Simple Ideas are Simply Awesome

The Simple Answer is Often The Best

Sometimes we overlook simple solutions to perplexing problems or everyday annoyances.  For example, take a look at that infamous junk drawer, the repository for all those miscellaneous items that do not have dedicated sensible space elsewhere.  Often times it is filled with as the Brits say, "bits and bobs" that we have difficulty locating when we need them because they are buried under all of the other STUFF occupying the drawer.  Many times I have opened my junk drawers and immediately closed them in frustration for not being able to find what I need or lacking the time to wade through the piles scattered about.  That is, until I became serious that these pesky areas needed the same level of organization that the rest of the house enjoys.  But what to do with those small bits and bobs?  As I have previously mentioned, I do my best to repurpose whenever possible.  This is kinder to the environment, my wallet, and my time. 

Repurpose, Repurpose, Repurpose

One day as I was grabbing some detergent from under my sink, I noticed some old ice cube trays that I had set aside.  I used to use extra ice cube trays when I made baby food, I would freeze the food in the cubes until solid.  At that point, I would dislodge the food from the trays and store in freezer containers until needed.  I have also used the trays when I have cooked up large batches of soup, and I would freeze the excess in ice cube trays until the cubes were ready to be transferred into freezer containers.  Then as with the baby food, I could thaw just the right amount.  Well, the baby food making days are over, and I have not made soup in a while, but I now have another use for those trays.  They are the perfect for all those little bits and bobs.

It's a Relationship Not a Marriage

When you decide that the time is right for you to make a change in your surroundings and embark on an organizing project whether physical or time management, in your home or at work, etc. keep in mind that the process is a fluid one.  I believe that one of the most critical steps in getting and staying organized is the reevaluation stage.  Your life changes, your lifestyle may fluctuate, products that you use today you may no longer use in a few weeks or months.  That old appliance taking up space on your counter top may no longer serve your purposes or the remaining prescription drugs in the medicine cabinet may no longer be indicated or have expired. It is time to reassess.  In my own home, I continuously monitor placement of items.  My kitchen is one area that probably sees the most frequent rearrangement.  As cooking and baking needs change or you purchase a new gadget, go ahead and move stuff to enable easier workflow.   Relegate items no longer or less frequently used to more remote storage areas, donate if still usable, or toss if broken and not fixable.  The same tends to be true with ingredients.  Store less used products at the back of cupboards or those hard to reach cabinets so that their often used brethren are within easier reach.  Clothes closets are another area that should receive frequent scrutiny.

The point of this is that nothing is set in stone.  This helps to relieve any stress related to "what if I don't like where I relocated my recycling bin", "now that I can retrieve my bill file quicker, my paper supply is further away," "I don't wear that dress often, but I don't want to let it go," etc.  Sometimes we have to respect the limitations of confined spaces, locations of outlets if your budget prohibits electrical work, or preexisting cabinetry and counters if once again renovation is not in the cards, but that does not stop creativity and cleverness in redesigning work spaces or clearing areas for your mediation exercises.  Off-site storage is an option budget permitting for those rarely used goods, but too precious to let go. 

As personal relationships continue to evolve so will your relationship with the new order in your life to ensure that it works best for you and your family.  Do you need assistance creating a new relationship, contact the Practical Sort at www.thepracticalsort.com.

Getting into Your Kitchen

After my office, my kitchen has to be the most used room in the house during waking hours.  It is the one place I truly allow my creative juices to run wild.  Or at least that was true prior to the unwelcome imposition of dietary restrictions.  Although now that I think about it, I have had to become more thoughtful in my menu planning and ingredient selection, so maybe that has rendered me even more creative.  It is also the one room that is continually in a state of flux. I touched upon this in the "It's A Relationship Not a Marriage" Blog. 

Let's think about the kitchen for a minute.  Whether you are a gourmet chef or a parent running between soccer matches and PTA meetings, you all need to eat.  And if you are the family limo driver, prep time is of the essence.  Placement of your utensils, pots and pans, and ingredients needs to be as strategic as possible to move the process along quickly.  If you are afforded the luxury of a leisurely pace, you still might enjoy the ease of reaching for or obtaining whatever your recipe calls for without wasted searching and crisscrossing the room.

Doh!

If your kids are grown, maybe you will have the same "doh" moment that I recently experienced realizing that the kids no longer needed their plastic cups and plates that littered a drawer under my usual prepping work space next to the stove.  By gutting that drawer, I repopulated it with cutting boards.  I can go thru 2-3 cutting boards in a day.  Usually I can give a dirty one a quick rinse and reuse it, but I prefer after slicing and dicing raw meat to let the dishwasher handle sanitizing it.  Prior to my revelation,  I trekked across the kitchen to the cupboard that housed them.  The exercise was appreciated, but when pressed for time having what I need within easy reach is preferable to jogging back and forth. 

