Stocking a kitchen for a 13 week travel assignment

Now that the 13 week travel nurse assignment is underway and rolling along smoothly, there is time to reflect on what we brought along to make our home feel like, well, home.  I've discovered a few things I wish I had brought along and some that I should have left at home.  Keep in mind, this first adventure is designed around moving into our own, private space in a a 1 bedroom apartment.  Our next contract was in a room we rented in a furnished house - big difference!  Since I'm not working outside of the home I take it as my job to cook and provide meals to enjoy at home and to give my husband a home-cooked meal to take along.

In addition to being clinical here with my following list, let me remind those caretakers of the travel nurses that romance does not have to be dead even living on minimalistic supplies.  Here is how I set the table for a romantic dinner at home. Since we don't have a patio I set up on the sidewalk next to the front door.

 I brought too many spices.  I packed our stacking spice rack, a plastic grocery bag filled with 1oz scoops of spices, AND several jars (the size of Mrs. Dash).  I will use quite a few of these spices but certainly not all.

Yesterday we discovered that the Big Lots! here is so much better than the one in Wisconsin. Food is actually name-brand here and is about 1/2 the price it is in grocery stores.  I will be picking up several things to consume while we're here at this place.

With all the blogs I've read I haven't found many details of what to bring so I'll lay out what we brought for you to see.

Other revelations of discovery:

Kitchen tools:

• I brought only 1 hotpad. Not smart!
• 1 large non-stick frying pan with lid.
• 1 small frying pan
• 1 6 quart pot with lid
• full set of silverware
• 1 good large knife, 2 steak knives, 1 paring knife
• 1 vegetable peeler
• 1 corkscrew
• 3 wine stoppers and air pump
• 1 tbsp measure
• 1 liquid measuring cup
• 1 metal vegetable steamer
• 1 large French White baking dish with cover
• 2 cookie sheets
• 6 coffee cups
• 2 heat-resistant turners, 1 slotted, 1 not slotted
• 1 ladle
• 1 garlic press
• 1 cheese slicer
• 1 can opener
• 1 set of dry measuring cups
• 1 6 cup coffee maker
• 2 insulated water bottles
• 1 cutting board that fits across a sink (it is most often used for expanding countertop space in our small apartment)
• 2 dishrags (not enough) and 2 dishtowels (enough)
• 4 of each; dinner plates, salad plates, bowls 
• Dishwasher tablets

 Here is what we went out to buy for the kitchen:

• 4 cheap wine glasses (from Walmart)
• 5 white dishrags
• small ziplock bags
• 4 flat and 2 square Rubbermaid storage containers
• Olive oil

We are choosing to live without a microwave, toaster, and/or toaster oven.  Instead, we are using the oven to do the same things.  To make toast in the morning I crank the oven to "Broil" for about 5 minutes then insert slices of bread on the very top rack. After 3 minutes I turn them over for another 3.

To thaw fish or chicken in a hurry I add the frozen chicken to the French White oven-safe dish and put in the oven set at 200 for about 20 minutes. Voila'! Thawed chicken or fish!

This first venture into providing our own housing is truly an experiment with how to live, but we seem to be making it work without acquiring many new things. This will be particularly helpful in 11 weeks when we move again!

Buying is small quantities is the biggest challenge I have these days. Live, learn, and use up our supplies before buying more! Old habits die hard.

I've learned that 4-6 weeks before the end of an assignment, or 1/2 way through the contract is a good benchmark to start using up all of our consumables.  Whenever we grocery shop or buy household supplies like toilet paper, we buy the smallest quantities available. The end goal is to have zero left on moving day.

First, we buy no more canned or boxed goods unless it is for a meal we eat the same day.  Same goes for refrigerated items such as juices, cheeses, and condiments.  I assure you that there will not be enough room to take it with you and you will end up throwing it away. 

This point has become the game for us; what can we make with what we have.  Each day becomes more of a challenge to use resources on hand.  We found that using the different spices and strange combinations of foods actually creates a refreshingly new menu and it not as hard as it sounds.

As our first assignment came to a close, we concluded that we simply packed too many of some things and not enough of other things.  For example, we only needed about three towels and a few washcloths.  We should leave all but a few spices at home and instead, pack a toaster oven.  We only needed two wine glasses and fewer plates.  Whatever clothes you pack, leave half of them at home!  Each and every time we get somewhere we end up not using most of the clothes we hauled along - and ladies, this also includes jewelery.  Leave it at home. Better yet, when you get to your tax home SELL the extra costume jewelry that you no longer wear and/or need!  

