scent of new books lmfao and laundromats.

17. CELEBRITY CRUSH ⇢ don’t have one! 

18. IF YOU COULD TRAVEL ANYWHERE, WHERE WOULD YOU GO ⇢ japan! dream trip is to go to disneyland there and then do some exploring.

19. INTROVERT OR EXTROVERT ⇢ introvert!

20. DO YOU SCARE EASILY ⇢ i do. but i love horror movies and indulge in scary things, so :shrug emoji:

21. IPHONE OR ANDROID ⇢ iphone!

22. DO YOU PLAY ANY VIDEO GAMES ⇢ i play animal crossing, but i don’t have a switch so rip to me getting the new one.

23. DREAM JOB ⇢ CRNA! i’m working on my RN right now, but i hope to work on an ICU unit next year. c:

24. WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH A MILLION DOLLARS ⇢ lmaoooo pay off my education, get a nice house, invest, and treat myself and my family.

25. FICTIONAL CHARACTER YOU HATE ⇢ oof uhh .. i’m all aboard the muzan hate train and malcom lvellie hate train. but i can’t think of any others at this very moment.

26. FANDOM THAT YOU WERE ONCE A PART OF BUT AREN’T ANY LONGER ⇢ oof uh young justice i think! i still watch, but i don’t participate in the fandom anymore!

tagged by: @kyoanikis​ ( aaaa thank you!! ) tagging: @altaindustries​​, @craneguard​, @bombolear​, @kleinemeine​, @vespyren​ @multismashed​

[deadmomjokes]

Adulting 101: Grocery Shopping, Smarter

I have roomed with way too many freshmen who lived on fries and takeout because they, per their own admission, had no clue how to buy groceries. And I know a bunch of people are probably in the same boat. So I’m going to take you through the issues I often had to help my tiny baby roomies with, and drop some extra tips on you that I’ve figured out while living away from home. Feel free to add your own!

PRODUCE BUYING (yes, you need to eat a plant every now and then)

Canned and frozen veggies are just as nutritious as fresh, sometimes moreso. Nutrient content degrades as the vegetable sits after picking, and if you live somewhere that your produce has long shipping times, it’s actually less nutritious than canned or frozen. In canned vegetables, look for the “low sodium” marker. Canned and frozen also last a million times longer than fresh, and are WAY cheaper. Buy the frozen broccoli and thank yourself later when you have Netflix money left over.

Pro tip: when using canned veggies, rinse them a few times. They now taste fresh, ready to cook or ready to eat straight. You’re welcome.

When shopping for canned fruit, pick ones that are packed in 100% juice, not syrup. That syrup not only makes things way less healthy, it makes it pretty slimy too. Plus the juice is nice in smoothies, if you choose to save it.

If you buy fresh, do so in quantities that look too small. Get what you think you need, then put a little back. You always need less than you think. If you DO buy large quantities and they start to look funny, cut them up and freeze them.

When buying fresh, get some that are ripe now, and some that need a few days. This way you have some that will last a bit longer rather than trying to scramble to eat 3 avocados within 24 hours.

Buy onions in bulk, chop them up all at once, and freeze them. Only cry once, my friends. They cook much faster when they were previously frozen, and they last ages. Plus a sack of chopped frozen onions makes a good makeshift ice pack for twisted ankles and sore backs, and it won’t hurt to thaw and re-freeze a few times.

Here’s a cheat-sheet for how long produce lasts and how to store them. This should give you a good idea of how much to buy. It is very conservative, tho, so don’t panic. For instance, it says tomatoes only last about 3 days, but I’ve gotten a week and a half out of them if you don’t refrigerate them and keep them away from other fruit. Use it as a guide, and google some other “produce cheat sheets” to get an idea of your time window.

When buying frozen vegetables, get the big resealable packages. They’re cheaper per ounce, and you don’t have to worry about whether you can eat all of it at once. If you have limited freezer space, however, just get some freezer ziploc bags and store the extras in that. Twist-tying the opened, non-resealable bag will just freezer burn your food.

I know you think you eat a lot of potatoes, but you, an individual, do not eat enough potatoes to warrant that 5 or 10 pound sack that’s always on sale. Pass it by and go to the individual, select-a-piece display. You’ll thank me when you aren’t cleaning up rotten potato goo in a few weeks because you only got halfway through the sack and just couldn’t eat any more potatoes.

