Sadly, my dishwasher did not come with adorable kittens.

One of the things that I really like about my new apartment is that it has a dishwasher. A real working dishwasher! It’s been a few years since I’ve had one, and it’s pretty nice to just turn the dial and let it do its thing. There’s no more letting dishes sit in the sink for way too long – like waaaayyyy too long.

Like you run out of plates and find yourself using a brownie pan to eat dinner out of because it’s easier than washing dishes.

And when that’s not available, you go for a cutting board.

And when that’s dirty, pretty much anything with a flat surface.

Yes, I am that lazy.  The nice and not-so-nice sides of living alone are that you have less mess to clean up, but it’s easier to not bother cleaning up when you’re not subjecting anyone else to the mess.

(In my defense, my last apartment had issues with hot water. It literally took 5 minutes from the time that I turned on the kitchen faucet until the water was hot enough to properly clean dishes. That’s a lot of water being wasted, so I tried to not wash dishes as often. That’s a good excuse, right?)

But enough slob confessions and back to the dishwasher:  I came across this New York Times article, For the Dishwasher’s Sake, Go Easy on the Detergent (via Apartment Therapy) that affirms both my lazy side and my frugal side. According to experts, you can use less detergent (and save money!) and not pre-wash dishes (saves time and energy!). And the same goes for washers and dryers.

So carry on, cheap lazy people. Carry on.

(Photo courtesy of lizzk with creative commons permission.)

I turned to etsy and found this switch plate from funky chicken design:

It only cost $5 and $2 for shipping! And she included a couple free gifts with it. I’m happy with my purchase.

However, I wound up not using it for my bedroom because I discovered the light switch doesn’t control anything, so I bought a wireless light switch and put it on top of the existing light switch so that I could control the Ikea KNAPPA lamp that I put up:

I’ve also devised a curtain/headboard to cover up the cord for that lamp, but I’ll discuss that later, as it’s still a work in progress.

Anyway, back to the switch plate – I wound up putting it on the light switch by the front door. Now I see it every time I leave, and it makes me smile.

It’s the little things that count.

• Apartment Therapy is doing a Home Hacks series, and it’s pretty awesome. There are some rather silly ideas, but plenty of good ones too, including using a walnut to cover up dings in wooden furniture.
• From the Kitchn, a couple egg tips: how to test an egg for freshness (it seems like they last forever?) and how to get the eggshell out of a cracked egg (I run into this problem quite a bit!)

Treat time!

• Also from the Kitchen, 11 grown up cocktails without alcohol
• S’mores cupcakes. I’m not sure what to say about this, other than I WANT TO TRY IT!

What I can say is that Can’t Stop Moving is awesome. If you live in the Seattle area and you’re looking for movers, I highly recommend them. I got quotes from a few different moving companies around here, and theirs was the best. And not only were their prices good, but the guys were friendly and did a great job moving. The move only took 1 hour and 45 minutes! Aaaaawesome. Least painful move ever.

Some of these sound a little suspect – like vinegar on a sunburn? – but it’s worth reading.

So now I’m back in blogging mode. Let’s go!

With all the holiday parties you might be attending or hosting, here’s a cheap way to clean up after a common party foul: use salt to clean up wine stains. A few months ago I was at a friend’s house and someone spilled wine, and I witnessed firsthand that salt really does absorb the wine. Forget expensive and toxic cleaners – all you need is salt (and love).

This is so tempting, so very tempting…

But receiving is still pretty fun. Especially when it’s something you actually want.

Enter Apartment Therapy’s annual Holiday Giveaway. Each day you can enter to win 6 gifts from their family of blogs (Apartment Therapy, The Kitchn, ohdeedoh, unpluggd and re-nest), and there is some cool stuff. You can enter for as many as you like, and it shows you a preview of the upcoming giveaways to lust over.

This desk is pretty hot, right?

The giveaway runs through Dec. 18, and you’ll need to check the site once a day to enter. You’ll also have to create an account, but once you do, it makes entering the contests very easy.

Good luck!

I love fred flare and their collection of cute yet mostly affordable things. This is a great time of year to check FF out, especially if you’re looking for an unusual secret santa or white elephant gift.

I have this shower curtain. It makes me happy.

Cute!

For your favorite "too cool for Christmas" friend?

I recently came across this article about 28 ways to save cash by getting your home ready for winter. Most of the tips don’t apply to me since I’m an apartment dweller, but it did get me thinking about personal preferences when it comes to being warm.

The thermostat in my apartment right now is set to 62. I have a feeling that’s a little colder than average, but I’m not sure.

Let’s do a little informal survey. What’s your thermostat set to? And for those of you living with a significant other, do you disagree over the ideal temperature?Every time I fiddle with my thermostat, I think of my parents who are constantly adjusting the heat/AC, and despite 30 years of marriage, are still incompatible temperature-wise.

If you’re interested in a free sample of Seventh Generation Free & Clear laundry detergent and/or a $1 off coupon for any SG product, click here.