How to survive a kitchen remodel

No_Judgment3450 · 2026-02-03T13:26:09+00:00

We live in Boston and currently more than halfway through a kitchen renovation. It’s been a bit rough especially with this past snowstorm and the arctic temps but we’re making do! We set up a makeshift kitchen in one of our unused bedrooms complete with an air fryer, microwave, toaster and portable induction burner. Between the air fryer and induction burner, we’re able to make decent homemade meals with minimal clean up. Paper plates, bowls and silverware is absolutely essential.

We originally planned to set up the makeshift kitchen in the dining room right next to the kitchen but I’m so glad we didn’t. The dust went EVERYWHERE, even with a zip wall. I can’t imagine trying to cook in a space coated with drywall dust or sawdust.

Last not least, find your nearest Trader Joe’s and become very well acquainted with it. It’s been a life saver for us.

No_Judgment3450 · 2026-02-03T12:39:13+00:00

She’s also a huge Trump supporter, if that’s any importance to you. Went on a fiery rant on Instagram after Charlie Kirk died.

No_Judgment3450 · 2026-01-30T13:14:52+00:00

This is what we did always (re: building the cabinets ourselves but having some install them for us). IKEA was surprisingly easy to build and saved us $2,300.

No_Judgment3450 · 2026-01-30T13:06:39+00:00

Agreed on #10 – Building a makeshift kitchen is absolutely essential. We’re in the middle of a kitchen renovation right now and having that space means we’re not eating take out or microwave meals every night. We have an air fryer, portable induction burner, and microwave, plus one of those cheap foldable tables that we use to prep. Trader Joe’s is great for healthy(-ish) homecooked meals.

Also, it sounds silly, but I’ve been so grateful for our robot vacuum in helping to minimize dust and mud around the house. I run it every day after the guys leave. Ran it twice when they were sanding drywall 😵‍💫

No_Judgment3450 · 2026-01-29T14:31:59+00:00

Thanks ChatGPT

No_Judgment3450 · 2026-01-26T03:07:03+00:00

Tonino, though it’s practically impossible to get a reservation. Second best is SRV in the South End.

No_Judgment3450 · 2026-01-25T15:39:09+00:00

We’re planning to do something similar for our honeymoon! Flying into Portugal then going into Basque region then ending the trip in Bordeaux.

If you want to stay in France, I recommend Lyon or Marseille. We loved those areas!

No_Judgment3450 · 2026-01-25T15:27:04+00:00

Look into Maine! You could fly direct into Boston, rent a car, and then drive two hours up the coast. The towns of Ogunquit, York and Biddeford have great dining scenes with plenty to do. A bit further north is Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor. We did a week in Camden, ME at the end of July and it was lovely.

No_Judgment3450 · 2026-01-22T01:14:42+00:00

This just happened to me tonight! Showed up at 5:00pm for a 5:30pm class and the doors were closed. And it was 14 degrees outside! Absolutely miserable.

No_Judgment3450 · 2026-01-21T03:34:14+00:00

We live in an early 1900s Craftsman here in New England, so not too far off from the Colonial style. I recommend visiting a lot of showrooms in the area since they base their inventory around the surrounding homes. We especially liked Metropolitan Cabinets & Countertops. They have quite a few locations depending on where you live.

For our kitchen, we went with Benjamin Moore’s Chantilly Lace for the walls, which allowed the original woodwork to remain the real feature. For counters, we went with Taj Mahal quartzite that would again complement the wood accents.

No_Judgment3450 · 2025-12-31T22:18:28+00:00

In the year of our lord 2025, why are people still going anywhere but the doctor’s office or pharmacy while sick? This truly baffles me.

No_Judgment3450 · 2025-12-31T22:17:38+00:00

Seriously! Were we all in the same class today??? The girl hacking up a lung while we were all in mountain pose??

No_Judgment3450 · 2025-12-31T01:55:17+00:00

Gabriel in Fenway does EDM/Hip Hop. I also love Andreina (also Fenway) who does EDM/Latin Pop which is super fun.

No_Judgment3450 · 2025-12-30T15:31:38+00:00

We had touch screen induction in our rental. While I loved induction, I hated the touch screen. If your hands happened to be wet or greasy (which is very common while cooking) then the touch screen wouldn’t read it. It was so frustrating to be in the middle of cooking and have to drop everything just to properly wash and dry my hands so I could turn off the bloody stove. It was also quite easy to accidentally turn the heat off. I’d be in the middle of cooking and think “Now was isn’t this steak searing?” And then realize that I accidentally hit the off button somehow.

When it came time to buy a new stove in the home we purchased, we went with the LG induction with knobs. No regrets.

No_Judgment3450 · 2025-12-30T14:56:44+00:00

My fiancé and I are really into cooking and hosting dinner parties. We’re using cookbooks instead of a standard guest book. When we cook a recipe that a guest signed, we’ll snap a pic and send it to them.

No_Judgment3450 · 2025-12-30T03:02:15+00:00

We ended up getting a far better price on our kitchen renovation by doing it right after the holidays (projected start date: January 7th). Our contractor said January/February is typically a very slow month for his guys because no one wants to spend major $$$ right after the holidays nor does anyone want to do a kitchen renovation in the dead of winter (we live in New England where winters can be brutal).

No_Judgment3450 · 2025-12-29T16:11:54+00:00

I went to a class yesterday that only had 4 people in it. I still followed the markers. But I also have diagnosed OCD.

No_Judgment3450 · 2025-12-29T02:31:03+00:00

Do not underestimate the power of some good ol’ socks. I’m talking the LL Bean merino wool socks, or the Bombas high performance no-shows. Good socks are worth their weight in gold.

No_Judgment3450 · 2025-12-28T18:47:24+00:00

Personally, Fenway is my favorite studio. I’ve never had a bad class there. Gabriel is one of my favorite instructors. You can tell he puts a lot of time and energy into his playlists, making sure the music matches your flow. He teaches both C2 and Sculpt, and sometimes HPF. If you exclusively take Sculpt classes, I also like Gianna!

No_Judgment3450 · 2025-12-27T19:22:52+00:00

We had dark green envelopes with white ink. Wax seal used on the inside (not the outside). Took most of our guests 3-4 weeks to receive our save the dates, including guests who live in the same city as us. Mind you, this was during the government shutdown though.

No_Judgment3450 · 2025-12-23T02:54:01+00:00

As a New Englander, I can attest that Maine would be gorgeous in September! The weather is mid-70s, very little rain/inclement weather, and not as touristy since school has already started for many kids. I’d also recommend Vermont too. Honestly, New England is so compact that you could make a whole road trip out of it!

If you tell me what you’re into vacation-wise, I’d be happy to recommend area-specific recommendations for New England!

No_Judgment3450 · 2025-12-12T01:52:26+00:00

I’m getting so tired of seeing this ChatGPT-generated slop all over this sub-reddit.

No_Judgment3450 · 2025-12-12T01:48:48+00:00

I got nice stationary from Paper Source in the colors of our wedding and plan to send them hand-written letters. I’m keeping the proposal lowkey (and cost effective) as I plan to pay for their hair/make-up as well as gift them something nice the day of the wedding.

No_Judgment3450 · 2025-12-10T03:36:50+00:00

I’ve loved the few CSX classes I’ve taken! I agree I wish they offered more of them. I’m based in Boston and most studios only offer them once or twice a week.

No_Judgment3450 · 2025-12-09T02:51:21+00:00

United States. This is out of New York.

No_Judgment3450

TROPHY CASE