Well, I knew it would happen eventually–a week when I really didn’t want to buckle down and get organized. When I didn’t want to face my “stuff” for two more seconds. When I just wanted to sit down when I had a spare minute (a rare oddity) and watch a movie and eat red love cookies.
But I didn’t let myself.
You see, I can be a determined, disciplined little bugger when I want to be. It’s probably the only thing that’s kept me going through this first year of teaching (that and the paycheck).
Luckily for me, my kitchen cupboards were probably the area that needed the LEAST amount of work in the kitchen, mainly due to the fact that we actually have quite a bit of cupboard space (no counter space to speak of, but at least we have a lot of cupboards, right?).
The main changes in my organization scheme were:
1. Move the pots and pans to be right above the stove/oven instead of in the more out-of-the-way spot they were in before.
2. Move the Pyrex pans that were currently above the stove to the same cupboard as my other baking things, such as my cake pans.
3. Gather up all the little appliances that were too big to fit in the utensil drawer but too small to be conveniently loose out on the shelves and put them in a bowl that’s not frequently used.
After living with the pots and pans above the stove now for a few days, I can’t BELIEVE that I didn’t make that change sooner. It’s WAY more convenient, and now I don’t get as frustrated as I did before every time I had to wrangle a pan out of the back corner of the shelves.
And now, the before/after shots:
(This is the shelf above our stove/oven)
(This is the shelf I moved all the Pyrex to. Yes, I did get rid of all those sweets.)
And finally, the grand picture of (most of) the shelves:
We won’t normally have all those little empty places, by the way. We just need to do the dishes.
Quick Stats for the Week:
Number of Items Tossed/Donated: 9
Number of Items Left to Toss/Donate Before Dec. 31st: 382
Money Spent on Organizing This Week: $0
Even though sometimes this organization business isn’t the most fun (and I have to draw on my willpower to push through the whole business), I am happy about one thing this coming week–the fact that after this next week, my kitchen will be COMPLETELY ORGANIZED. Isn’t that mind-blowing?
So next week, my last task for the kitchen will be:
Kitchen Drawers
I think this is one that Matt has been looking forward to because I think he complains just about every time he’s faced with the sight of our utensil drawer:
I can’t say I blame him.
So let’s do this thing, eh?
Kitchen Drawers To-Do List:
- Empty each drawer so you can see everything out in the open. Toss or donate anything that is broken, missing parts, or hasn’t been used in over a year. Consider tossing any extras you have of the same item (such as pizza cutters, measuring spoons, etc.)
- Store tupperware containers with the lids on them or with the lids in an organizing rack so you don’t waste time searching for matching lids
- If you don’t have dividers already, consider buying drawer dividers so that every utensil/item has a set place
- Consider buying a storage container that can hold the most-used utensils on your countertop instead of in a drawer
- Clean out under the sink. Place all cleaning supplies in plastic buckets, and limit your grocery bag count to just ten. Find a simple container to put the bags in so that they are contained in one place.
So, looking through this list, my biggest questions are this
*How many of often-used cooking utensils do I really need? Do I NEED three spatulas? Or do I just need to learn to do the dishes more? 🙂
*Is there a drawer organizer that has dividers that are wide enough to house my bigger cooking utensils?
*Do I have room on my very-limited countertops to put another container on them?
What do you think? How do you organize your kitchen drawers?
