Last week, I celebrated being “street legal” — that’s what I’m calling it when you’ve survived the 14 days after your second vaccine 🙂
For the longest time, I thought about what I would do when I was vaccinated. I knew I couldn’t do what I really wanted to do: go to a John Mayer concert.
But, I figured I could go out to eat or go shopping.
However, work has been slow for, well, 13 months now, and my savings account is only getting smaller. So, I am trying to be tight with money.
But for Easter, my mom got me a gift card to TJ Maxx. I’ve really been wanting to update a few things in my kitchen — some of the stuff in there I’ve had for 10+ years and it just looks sad.
So, for the first time in more than a year, I headed to the store!
I’ll share the stuff I got, just in case you’re looking to make an affordable update… or just virtually window shop 🙂
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Plates, Bowls, & Serving Platter
I bought myself plates when I got my first apartment and then I had a friend give me plates years ago when she moved in with her boyfriend. So my collection was mismatched and it was not my style (everything was brown or black). I’ve been wanting a matching set of dishes for years but it all seemed overwhelming to figure out what I wanted. Well, I went with a white set that has small dot detail around the edges. Simple, but it looks fresh and I’m loving it! I got dinner plates, salad plates, pasta bowls, cereal bowls, and a serving platter.
I found some similar items:
Stainless Steel Silicon-Tipped Tongs
My goal was to replace a majority of the items in my “cooking utensil” container that sits on my counter. Most of what was in there was old and looking pretty ratty. I wanted to buy items that were color-coordinated, so it would look nice sitting there 🙂 I started with some new tongs and got a pretty light blue color.
Silicon Spatulas
Next up, spatulas. The ones I had were worn and sad. I wish I could find the exact ones I purchased — that’s the Catch 22 of TJ Maxx — because they are white with blue butterflies on them 🙂 But, if you’re in the market for new spatulas, there’s so many fun and colorful options out there.
Cooking Utensils
This was the bulk of what needed to be replaced. I’d gotten one of those sets with pots, pans, and serving utensils when I graduated from college… 14 years ago… and was still using those utensils! So, I bought a set of various blue “ombre” ones — bright and springy!
Mesh Strainer Insert
Okay, I didn’t even know these things existed! I have a colander — one of those big, plastic ones — but I hate using it and often I don’t even bother with it. I saw this on the shelf and have already used it many times to drain pasta and rinse beans.
Ceramic Food Storage Containers
I have a decent collection of glass food storage containers, but I needed a few more. I saw these cute patterned ones that were microwave and dishwasher safe so I got them and have already used them. It’s one of those small things that you don’t think about, but opening the fridge and seeing cute containers is a win!
Ceramic Egg Container
For me, this serves no real purpose other than it’s cute and I like seeing it in my fridge. I suppose if you were baking or making a big omelette, you could pull it out and it would look nice on your counter – ha! But, I saw this blue egg container and snatched it up. I was also looking for a ceramic fruit basket, but didn’t have any luck (here’s a cute set).
Serving Utensils
Since I bought the platter, I kept my eye open for serving utensils and found these. They’ll go with just about anything and would still look good in my container with all the other blue items I purchased. A kitchen staple!
Mini Oven Mitts
The potholders I had were so worn, they were burned through! So, finding something new was a must on my list. I found a set of mini oven mitts, which are so cute, and fit much easier in my kitchen drawer. The pair I got is gray with a white swirl pattern, but I found these striped ones, and some colorful ones.
All of these are pretty small on their own, but they made a big difference in my kitchen! After a year of cooking every SINGLE thing, it’s nice to cook with and eat on fresh items. Basically, once the pandemic is over and I get a job, I’ll have to throw a dinner party to fully utilize all of my fun stuff.
Are you refreshing anything in your home this season?
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The Bitter Lemon 
Nice post.