MEAT BUYING

Buy in bulk, keep out only what you’ll use within a day, and freeze the rest into individual serving size packages. You can get SO many meals out of a tray of chicken breasts, so buy as big a package as you have freezer room for.

Check the yellow-tag/clearance section. You find amazing deals there! Just freeze it right away if you aren’t cooking the whole thing for dinner that night. Yellow-tag is always because it’s nearing its sell-by date.

Don’t feel like you have to cook meat in whatever size or form it comes.  Buy big honking roasts and cut your own chops/steak from it. Buy that tray of chicken breasts and cut each piece into stew chunks or strips . Get the bone-in stuff and fillet it yourself. Think big when buying, small when storing, and then use that knife block your mom gave you and slicey slice things down to an individual size, or into something new. (Pork roast into chunks makes for a great, cheap stir fry.) Pop the rest into freezer ziploc bags and take it out the day before you need it. (Thaw in-fridge, please, it’s much safer.)

Ground turkey acts the same as ground beef in most recipes, and is generally cheaper unless you live in beef country. Substitute and save.

GRAINS

As with produce, buy your flour and sugar in much smaller quantities than you think you need. That 2lb sack doesn’t look like very much, but it’s a lot less likely to attract pests if it’s not sitting there for months while you struggle to use it, and it’s also much more manageable so it doesn’t get everywhere while cooking or storing. (You’ll also make fewer sweets if you don’t have a huge bag of sugar sitting in your cabinet getting clumpy and worrying you.)

Mac-and-cheese IS a viable grain option, and if you dump in some broccoli and/or chicken chunks, it’s a full meal. It’s cheap, but less sodium than ramen, so try switching it up. Also try to look for mac-and-cheese made with whole and/or enriched flour if you eat a lot of it, you’ll be slighly less likely to get constipated from it.

Premade loaf bread has a butt-ton of sugar in it. This is not only not as good for you, but makes the bread more likely to mold quicker! So look for low-sugar options. (Or make your own bread, it’s not too hard.)

DAIRY

Unless you’re like me and drink a crapton of milk (doctor’s orders, don’t judge), buy your milk in half-gallons. You can always grab another one if you run low between regular grocery shopping days, but you don’t want to have the experience of going to pour your cereal and getting your appetite ruined by the smell of rotten milk.

If you can’t or don’t want to drink milk, most milk alternatives are now fortified with the same nutrients that animal milk has. Don’t skip the dairy recommendation because you don’t like animal milk, get yourself some soy or almond milk and get your daily calcium intake!

Cheese lasts a long time, but will get dry, hard, and powdery if not stored properly. Look for, you guessed it, resealable packages.

Most of the time, block cheese is cheaper than grated and you can just grate it yourself at home. But always check the price-per-ounce, it’s usually located in the corner or on the side of the tag.

Yogurt lasts longer than you think it will. Buy in the big tubs, not individual cups. It’s cheaper, and you can pick how much you want.

SHOPPING TIPS

Shop by what’s on sale to save money. Have an idea of what you want when you go in, but be flexible with your choices. For instance, I would go in with a shopping list that had an item that was simply “sale meat.” I had meal ideas planned out that I could replace or alter based on what was on sale at the store. No chicken on sale, but the tofu was marked down? We’re having tofu stir fry on Wednesday instead! Apples on sale? You had planned to get bananas, but if the apples are cheaper you can either get some of both or just do apples. Check the sale papers or online ads beforehand to see what kind of specials they have, and try planning meals around that.

Speaking of, CHECK THE SALE PAPERS! Save those mailers, compare prices, and see which store has what you’re after. Google the store’s website and see if they list their specials online.

Have a basic plan for what you’re going to do with your purchases. Don’t just pick up a bunch of kohlrabi “to try” if you don’t have a plan. It could be as simple as “I’m going to look up a recipe later today and I’m moving Tuesday’s dinner to next week so I can make this new thing on Tuesday.” But don’t just go “huh, that’s neat” and buy it without consciously planning when to use it. Or you’re going to end up with rotten kohlrabi and money wasted. Be aware of what you’re buying, and tell yourself how you’re going to use it before you put it on your list, or in your cart if it’s a last minute decision.

