Which TV Roommate Are You?

(Image courtesy of Lubs Mary)

Have you ever wondered which of your favorite TV characters matches your personality around your roommates? Well this quiz from apartmentguide.com just may have the answer that you're looking for. Don't worry, it's highly scientific-we promise. 

1. You come home to find your roommate has left a pile of dirty dishes in the sink. What do you do?

A. Clean the dishes yourself – and secretly enjoy it.

B. Research all the different types of mold that can arise from old food stuck to ceramic plates, arrange them into a detailed Power Point presentation, and make your roommate sit quietly as you lecture him/her about basic cleanliness.

C. Toss your own dirty dishes on top of the pile and walk away.

D. Immediately go find your roommate to yell at him/her – not because of the mess, but because no one offered you any food.

E. Immediately go find your roommate, give him/her a hug, and calmly offer to help clean the dishes while saying repeatedly that you still love him/her.

F. Spend an hour wondering how soap is made.


2. In an effort to be nice, your roommate has folded your laundry for you. How sweet! What do you do?

A. Appreciate their effort, but immediately unfold all the laundry and refold everything the right way. Not balling the socks is just asking for anarchy in your sock drawer.

B. Question your roommate mercilessly about how long it took him/her to fold the laundry. Devise a more efficient system and make your roommate undergo a rigorous training session.

C. Shove the folded laundry in your dresser drawers, after making room for it by tossing out all your other clothes, which are just jammed in there.

D. Yell “Sweet!” and go eat a celebratory pizza.

E. Start weeping uncontrollably at this generous gesture. Once you’re done, start planning an even nicer thing to do for your roommate.

F. Spend the rest of the day trying to remember where the laundry room is.

3. You and your roommate throw a party, and someone in the building calls the cops on you for being too loud. How do you react when the police knock on your door?

A. Apologize profusely and offer to shine the cops’ shoes for free, right then and there.

B. Grill the police on exactly how many decibels you have to reach to get a citation for disturbing the peace. Demand to know if your neighbors tracked how many decibels your party reached, then pull out a decibel meter that shows you’ve been tracking the party’s noise levels all along.

C. You can’t get to the door because there’s too much junk blocking it.

D. Attempt to bribe the cops with a pastrami sandwich, only to realize you’ve already eaten all of them yourself.

E. Distract the police by striking up a conversation. Don’t stop talking until you’ve become Facebook friends with them and invited them over for dinner next week.

F. I have neighbors?

4. Your roommate wants to watch a movie that you’ve already seen (and don’t care to see again). What do you do?
A. Turn on the TV for them and quietly escape to the kitchen, where you happily scrub the cabinets with a toothbrush.

B. Explain in excruciating detail every plot point in the movie, thereby ruining the ending for your roommate, until you’ve convinced him/her not to watch it. Propose that you instead watch Tron (the original, please, not the remake), which you consider to be the greatest movie ever made.

C. Agree to watch the movie with your roommate, only you spend the rest of the evening trying to find the remote control instead. Turns out it’s buried under a pile of months-old magazines and empty Coke cans.

D. Watch it anyway, but order a monumental amount of Chinese takeout first. Who cares if you’ve already seen the movie? You’re just happy if you’re knee-deep in moo shu pork.

E. Tell your roommate how much it means to you that he/she wants to share this time with you. Declare the movie to be “your movie” and mentally make notes of everything that happens so you can quote the movie to your roommate later, thus creating a slew of inside jokes.

F. What movie? You were distracted by something shiny.

5. Your roommate is a little short on rent this month and asks to borrow some money from you. What do you do?

A. Agree to lend the money, but in lieu of repayment, you ask that he/she lets you clean the entire apartment top to bottom, including his/her bedroom and bathroom.

B. Agree to lend the money, but first create a detailed contract that outlines a strict repayment schedule with interest, and a list of increasingly dire consequences if your roommate does not meet the deadlines.

C. You don’t lend the money, not because you don’t want to, but because locating your checkbook would require heavy machinery and probably some haz-mat suits.

D. Agree to lend the money, and state pointedly that you will accept repayment in the form of French fries.

E. Lend the money before you’ve even been asked, because you and your roommate are like peas and carrots, and you already knew about his/her financial difficulties. You’ve been saving for months in preparation for this moment.

F. You don’t lend the money, but only because you’ve forgotten which bank you keep your money in.

If you answered mostly As, you are:

Monica Geller from Friends. A neat freak to the point of compulsion, you’ve devised a foolproof system for keeping everything in your life organized, and you see no reason why anyone else should mess with it. Does this cause problems with your roommate? Sure, from time to time your organizational obsession can border on neurotic. But your apartment sparkles and your closet could be on the cover of Organization Today, so who cares?

