Bring Your Own Supplies to the Hospital

Avoid steep hospital charges for vitamins, aspirin, lotion, telephone services, etc. by bringing your own. We can't always anticipate when we'll visit a hospital, so I highly recommend creating your own overnight stay bag with necessary supplies (shampoo, body wash, toothbrush, toothpaste, vitamins, eyeglasses or contacts, tampons, spare clothes for when you leave the hospital, entertaining activities, etc.) At the very least, create a list of items you would want to have at the hospital and place it in a location that's accessible to others. Have someone you trust gather items from your list and bring it to the hospital.

Monitor Hospital Activities

Hospitals are notorious for overcharging and even including duplicating additional expenses that patients aren't responsible for in a confusing format, anticipating that most patients will unquestioningly pay the bills. To prevent yourself from being a victim, create a daily inventory of all of your activities: administered medications, procedures, tests, services, food, etc. Compare your inventory to the hospital bill. Discuss any discrepancies with the billing office immediately. Having a reference will expedite any remedial alterations.

Experiment with Marinades

A great way to use up condiments is to create your own marinades. Seemingly ordinary sources can be surprisingly tasty: curry sauce, fish sauce, furikake (Japanese rice seasoning), orange juice, soy sauce (light, dark, tamari), vinegars (red and white balsamic, red wine, rice vinegar, and white wine vinegars), wasabi, Worcestershire sauce, yogurt, etc.

Milky Chicken

Soak chicken breasts in buttermilk, milk, or yogurt for three to four hours before cooking. The milk bath will provide a milky flavor but will also improve the quality of the texture, as well.

Use Your Space Resourcefully

For extra storage up, consider the ceiling. You can hang pot racks, wire baskets, and string bags to hold cookware, utensils, and produce that doesn't require refrigeration such as onions and potatoes.

Keep Your Cookbook Stain Free

Open the book to the page you need, and then cover it with a plastic bag or plastic wrap. This will preserve the quality of your cookbook and keep it sanitary.

Telephone Protectors

Keep an empty plastic bag by the phone in the kitchen. That way if you receive a phone call while you're preparing food, you can simply slip your hand in the bag and then pick up the phone to keep it clean.