If time and finances permit, take your child on a trip to visit your new city and home to get acquainted. If that's not possible, get on Internet, and show him or her city, neighborhood, and home where you'll be living. Most cities have Web sites available that offer a wide range of information, so you can plan activities for after your move, such as visits to theater, a visit to local zoo, or a trip to a local restaurant that serves your child's favorite food.

Allowing your children to participate as much as possible makes time they spend anticipating move pass more quickly. Keep them occupied by letting them plan and pack a box or two of their special things. Consider their input on new decor and layout of their new rooms. Encourage them to take time to exchange good-byes with friends and loved ones and get addresses, e-mail addresses, and phone numbers to stay in touch.

While you are preparing for move, try to stick as closely to your normal routine as possible, and let your children know that, although they will soon live in a new house, rules of household will still be same. Bedtime is still at 9 p.m., and homework must still completed before TV time is allowed. And although Mom and Dad are a little busier and distracted with move, they love their children very much and are giving entire household a new opportunity to grow.

On moving day, have a bag packed of personal belongings for each member of family, being careful to include medications, clothes, and personal items. Let your children choose what amusements and favorite "loveys" they wish to take along, and reassure them they will see their other favorite toys when they arrive in their new home.

Your preparedness will go a long way in reassuring your children that their needs are being considered.

Home meal replacement ("HMR") is a single person's mantra. HMR is everywhere -- in restaurants both mainstream and upscale, in supermarkets, and at eating establishments that specifically market themselves as HMR providers -- with a few tables and chairs thrown in for good measure, of course. Appetizers, entrees, salads, side dishes, breads, desserts (and wines and spirits) are packed up and ready to go and usually just require a quick reheating before you serve them. While it's a handy alternative, and many of these establishments are well-stocked with nearly anything your stomach desires, consumers pay for convenience, and sometimes they pay dearly.

According to Census Bureau data, average single person earns $28,000 per year, while average married couple earns nearly $49,000. The bureau has also found that single people save less than marrieds; average single saves $1,300 per year, while married couples manage to stash an average of $3,521. So it behooves a single person to think about putting that chef's hat on every once and a while. After initial expense of buying a few ingredient staples, it's a good idea to put aside your ideas about dividing a recipe down to one or two servings, and instead following it to letter. Spending a half-hour in kitchen on a dish that will last you several nights is a time-saving strategy. After all, if you're entering kitchen either every night or every other night to start cooking all over again, cooking may soon become a chore.

While there's too much variance among consumers to determine how much money average person could save by brown-bagging it to work, or merely cutting down on business/social lunches, it goes without saying that if you're used to going out every day, ordering drinks and/or appetizers and/or dessert, and paying a tip, you're going to see substantial savings if you start packing your lunches, at least occasionally. While it's a conservative estimate, let's say you spend $5 each weekday on food -- that could be your morning cup of coffee, or a relatively inexpensive lunch out with your co-workers. That's $100 per month, or $1,200 per year. Keeping a spending diary will quickly open your eyes. If you purchase insomniac's special -- a jumbo latte -- for $3 every morning before you face office, that's $60 a month.

If you've seen light and have committed to gracing your kitchen with your presence -- but you're stumped for ideas -- go online. It's a cook's paradise -- even a single cook's paradise. You'll find everything on Internet, from simple recipes to more adventurous ones. And for those of you who want to see what finished product will look like, you'll occasionally find pictures online, as well. Some suggested sites include

Pillsbury

CompuCook

Southern Living Online

Safeway.com

Cooking Light Online

all of which have comprehensive, easy-to-use recipe indexes for all skill levels.

If your idea of a kitchen is a room where you store your empty take-out boxes, consider these tips before you begin your next culinary adventure:

* Although you might be tempted to divide a recipe that feeds four or more, many cooks find that recipe doesn't turn out as successfully if they attempt to modify it. It's best to follow recipe exactly, then freeze your extra portions. You've just saved yourself time and effort, because you'll have at least two meals -- if not more -- ready to defrost, and you'll appreciate them on nights when you're tired and have no desire to cook. * Water boils more quickly when you cover your pot with a lid. * If you're planning to cook vegetables along with your pasta, toss them into water a few minutes before your pasta is ready. You'll have less to clean up later. * If you're cooking pasta (a single person's friend -- it's both versatile and inexpensive), cook enough for two nights. * Get a Crock Pot. You can toss in as little or as much as you like, and you can't possibly make a mistake.

So get familiar with that kitchen of yours. It may be a galley, but it's still home. What have you got to lose, other than money?