Don’t shop hungry. Simple idea, you’ve probably heard it before, but you’ll come home with impulse buys and a headache if you shop on a very empty stomach.

Make a list. You ARE going to forget that you really needed rice if you don’t put it on that list. I know you think you’ll remember, but you won’t. Crossing the threshold of a supermarket completely wipes your RAM. Write that stuff down somewhere and take it with you.

Be willing to shop around. I know Walmart is convenient, and it has asparagus on sale, but if the Kroger also has an amazing sale on the salad greens that you were planning on buying, try to make the effort to get to both stores. Nobody said saving money and eating well was easy, but it is worth it. Unless one store has price match, then just take your ad in and do the shopping at that store.

Try to have a buddy. Grocery shopping can be exhausting and stressful, but a friend can make it easier, and keep you sane. They can also help steer you away from impulse buys just by their very presence. It’s a lot harder to justify the checkout candy bar when your friend is right there, even if they don’t say anything. (Or you could get both of you a candy bar, if you’ve got the cash for it.)

Try to pick a single grocery day and plan for it consistently. Weekly, biweekly, whatever is best for you, just plan a day to do your in-depth shopping. Shopping piecemeal is a good way to spend more money than necessary, and to make sure you forget stuff. (You may have to make fill-in trips between big shopping days, but plan the big ones and try to put off as much as you can until then. But stopping for milk because you ran out won’t break the bank, so don’t worry about doing an occasional quick-stop.)

STORAGE TIPS

Ziploc bags are your friend, but make sure you know what kind you’re getting. Only specifically labeled “freezer bags” should be used in the freezer, or you risk your food getting icy and freezer burnt. Also, look for the store-brand zipper bags, they work just as well.

Label everything you put into the freezer if it’s not in the original package. You’re going to have days where you can’t tell if that’s chicken or tofu. Most freezer zipper bags have a space just for labeling. Keep a kitchen sharpie handy and label stuff. Also put the date on it, and use things within a year of freezing.

Get canisters. There are some cheap ones, even, but get SOMETHING. Put your flour and sugar in the canisters. It will last longer, and you don’t risk the bugs. You may think your apartment is safe, but bug season comes for us all in the end, and those little turds go right for a folded-over sack of flour, I swear.

Keep a list on the front of your freezer of everything that’s in there. Add to the list as you put stuff in, and cross stuff off as you take it out. That way you don’t have to dig to know if you have any more of those frozen peaches you like in your smoothies. Nor will you forget for a million years the bag of stew meat you had intended to use. Small magnetic whiteboards are particularly good for this purpose. (Also consider doing that for each major storage area--fridge, cabinets, pantry, etc-- if you routinely forget what’s in there. You could even tape it to the inside of the cabinet door so nobody else sees your bad memory.)

Don’t store potatoes and onions next to each other. They’ll both sprout.

Keep bananas away from all other produce. They’re naughty ethylene fiends that will spoil your tomatoes just for fun. That said, stick a banana in with an under ripe fruit and it’ll be ready in a day or two.

Take your produce out of the little plastic bags unless they need to ripen a bit more.

Go through your fridge completely once a month. Take everything out, check the dates, sniff it, and throw out old/rotten/nasty stuff. Go through your freezer once every 2 or 3 months. Reorganize your stacks, and double check your content list is current.

I know this is long, but I hope it can be helpful. Please add on any tips you have, at the very least I’d love to read them!

[kayeorosuto]