Categorize and Compartmentalize

Next I noticed that behind me the everyday silverware drawer was fairly organized by a silverware sorter, but the drawer under my work space was calling out for some TLC and similar compartmentalizing.  This drawer houses measuring spoons, peelers, corkscrews and various other utensils.  Rather than purchasing additional sorters, like me, you can use containers that you may have accumulated over the years.  Some from take out restaurants are especially useful.  The ones that I hijacked for this drawer are wide and flat and three of them can fit side by side in 2 rows each with a few inches remaining to store longer items such as tongs and skewers.  Each of the containers store gadgets with the most frequently used ones such as the peelers, corkscrews, and measuring spoons in the first row easy access.

The next drawer down are prep cups, small stacking measuring cups and mixing bowls.  The drawer below that houses strainers and large Pyrex measuring cups.  Finally the bottom drawer is the new home to the aforementioned cutting boards.

How did I arrive at this arrangement? 
1.  Empty the drawers.   
2.  Categorize the objects (i.e., place the measuring cups together, strainers in another area, etc.). 
3.  Evaluate how often the items are used and which drawer has the dimensions to fit them best.   

Continually reevaluate your needs.  If they change, the arrangement can fluctuate as well.

Expandable Cabinet Shelf for extra storage in tight spaces

Pantry Pride

Next is the pantry area.   There are many ways to organize pantry space.  Use the steps above to take stock of what you have; what ingredients are frequently used and which ones are less so; and the storage space you have.  Categories might include:  spices, baking goods, dry goods (pastas, rices, beans, cereals, etc.),  and canned (soups, tomato sauces, fruits, etc.) and jarred goods (i.e., peanut butter, jams, vinegars, oils, etc).   Sort the items again into categories.  You might wish to keep all canned goods together or maybe you prefer to have one shelf for jams, nut butters, fruits, while another if you have the space for the more "dinner entree" ingredients. 

Expandable shelves work great in pantries and spice cabinets to triple your confined spaces and facilitate finding what you need.  And if you have the luxury of adjustable shelves, alter the shelf heights to suit the types of products you wish to store.   Use those out of reach cabinets for the ingredients or appliances that rarely if ever get used but you like to keep on hand for once a year holiday recipes.  Consider that not all spices need to be together.  Perhaps you prefer to have the everyday spices closer at hand to your work space and the less frequently used ones housed in the back of a cabinet.  Maybe you like the savory in one location and the sweeter items in another.  You have free reign to do as you wish.  Again, if the initial arrangement does not suit your needs, feel free to reassess and rework them.

Dinnerware

The same holds true for your dishes and glassware.  Do you want these close to your table or the dishwasher for ease in unloading?  Are there some that get used daily and others that are seldom taken out?  Can the latter be placed in a cabinet outside the kitchen to free up the space for dishes, pots and pans, containers, lids, small appliances that are part of your daily regimen?

The kitchen is your supreme dominion.  Feel free to make it work for you.   Need help getting it together?  The Practical Sort will get you sorted.

Embracing "You Are Never Too Old"

Despite priding myself on my lifelong organizing skills and proclivity towards efficiency and reuse, I find it awkwardly stunning how often I still have aha moments.  After a brief pat on the back, inevitably I chide myself with "why didn't I think of that years ago?"  You might find some of these suggested Tips and Tricks rather elementary, yet unless someone has grown up with a Heloise clone (aka Hints From Heloise) or an aficionado of "Reader's Digest Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things" and "More Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things", many of us still have a lot to learn.

This is particularly true for new homeowners.  For instance, renters typically do not have the privilege or desire for mounting appliances or shelving along with many household time and space savers we take for granted.  New homeowners usually saddled with tight quarters in starter homes can find storage challenging.  The joys of undermounting transformed my kitchen and laundry areas.  Three homes later, I still undermount paper towel holders.  Sadly after my last electric smooth edge can opener died, I was unable to locate another similar undermount.  To save on precious counter real estate, that puppy is stored in a cabinet for its occasional usage.  Without abundant contiguous counter space only frequently used items get the privilege of being on display.

Other aha moments in the past few years have included two-handed dusting.  The job goes much quicker using both hands.  Another bonus of this method is as you dust picture frames you can use one hand's duster to hold the frame while the other hand does the cleaning without leaving dreaded fingerprints.

Boiling water to clean encrusted pots and pans is definitely one that could have saved me loads of time over the years.  If it is real heavy duty job, first soak the pan in the boiling water with Dr. Bonner's Soap (I use Peppermint), about 1/8 cup baking soda, 1/2 cup vinegar and a dash of sea salt.  scrub occasionally with a dish brush to begin loosening the grime, then after about 10-15 minutes (before the water completely cools), use a non-scratch scouring sponge to finish cleaning.  If it is a real bug-a-boo, you might need to boil up some more water and start again, but I rarely have had to go to those lengths.

I'd love to know if you have had any aha moments for tidying your home.  And remember, you are never too old.