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How We’ve Gotten By for 2 Months Without a Working Kitchen

We’ve officially reached the 8 week mark since our former kitchen cabinets, countertops and sink were removed by their new owners. 2 months without a working kitchen has been tricky, but here’s how we’ve been getting through it!

Kim and Scott in a partially renovated kitchen | How we've gotten by for 2 months without a working kitchen | via Yellow Brick Home
our sconces

We Set Up an Auxiliary Sink

We’re lucky enough to have a bathroom right around the corner from our kitchen, so we’ve set up a dish washing/drying station that allows us to easily clean the essentials. During this interim period, we’ve packed away (almost) all our dishes, glasses and cookware to keep them safe and dust-free. We did keep out a few coffee mugs, a stack of bamboo cups, and a nice knife to help bridge the gap. But overall, we’ve largely switched to ‘disposable’ dishes and silverware to avoid the scratches and scrapes that could result from washing metal utensils and ceramic dishes in our small bathroom sink.

Cleaning dishes and reusable plastic serveware at the bathroom sink | How we've gotten by for 2 months without a working kitchen | via Yellow Brick Home
our dish rack

We’re not, however, disposing of these items after one use. We’ve found that higher-quality dinnerware that are intended for single-use can, in-fact, be washed multiple times before degrading beyond usefulness. The heavy-duty black plastic forks from Chipotle and other restaurants have proven to be especially durable, ha!

If a bathroom vanity isn’t a practical option, we’ve also known folks to set up a ‘dish tub’ in a nearby shower or tub as well. A laundry sink is also a great option that can be sold once the renovation is behind you!

We Kept Old Appliances in Service as Long as Possible

In many cases, new appliances are delivered on the same day that the old appliances are removed, so this may not be an issue. In our case, we sold most of our appliances before the new ones arrived. The buyers were kind enough to let us hold onto our fridge for a few weeks prior to the delivery of our new fridge, allowing us to store perishable food in the interim. Paired with the new microwave that we purchased for the new kitchen setup, we were able to keep food on hand and warm it up as needed.

Our microwave, tucked into the pantry | How we've gotten by for 2 months without a working kitchen | via Yellow Brick Home
our microwave

All this to say, we found it possible to go without a stove and dishwasher for a couple of weeks, but a refrigerator and microwave were all we needed to be able to make some of our food at home instead of eating every single meal out.

We Purchase Food Strategically

Whether eating out or heating up food at home, we’ve put a lot of thought into our food purchases over the last couple of months.

Scrounging through the fridge, digging for leftovers | How we've gotten by for 2 months without a working kitchen | via Yellow Brick Home

These are a few things we’ve found helpful:

  • When eating out, we’ve chosen restaurants with large portion sizes and food that reheats well. Leftovers are a valuable commodity when you can’t cook! Shoutout Pasta Bowl Wicker Park for checking both boxes!
  • Items from the grocery store that meet the same criteria have also been great. Think frozen lasagna, pre-packaged salads, chicken sausages that can be grilled quickly, etc.
  • We’ve also eaten lots and lots of sandwiches and salads. Simple, relatively healthy meals are a necessity and cold sandwich fixins have been a staple.
  • Easy breakfasts and snacks for all of us have also been a necessity. Fresh fruits and veggies, cereal, granola bars and oatmeal have all been in heavy rotation!

We’re finally at the stage where we have one foot out the renovation door, and one foot in a near-usable kitchen! This means that some of our cabinets are filled with essentials, most of our appliances are in working order, and we’re thisclose to digging through our packed-up boxes to find our cookware.

For those of that you have lived through a kitchen renovation, which tips would you add to make the time more bearable? Leave your suggestions in the comments below!

PS – If you’re just catching up on our kitchen renovation, here’s how it startedhere’s the plan for the layouthere is a big progress updatehere is a big update on our new flooringThese are our initial thoughts on the new appliances and this is how we overcame some cabinet install obstacles.

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  • Kathryn9.20.22 - 8:36 AM

    We recently moved back to the US and are living in a hotel while our kitchen + dining room are being renovated because our shipment hasn’t been delivered and we have no furniture, dishes, etc. Our hotel room has a mini fridge and a microwave; we have been living off of packets of shelf-stable vegetarian Indian food and frozen microwaveable rice from Trader Joe’s, plus “just add water” mac and cheese for our 6-year old. When the going gets tough we order pizza. It’s not great but we’re making it work!ReplyCancel

    • Scott9.20.22 - 9:23 AM

      All delicious options! Fingers crossed that you’re back into your home soon.ReplyCancel

  • Carool9.20.22 - 9:22 AM

    CPK salads, and an outdoor grill. Both those things saved our sanity during our gut remodel.ReplyCancel