If you answered mostly Bs, you are:

Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory. Obsessively detail-oriented, you look for the science behind everything, on the constant search for your “Bazinga!” moment. You and your roommate have a love/hate relationship; your pickiness might make for the occasional fight, but your roommate can’t argue with your thorough cleanliness and dedication to paying the bills on time. As long as everyone follows the Roommate Agreement, you’re happy.

If you answered mostly Cs, you are:

Oscar Madison from The Odd Couple. Life is short; who has time to clean? You have better things to do with your time than organize a silly sock drawer. A little mess never hurt anyone (except your roommate, who’s considerably more appearance-conscious than you are.) You and your roommate are yin and yang, sun and moon, peanut butter and chocolate — exact opposites, but oddly perfect together.

If you answered mostly Ds, you are:

Joey Tribbiani from Friends. A nice person to the core, you love your roommate more than anything – except food. If there’s a sandwich in the fridge, it won’t be there for long if you’re at home, and you won’t be sorry for eating it, either. This can sometimes cause friction with your roommate, especially if you eat his/her lunch, which you do on a regular basis. But you’re so lovable that your roommate eventually forgives you.

If you answered mostly Es, you are:

Jessica Day from New Girl. A people-pleaser to the extreme, the most important thing in the world to you is to be close with your roommate, even if it means putting up with the occasional mess in the kitchen or late rent payment. You regularly go out of your way to do nice things for your roommate – you cook dinner, you watch the movie they want to watch, you clean up their messes – and you do it all for the hugs.

If you answered mostly Fs, you are:

Chrissy Snow from Three’s Company. You have better things to think about than the state of your apartment, like where thoughts come from, or how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop. No one will call you an intellectual and you are most definitely blonde — if not in hair color, then in spirit — but you’re a basically nice person at heart, and your roommates love you for that.

Frozen Breakfast On The Go

(Image courtesy of thekitchn.com)

Waking up on a warm summer morning has it's perks. Not only do you get to enjoy the beautiful sunshine streaming in through your bedroom window, but you also don't have to worry about bundling up as you head off on your daily commute. The one drawback comes those days when it's just too hot out. Writer Emma Christensen from thekitchn.com knows the feeling and shares with us her favorite way to stay cool on a warm summer morning. Keep reading for the recipe to make the delicious frozen yogurt parfaits pictured. 

The Yogurt

I use Greek yogurt for the base of these breakfast pops because I love its tangy flavor and it's what I usually have in the fridge. Since Greek yogurt is so thick, you need to thin it out with a bit of milk to make it easy to layer into the popsicle molds. While you're at it, whisk in a little honey to keep things sweet. If you're not into Greek yogurt, you could definitely use regular non-Greek yogurt here instead — no need to thin it out, though.

The Berries

Now, let's talk about the jammy berry layer. Berries are so amazing right now (hello, mid-summer!), but even the freshest, ripest berries tend to freeze into tasteless rocks if left to their own devices. This is why I take things one extra step with these popsicles and make a quick jam with the fresh fruit. Cooking them and adding a bit of sugar gives the berries a deeper flavor that carries over into frozen form, plus the sugar keeps the fruit a soft enough to nibble even when frozen.

If you're short on time or short on berries, you can also substitute a fruit jam or preserves. You'll need about a cup of preserves for these popsicles.

The Granola

Use any granola you like here. These popsicles are especially handy for using up a handful of leftover granola that's gone a bit stale. Once layered into the popsicles and frozen, the granola softens to the consistency of soft oatmeal cookies —and yes, that's just as delicious as you're hoping it will be.

My popsicle molds (these from Tovolo) each hold about 1/2 cup of yogurt parfait goodness. For me, this is the perfect amount to start my day or — let's be honest here — finish it. Either way, my freezer is going to be stocked with a steady supply of these yogurt popsicles from now until the end of summer.

Yogurt Parfait Breakfast Popsicles
Makes 6 popsicles

1 1/2 pints strawberries, hulled and roughly chopped (around 3 cups chopped)

1/4 cup sugar (or honey)

1 cup Greek yogurt

1/4 to 1/2 cup milk

2 to 3 tablespoons honey

3/4 cups granola

Combine the strawberries and sugar (or honey) in a small saucepan and stir gently to combine. Let the berries macerate on the counter for at least 10 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved and syrupy.

Place the pan over medium-high heat and bring to a rapid simmer. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until the strawberries are thick and jammy. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. You should have about 1 cup of jammy fruit. (At this point, the strawberries can be refrigerated for up to a week.)

When ready to assemble the popsicles, whisk together the yogurt, 1/4 cup of the milk, and 2 tablespoons of honey. The yogurt should be thick, but pourable (roughly the consistency of regular yogurt). If needed, whisk in a little more milk. Taste and add more honey if desired.

Scoop out 1/4 cup of the yogurt mixture and stir it into the granola. This will help the granola freeze into the popsicles.