 



 




 

Why Do Travel Nurses Hate PBDS Testing So Much?

Before

Taking a housing stipend for a Travel Nurse means there are a few challenges. First is to find a place to rent with a short term lease or month-to-month. Next is how to furnish and decorate it so that it is liveable.  I quickly discovered that Goodwill and Dollar Tree are two of my favorite must-shop places when we move. 

Now that we've picked up the keys to the new place, it is my job to figure out how to convert this dark, white-walled habitat that we'll be in for 13 weeks into something resembling our home.  I had forgotten how bland apartments were.  It had been about 18 years since either of us lived in a rental. 

The goal was to: 

1) Keep it cheap
2) Keep it portable
3) Make it colorful
4) Keep it functional

After

First, the livingroom.
We arrived on site with 2 camping fold-up chairs and 2 oversized, lightweight tv trays, and an air mattress. That's it!

I found a "butterfly" green lawnchair that was lime green with a fuzzy seat and no arms; a modern feel.  Next, I junk-picked a white resin Adirondack chair from behind our apartement's dumpster (no joke!). There was nothing wrong with it except it needed to be well-cleaned, which was achieved using a Magic Eraser from the Dollar Tree.

We received a TJ Maxx giftcard for our wedding so I headed there to see what I could pick up to add to our space. I found a indoor/outdoor cushion on clearance with red, orange, and some sage green.  This fit our white chair well. The colors fit with our theme and the pattern of the fabric added a new dimension to our design.  Next, we made a trip to IKEA where I found a fabric panel with a contemporary, neutral design. The panel was advertised as a room divider and measured about 24" wide by about 12' tall.  I cut the fabric into three sections keeping one larger than the other two. I selected it for it's colors, it's simplicity, and it's boldness. I affixed these panels to the wall using Zots, which are glue dots that are a strong yet removable adhesive.  


One more thing I did was bought a small, wooden palm tree to affix to our front door.  We love the tropics and by adding this tiny detail it was so easy to spot our door from all the other identical doors in the building.

Cost of this project:

Green chair - $10.98 (Walmart)
Cushion - $12.00 (TJ Maxx)
Fabric Wall Panel - $12.99 (IKEA)
Palm Tree - $.59 (Joann Fabrics)
Floor Lamp - $19.99 (Walmart)

Result... home sweet home that folds up and fits nicely into our tiny car for the next place our assignment will take us to.

By the time we arrived in our new city to begin a new contract, I began searching for a store that might carry posters to decorate our white and lifeless walls.  We found NO short term leases under $2300/month in Los Angeles, so we ended up renting a room in someone's condo near the hospital. An overall weird and depressing scenario, but we are none the worse for wear now that we lived through it!

In Los Angeles, ironically, no store carries cheapie posters!  I discovered a few ways around this.

Renters can use your own photos to create your own posters in any size that meets your needs. Upload the photo to www.vistaprint.com and make a large poster of it to create your own artwork. Sometimes the site has a 50% off sale, which drops the price from $19.99 for a large poster to $9.98.  There are a few sizes to choose from so create your space with images you enjoy for each room.  Snapfish.com, CVS.com, and a bunch of other companies also offer this option online.

Another way around boring walls is to "starch" fabric to the walls.   There are recipes online detailing how to take any print of fabric and stick it harmlessly to walls making for damage-free "wall-paper" to change the entire look of the room.  With only a few weeks left here I didn't want to go through the effort, so I cut striped fabric into strips and pinned them up as a room border with white poster pins. The pins are barely noticeable and we love the change.

Another trick to kicking the white walls was to head to a paper store. There we found wonderful pieces of decorative paper in the travel theme for $3.95-$5.95 each.  We bought 4 different designs to create a grouping.  Glue dots (Zots) were used to hang them yet are removable.

If none of the above are within your budget or timeframe, find a roll of wrapping paper that you enjoy (about $1.00 to $3.99 for a roll) and use poster sized cutouts in shapes that appeal to you and make a collection on your wall.

Bathrooms can be a particular challenge.  Most of them do not have windows and they have depressing overhead lighting and are simply devoid of color.  Once again I found my answers in either TJ Maxx's clearance isle, Tuesday Morning store, Goodwill, or even the Dollar Tree.