Tagged by @little-murmaider Rules: Answer thirty questions, then tag twenty blogs you would like to know better. (Omg hello ^///^ I love your blog! Also, hello again as it is also I, Soft Anon! I am ready to not be quite so shy on here! :) Thank you for tagging me!) 1. Nicknames? - Kayeo Rosuto is taken from an OC who was designed to be an alter ego way back in middle school lol. In real life my name is so short (only four letters!) that I don't have many nicknames. Only Biscotti's Mom, at my work place lol. 2. Gender? - Cis female 3. Star sign? - Sagittarius! Tho I'm technically the new sign if you follow the new zodiac where they added the snake man/person? 4. Height? - 5' 4" on a good day lol 5. Time? - Currently? 1am. Having insomnia is fun guys. Also the street light outside my house is about to go out so it's buzzing and flickering a lot, so it's very Silent Hill outside and that's partially keeping me awake. 6. Birthday? - Born in '93! Go 90's kids! 7. Favorite bands? - Oh lord, so many. Um, top bands currently would have to be Panic! At the Disco, Ludo, Motion City Soundtrack. Think all the classic emo bands of the early 2000's and you've got my preference lol. 8. Favorite solo artists? - GACKT ALL THE FUCKING WAY! He's a 90's Japanese rock/pop star and oh my god is he beautiful. He's probably like 50 now, but I would still fan girl like an idiot if I ever met him. "Vanilla" is one of his best songs. 9. Song stuck in my head? - Currently "L.A Devote" by P!atD. 10. Last movie watched? - I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives in the House. It's a really interesting Indy film that Netflix picked up from a film festival. It's along the horror/psychological thriller vein, and I have mixed feelings about the ending. 11. Last show watched? - Metalocalypse! My roomie and I needed to watch something funny after our scary movie marathon lol. We've been rewatching the series with subtitles to better understand what Nathan is singing in the show. 12. When did I create my blog? - I think around '12 or '13? Had it for a while and never used it, then got back into it last year I wanna say. I'm so bad with dates lol. 13. What do I post? - A very wide variety of things lol! Usually what's interesting me most at the current moment. Right now that's been Metalocalypse, One Piece, Kuroshitsuji, Breath of the Wild and general shit posting memes lol. 14. Last thing I "googled"? - "Animal Crossing New Leaf how can you tell if a painting is fake" 'cause you can't waste all those hard earned bells on fake paintings from Redd! 15. Do you have other blogs? - So far just this one! :) I have been toying with the idea of making a One Piece or Metalocalypse side blog... 16. Do you get asks? - Haven't so far. I've done some asking of my own, but it's usually on anon cause I'm shy af lol. 17. Why did you choose your url? - Whoops answering this twice lol. From an OC created back in middle school. 18. Following? - I have never actually checked how many lol, probs 300ish? 19. Followers? - Ehhhh, like 40ish? I think? Probably would be more if I didn't block porn bots lol 20. Favorite colours? Black, purple, teal, maroon/deep red, electric blue (same color as my car!) 21. Average hours of sleep? - Depends on the night. If I'm unlucky about 3, if I'm lucky I'll just crash for a good 10 hours. 22. Lucky number? - Not sure actually? I do see repeating numbers and 45 a lot when I look at clocks and receipts. 23. Instruments? - Zero! I am musically challenged! Plus in elementary school they made us take violin lessons in like 3rdish grade which I HATED. I picked up one of the violin's and had a string snap and hit me in the face. I took that as I my sign I was not meant to play music, and had such bad anxiety any time I went to touch any instrument after I never chose to play one in middle school. I would definitely learn Cello if I could go back and redo everything. Maybe I'll learn after I retire? 24. What am I wearing? - PJ's! Tonight those are black shorts and a very old purple cami that has some how survived 3 dryers that have destroyed all the new cami's I've ever gotten. 25. How many blankets I sleep with? - 1 if it's summer and it has to be light. 2 or a heavy comforter if its winter. My guy is a very warm sleeper so I usually end up kicking on and off however many we have on anyway lol. 26. Dream job? - I would love to a professional artist and have my work displayed in gallery's, or a writer and publish novels. In reality I'll just be happy with something that lets me have a good balance between work and family/friends, and makes enough that I'm not constantly checking my bank account. Yay poor college kid woes lol. Part time was definitely worth the 6 years its taken, but I'm so ready to be done lol. 27. Dream trip? - I would love to go back to Japan and explore the northern half of the country more. I went in high school and mainly was in Okinawa, and the big cities like Kyoto and Tokyo. It would be so cool to see Mt. Fuji in person. 28. Favorite food? - Give me all the carbs and sodium; pizza, pasta (especially Alfredo), tacos, cheese (I fucking love cheese. It's amazing) and Chinese food. All your stereotypically shitty college foods lol. 29. Nationality? - American. 30. Favorite song now? - hmmm... I've been listening to "Na na na na na na na" by My Chemical Romance a lot recently, but it's not a current song. A more current song I've really been enjoying is "Square Hammer" by Ghost. I TAG (ahhh, this is where my shyness comes into play) @gnrslashandmcr @justaminorthreat @hella-gay-ships @tornadowatchimminent and anyone else who wants to do this! :)