Well, I’ve been super sick with a nasty head cold for the last couple of weeks. I finally started turning the corner this week and feeling better, so I really stepped up my game in terms of putting things in order with my organizational projects.
The folks at Dollar Tree probably thought I had some kind of basket obsession this week. One day, an employee said “back again?!?” LOL. I guess I made one too many stops there this week asking for particular baskets that I needed. I sure bought a lot of them! It would have been more productive if I’d just trusted I would need a bunch and bought them all in one trip, but instead, I just bought what I needed for the day to complete another cabinet/drawer/area.
This week, I ordered glass spice jars from Amazon…twice! I started out with two sets of 24, and then I ended up ordering one more set of 24 before the week was over. They are so nice! They have stainless steel lids, plastic snap-on shaker inserts, a collapsible silicone funnel for transferring spices to the jars, and 3 sets of labels to choose from…round chalkboard labels for the lids, decorative chalkboard labels for the sides of the jars, or clear pre-printed labels with the spice names already on them. I have wide spice drawers located right beneath my glass cooktop, and I’d already bought rubber inlays last year that keep the jars all in neat little columns so they don’t roll around, so I knew I’d be labeling the sides of the jars since they lay down. I tried the pre-printed ones, but the print was small, and with black print on a clear background, it was too hard to read them when the jars were full. So I went with the decorate chalkboard labels instead. They are beautiful! The set also came with a small white chalk marker to write with on the labels, and it turned out so nice! I alphabetized the jars starting at the front of the drawer moving up each column from left to right. I can find any spice in just a moment now, and they stay put since they are all one uniform size. That really put a smile on my face! I’ve wanted to organize my spices in uniform jars for as long as I can remember. I was thankful I could finally afford the initial investment to get the setup I really wanted all along. It worked out to about $1 per jar, but I’ll never have to buy them again. Being able to see through the jars lets me know at a glance which ones are running low, too, which is really convenient. I absolutely love it! This was the most satisfying project of all, because I spend a LOT of time in the kitchen cooking for 5 people. We generally eat at home every night. At most, we probably go out once a month for dinner, so this truly makes my life easier for cooking at home.
I also picked up some wire pot lid racks at Dollar Tree to add to the one larger one I already had from Walmart. I got a whole new set of copper pans for Christmas, and each one had its own glass lid, so I was in dire need of a way to keep those lids organized. This made a huge difference! Then I stacked my skillets, my saucepans, and my cookpots all together in size order. This also made a huge difference to the ease of cooking and putting things away this week.
I also organized some more of my kitchen drawers this week. I got smaller baskets and arranged my measuring cups/spoons, cooking tools, straws, etc. I also have a drawer for cough and throat drops, and two for k-cups. Everything is now sorted and tidy in the drawers. That made a big difference when needing to find something or put something away, too.
I also went through and organized all of my plastics. That cabinet was the biggest mess of all, and I was able to tame the craziness and organize similar things together as well as keep lids with their appropriate containers. No more water bottles falling over in the back of the cabinet and making everything around them go down like dominoes! My kitchen has truly been transformed this week, and life is much more pleasant as a result.
This evening, I organized my glassware…baking dishes and serving dishes. I was always afraid of things clinking together in there and chipping or breaking as I slid in and out the things I needed. Now I have all the baking dishes together, all the serving dishes together, all the glass storage together, etc. I can easily slide out the basket I need, get or put away the necessary item, and slide the basket right back into place. Much, much better!
I did some other smaller projects, as well, like my kids’ sock drawers, underclothes, etc. I sure hope everyone appreciates that I’ve tidied their spaces, but it probably benefits me the most since I still put their clothes away for them.
So what have you been working on in January?
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