For this pictured bathroom I bought one window panel (a yellow one) at Goodwill with tassles on it and used a tension rod to hang it. Then, I bought a floral hair clip with rhinestones and used it as the tie-back. Next, I bought a bright lime-green and white, square bathmat for the floor in front of the sink.  Next, I neatly tore out an oversized page advertisement that I visually liked out of our wine magazine, trimmed the edges, then hung it over the towel bar with Zots glue dots.  Finally, I purchased on clearance an over the door hanger that was black and had a whimsical feel. I hung colorful beach towels from it which added the final pop of color.  All of these were enough color to lift the mood of this dark and dreary bathroom. All fit in with our objectives (cheap, functional, portable, and colorful), too.

If you are staying in an Extended Stay or a hotel for your assignment, there are still things you can do to make your surroundings feel more like home.


For us, we brought our lime-green, fluffy bathroom rug, a kitchen rug, a digital picture frame for the table with a rotation of our travel photos playing, and a fuzzy blanket for the couch or chair in the room, and a pair of wine glasses that come in handy after a long day of work. I also don't like Extended Stay's headboards so I bought a piece of fabric and simply draped it over the headboard and tucked it in around the edges.  I also put our own sheets, blanket, and mattress topper on the bed. These are small, portable, additions that make even the most bland hotel rooms feel more personalized.


The latest apartment here on the east coast afforded us more floor space and a little more personality. I used a few more tricks to make these dead white walls and poor overhead lighting come to life.


First,I needed some color as a backsplash behind the stove. It serves 2 purposes; make cleanup easier and also add a focal point to the kitchen. I bought 2 colorful, plastic placemats at Target for $2.97 each and pinned them under the stove hood. Instant color! I bought a kitchen towel to match pulling out the brightest color in the new backsplash. Then, I used a bright plastic bowl I brought along with us. The next more helpful thing I did was replace the existing dim bulbs with brighter ones in the overhead track lighting. What a difference!

The Move and First Day of the New Assignment

With paperwork under control and the house-sitters in place, we began our journey southeast. The winding road of 950 miles requires a two-night stay in hotels. So, to save on our budget we decided to head out on Saturday afternoon and pull up camp in Dayton, OH.  We chose Dayton because it is home of the Air Force Museum, which was a place Ted always wanted to visit and the city is also the mid-point.  

I had reward points with Club Carlson and used them to book two free nights.  I planned it this way for two reasons:  1) Since Dayton was about 500 miles from home I wanted an extra day to burn resting and sightseeing and 2) I am a Club Carlson credit card holder and that means for every night I use points for I get a second night at the same hotel for free.  Total points used = 28,000.  This property also provided us with free breakfast and wi-fi so when I say it was totally free, it actually was!  Using points saved us about $180.00 that we budgeted for the cost of hotel stays. Cha-ching!

Sunday morning we hit the road again at 5:45am  arriving in our destination at 2:30pm.  We signed the lease to our new apartment!  Since we are still newlyweds, Ted carried me over the threshhold and into our new life. It was a great moment!

While the apartment was dark, bland, and small at first blush, yesterday I was able to buy a few things and miraculously transformed it from empty shell to "home" for the next three months.  The area is really in an excellent location and the complex is very clean.  A few things were missed in the apartment, but once brought to the office's attention they were addressed immediately.  We are going to like it here.

Ted's first day of work was yesterday. Though he was hired for the 7p to 7a shift, he orientated for one day on the 8a to 7:30p shift.  While he was away I took care of the groceries and getting the house in order.  Ted enjoyed his first day. There were a couple more tests that he had to pass, but they were not too bad.  He learned that this hospital has 50 travelers at any one time!  50!  That is a HUGE number! I expect that we will learn a lot more about traveling in coming weeks as he gets to know some of them better.

Meanwhile, he gets to pick his days to work, an unexpected perk.   

Our assignment ends on September 28th and we are trying to figure out where to go next and how to fit in the Travel Nurse expo in Las Vegas at the end of October.  If we take another assignment he may not have off on the days of the convention.  If, however, we move to Las Vegas, that will make it a piece of cake!  There is also a decent possibility that Ted gets invited to extend the current contract. If that is the case we will extend for three weeks and then head to the convention.  But, for now, we'll just enjoy the assignment that we are in and as the time ticks by we'll figure it out as the time draws near.