Arrange 6 popsicle molds (1/2 cup capacity) on your work surface. Pour a generous spoonful of yogurt into the bottom of each mold. Add a scoop of granola and then a spoonful or two of strawberries. Continue layering yogurt, granola, and strawberries until the molds are filled. Tap the molds lightly agains the counter or use a popsicle stick to work out any air bubbles between the layers.

Insert popsicle sticks into each mold and place the popsicles in the freezer. Freeze until solid, at least 6 hours.

To unmold, run the popsicle molds under hot running water for a few seconds and gently easy the popsicles out of the molds. Popsicles will keep in the freezer for several weeks.

Recipe Notes

• You can substitute 1 1/4 cups of regular yogurt for the Greek yogurt. As long as it's pourable, there's no need to thin the yogurt any further.
• The strawberries can be replaced with an equal amount of any other fruit.
• You can also substitute 1 cup any flavor of jam or fruit preserves for the berries. Skip the jam-making step and proceed with assembling the popsicles.

Make The Old New Again

(Image courtesy of Arun Katiyar)

One of the best parts of moving into a brand new apartment is the ability to decorate however you please! Getting creative with your new space is exciting and with so many options to choose from it can be fun to decide exactly what you want.

If you're thinking about your decorating budget, there are quite a few fun options out there. Thrifting is the newest way to take older pieces and turn your apartment into a one of a kind abode. This article from apartmenttherapy.com will walk you through the best practices for finding diamonds in the rough at your local flea market. Keep reading to learn more.

1. Cast iron — The beauty of cast iron is that it only gets better with age. The vintage version is not only super collectable, but also more valuable come cooking time thanks to its hard-earned patina. And since it's practically indestructible, you'd be crazy to pass up cast iron at a bargain.

2. Solid wood furniture — Every Before & After aficionado knows: the key to a great makeover is quality, deep down. In perfect shape, veneers are fine, but solid wood will always treat you right. If it's a steal, don't leave it behind.

3. Tools — New, quality tools cost a pretty penny but since they last forever, finding them used is quite a coup. Already have your own forever set? Gift them to someone just starting out and make their day.

4. Jewelry — The path to success (and avoiding disappointment) when sorting through a tray of thrift store jewelry is to buy only what you love, not what you think might be valuable. Vintage costume jewelry is a great budget splurge only if you'll wear it or give it away, and if some of those stones happen to be real, well, lucky you.

5. Kids' toys — Chances are you know a kid or two who'd love a new, old toy (especially at a bargain price). Skip plush, furry animals in favor of materials that can take a cleaning like wood, plastic and metal. Look for legos, blocks or train sets, hardy toys made to stand up to rough treatment by little hands.

6. Picture frames — Look past the ugly thrift store art to the true gem: the frame. Most thrift stores are as well stocked on sizes and styles as any frame store I've ever seen (and they're usually under $10). Remember, if you're at all handy, frames are incredibly easy to paint.

7. Leather bags — This thrift store staple is always a fun score. Lived-in leather only gets better and better so getting it at a major discount is a win-win.

8. Plates, glasses and silverware — If it's dishwasher-friendly then we feel perfectly sanitary re-using (or giving away) these kitchen essentials. And if you're partial to the collected look in the kitchen, sourcing your dishware secondhand will always make your table look layered and unique.

Downsize to Maximize

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We’re know you’re probably just as excited as we are for move-in’s to start - we mean come on who wouldn’t be. Though moving is exciting and decorating a new space can be exciting, we need to tell you that there are a few ‘essentials’ that aren’t so essential.

Do you have any ideas where areas of your house may be crammed full of the not-so-necessary? Writer Jennifer Hunter from apartmenttherapy.com highlights five practical places you may be able to cut back. The best news yet? You’ll save tons of space in the process! Keep reading to learn more.

1. Top sheet — Are you hip to this trend? I'm on board (Teresa is too). Forgoing a top sheet has made zero difference in my sleeping comfort, but a major difference in my laundry load and morning bed-making time. I'm a convert.
2. Place settings for 12 — Every registry will encourage you to stock up, but don't do it. Chances are, if you're ever expecting 12 people at once, there will be ample notice to arrange to borrow or rent enough china and silver. And in the (probably long) interim between your epic dinner parties, you won't have to devote storage space to your huge collection of dishware.
3. Specialized cleaning products —Every cleaning line wants to convince you that you need to buy many different lotions and potions to get each specific part of your home clean. An extra-strength disposal bomb to get it lemony fresh? Why not just try a lemon? Or...VINEGAR.
4. Matching nightstands or lamps — Of course retailers will try to convince you to shell out for two instead of one, but don't blindly buy what you might not need. Ask yourself, do both sides of your bed need the same storage? The same lighting situation? Do you even like the look of a matching set? If the answer is no then you're probably a candidate for an unusual nightstand.
5. ALL the knives — Why buy a set and let the store choose which knives you get? Pare down your collection to the ones you know you'll use and love. (Hint: you probably just need a chef's knife, paring knife and bread knife, says the Kitchn)