You may recall that last year I took part in a 90 day declutter challenge. It went well, and I enjoyed participating. This year, I would like to go back over the spaces that need another declutter (since it’s been a year, after all), and to try to better arrange the spaces in my house that prove challenging. I heard about the Clear The Clutter Challenge from Keri and thought I’d share what has worked for me so far and what I want to fix throughout my house this year by participating in some of the link ups for this challenge. This week, the challenge focused on the kitchen and pantry.
What I Organized
I went through my two pantries and threw away food that has expired. I also reorganized the food – I like to keep like items in certain spots so that I know where everything is!
What Needs Help
I hate that the counter becomes a gathering spot for everything. I need to put things away more often. I would also like to add some sort of decorative shelf under the cabinets on the left side.
I want a new microwave cart. I am looking for one with cabinets!
I don’t have open space on the top of my cabinets, so I use the top of the fridge as a place to display things. I’m not sure I want to keep the same things that I have there now or replace them this year!
This is actually in the dining room. I kind of want a new wine rack / table too.
Best Tips For This Room
1. I love using clear plastic bins to organize things. In my pantry I have cans in this one.
2. I have a dry erase board on the inside of my pantry door. We write down what we need to buy on it and snap a photo before we go to the store.
3. My foil and wrap organizer from Youcopia is still in use. I find that if the middle of the rack is too far back, the boxes tip forwards, so I have to make sure it stays put!
4. Put things away! I tend to leave out my dishes that I use often, but things look a lot nicer when I put them away. Same for cereal and other foods we eat every day!
5. Keep things in the pantry organized by type of foods. I wish I could do this in my fridge too but I’m constantly telling Dave not to put small items on the larger shelves – I don’t think he could remember to also put them in certain places!
I did not go through my cabinets and drawers like I did last year. I think most of them are still okay! I might need to get rid of some of the plastic containers I’m not using though – add that to the list!
Do you have any great kitchen or pantry organization tips?