I can offer you a few tips on managing your dishloads.

First, paper plates can offer a solution for reducing clutter around the kitchen. That seems like the obvious choice, right?

Perhaps, but that isn't the only answer. There is that initial expense of buying the paper or plastic plates, and there is the matter of cutlery, disposable or otherwise. Those few dollars could mean the difference between eating frozen burritos or fresh ones at the end of the month. Fast food restaurants offer a variety of "free" utensils, but even then there are limits.

Did you consider just having one plate, or even a large tupperware container? Even a plastic ice-cream bucket would suffice. The convenience it will present you while you are in front of the TV watching Hogan's Heroes repeats will be considerable. Spillage, always a factor, can be eliminated, as a large container can be placed on your enormous gut or right underneath your chin.

You may dispense with wasting the extra napkins you grabbed from Burger King and save them for more formal occasions. Or another alternative may be to dine shirtless to avoid potential stainage to your wardrobe. Anything that reduces the need to do laundry is a plus.

Another good tip is to re-use styrofoam sandwich containers, tin pie-plates, or pasta packages. Pizza boxes are also excellent. These are easily disposable, but they may lead to excessive trash, which is always frowned upon. Garbage removal is another unnecessary task--one that I will address in a future article.

When it comes to cutlery, again take a minimalist approach. Fewer utensils means fewer dishes. Even if you are preparing an extravagant meal of chicken breasts and french fries, you can always reuse the same knife you used in meal preparation. just run it under the tap for a few seconds, or just wipe it on your sweatpants. Also, any food that can be eaten with your hands is a bonus--once again fewer dishes to wash later.