  • MC9.20.22 - 10:07 AM

    We did a kitchen remodel last year and set up a temporary kitchen in the family room but had to do dishes in the laundry room sink! A toaster oven big enough for 12 inch pizzas was great (plus French fries and other stuff…) so totally recommend that. The hot burners we got would blow fuses so not a great solution there – we were so glad to get the oven delivered and hooked up so we could boil water AND cook something else-even more rewarding than the sink being hooked up again after countertop install! We did do disposable plates and bowls as carrying heavy dishes up and down the basement stairs was not appealing. I’m proud we only ate out or did take out 4 times in the 8 week remodel :)ReplyCancel

  • Diana9.20.22 - 10:48 AM

    In high school my parents did a major reno. No kitchen for 3 months. My mom had the contractor set up a “kitchen” in the living room, mainly hooking up a temporary sink. A couple of the ripped-out cabinets for countertop and storage, and Coleman stove. Bookcase for pantry. The neighbor lent a crockpot which she actually didn’t use as much as she expected, but a great idea. Worked out really well! Mainly you just need a resilient mindset ???? It’s not forever!ReplyCancel

    • Diana9.20.22 - 10:50 AM

      And microwave, of course :)ReplyCancel

    • Kim9.20.22 - 12:18 PM

      I love this! A resilient mindset couldn’t be more true.ReplyCancel

  • ConnieB9.20.22 - 10:53 AM

    In 2016, during our 3 month kitchen remodel we also relied on a bathroom vanity for cleanup duty(very tiny sink!) but got the job done. For cooking needs one of the biggest helps was the outdoor grill-we cooked multiple meals at the same time, for reheating later. It helped that we have both a full size fridge and freezer in the basement! Also used the microwave, toaster oven and borrowed a friend’s electric skillet for meal prep. ReplyCancel

    • Shane9.20.22 - 2:18 PM

      I have for a year now draining my sink water into a bucket then dumping it in the toilet ReplyCancel

  • Danielle9.20.22 - 12:38 PM

    Have never lived through a kitchen renovation, but wanted to thank you for talking about how things are only single use if you use them once! ReplyCancel

    • Scott9.21.22 - 9:21 AM

      Absolutely! We’ve been doing our best to wear these ‘disposable’ items to the point of dysfunction!ReplyCancel

  • Laura9.20.22 - 2:10 PM

    We also made do with washing dishes in the bathroom sink and tub during our ~3 month kitchen renovation. Lots of cereal, salads, sandwiches and microwaved sweet potatoes. We also made a couple of big instant pot bean soups (all ingredients chopped on the one cutting board left out on the dining table). We didn’t have to eat out much more than usual – it does make you realize how much you could simplify your life if necessary.ReplyCancel

  • Nish9.20.22 - 4:05 PM

    Kitchen’s looking so good! We did very similar but with a plug in induction burner from IKEA as well – it was $50 well spent in enabling basic meals and eggs for breakfast. It was fine but it definitely made us appreciate a proper kitchen again when we were done! ReplyCancel

  • Anna9.20.22 - 4:07 PM

    Toaster oven was great during our kitchen renovation. You can make everything from steaks or salmon to chocolate chip cookies in it. It saved us. Easy to clean too. We used a crockpot some but only with the disposable liners to make clean up easy. ReplyCancel

    • Scott9.21.22 - 9:19 AM

      We thought about picking up a cheap toaster oven on marketplace, but luckily we were only without a standard oven for a couple of weeks. Definitely a great option!ReplyCancel

  • Cici Haus9.21.22 - 1:02 PM

    We made a lot of guacamole for lunches while our kitchen was being renovated! We moved the old fridge, microwave and a toaster oven to the basement, set up on the work bench, which worked great. We were able to cook a variety of meals thanks to the toaster oven. The dishes were the biggest issue for us with no sinks nearby or really reasonable. We ended up stopping by our neighbor’s a couple times a week to wash cooking utensils and used (reused like you!) disposables when we could. ReplyCancel

  • Michelle9.21.22 - 3:07 PM

    We don’t like to microwave much, so our crockpot was a work horse during our kitchen reno for about 4 months along with an electric skillet and grill. We set up all the make-shift in the dining room and unfortunately we were renovating our half bath at the same time so had to take any dishes up to the bathroom upstairs. Lots of pork tenderloin in the crockpot, grilled chicken and meats, and beside the finicky hot plate burning our eggs, we ate mostly as we usually do…but DEFINITELY enjoyed the splurge of a few more pizza nights than normal! Not too ashamed to add that boxed wine saved space, some of my budget and perhaps my sanity during the 16+ weeks without a usable kitchen! ReplyCancel

  • Martha10.15.22 - 8:36 AM

    Oh wow, love these tips. My husband and children just moved into my childhood home and it’s quite small. (800 sq ft). One of my ideas was to tear down the two walls that make up the kitchen to make it more of an open concept. However, it would make it into an unusable kitchen for a while. Reading this makes me feel more comfortable about it if we decide to tackle it in the future. ReplyCancel

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We’re Kim + Scott, Chicago based content creators behind the Home + Lifestyle brand Yellow Brick Home.

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