Kitchen Organizing Tips
by Debbie Williams, copyright 1999
More Details at: www.organizedtimes.com

Did you know that 20% of the total items in your kitchen are used 80% of the time.

Wow! If we only use 20% of the stuff in our junk drawers and pantry, then why on earth do we think we need MORE storage space? That's a good question, and I'd like to offer a few tips to help you reclaim some of that precious cabinet space in your own kitchen.

*** Take Note!! Since most of you use some sort of calendar in the kitchen for the family to view, I recommend buying a magnetic clip for the frig to hold all those lists in place: grocery list (from Let's Get it Together, of course), toiletries list, freezer inventory, etc.

*** Take Stock!! Keep a current inventory of your freezer (especially if you do bulk cooking) on the side of the frig. Use a pencil so you can erase items as they are used. You'll love this feature if you ever have the flu and someone has to feed your hungry brood - afterall, there's only so much take-out pizza a body can stand in one week!

*** Stack it Up!! Use plastic or wicker "in" baskets and "go vertical" to utilize that counterspace. Don't spread, stack! I use a wicker "in/out" box for my husband's corner of the kitchen for his incoming mail and forms to be signed. He places them in the "out box" below for me to process. I'm the neatie, he's the messy, and this is working fine for now. When it stops working, we'll move on to another system that works for the BOTH of us!

Buy wire shelves for pantries and cabinets at your discount store. These double the space for dishes, pots, and pans. Get lid organizers and baking tray racks to store your stackable (and noisy) pots and pans.

*** Hang on!! Use over-the-door hangers or door-mounted holders for pantry items to keep them displayed. Not only can you create your own pantry, but you don't have to rummage through deep cabinets to find a small box of baking soda. Holders for seasoning envelopes, spice boxes, and plastic wraps consolidate these elusive items once and for all. You can even buy "under the shelf" organizers for paper plates, napkins, and coffee filters. Think "motor home" and "RV", and you can get some creative ideas for your own kitchen.

*** No more junk drawer?? No way! Some folks think it's against the laws of the great organizing geru to have a junk drawer, but perhaps they don't live with kids! Just use any type of plastic basket or cutlery organizer for your junk drawer, and clean it out the first day of each month. You really don't need 25 pens in that one drawer, do you? Send them to the craft box and the kids will have a blast with them! In fact, put those little "sorters and counters" to work with a fun math game and let THEM clean out your junk drawer. I used to get a quarter for doing this. Is that considered my first client as a professional organizer? (Thanks, Mom!)

*** Make it Pretty!! Since counter space is premium in our homes, don't display all your pretties on the countertop - hang pictures rather than resting them on the easels. Consolidate those frig photos with a magnetic "mat", or just adhere a magnetic sheet to each picture for your own photo magnets. No more falling on the floor each time the refrigerator door is slammed! Store tall items in a crock or your favorite pitcher (wooden spoons, spatula, etc.). This is making double duty out of your favorite things, and saving space in those drawers that we never have enough of.

Since families spend almost as much time in the kitchen as they do in the "family room", this is one area of the home that experiences constant change. Find a system of paper management and organizing that you think you'll really use, try it for 6-8 weeks, and if it doesn't work, go to Plan B. Do give it a few weeks to see if you can change your ways, though. And don't be afraid to try another system, rather than giving up on yourself entirely. What works in one period of your life may not work in the next one, and you have the added challenge of finding a system that works for the entire family. Be open to change, and to suggestions from other family members, even the smallest of ones have wonderfully creative ideas. And aren't they the largest contributors to the system anyway?!

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