Improving Your Disorganized Pantry
May 17, 2006
Do you feel that every time you have to open your pantry to look for something, it takes you so much time to do? Or for all this time you thought you’ve used all your supplies of mustard and upon cleaning your pantry, you see that you still have five unopened jars of mustard left with their expiration dates lapsed five months ago?
For many homes, disorganized pantries are quite a bit of a nuisance. Preparing meals for your family seems to take longer because you can’t find some of the items you need for cooking that are stored in the pantry.
Organizing the pantry in your house can help you save time, space, and money. Here are five simple ways to help in getting the job done.
1. First, you might want to utilize helper shelves. Helper shelves makes the storage space in the pantry that you have bigger, as well as displaying the items more visibly and clearly, allowing you easier access to these items. Help shelves are available in various heights and widths. Generally they are adjustable and are available in various specialty stores or retailer shops.
2. Group similar food items in one place in your pantry. Grouping different food items and products by content or by brand can make your life easier in finding them. For instance, you can put all the condiments in one section of your pantry, the snack foods in another, and the breakfast cereals on their own shelf.
3. Keep the pantry orderly and neat. Containers should have identifiable labels and boxes should line up orderly. This way, you can see all the contents of your pantry in just a few seconds, making it easier and simpler for you to find things when you need them.
4. You should conduct a regular inventory. Before going to the store or supermarket, check your pantry first to see if you need to re-stock any items.
5. Rotate the food items in your pantry. How often have you discovered boxes or cans buried deeply on the shelves that are unused or unopened? Or that you have to remove them because they were buried so long that the contents have become spoiled or past their expiration dates? Whether you stack them or line the items up, it is crucial for you to rotate these items.
Follow these easy rules and you would be guaranteed to save time, space, and money.
How to Organize Your Bathroom
May 10, 2006
In order to organize your countertop clutter, buy a plastic container that has a handle above it. Put all of your ornaments in the container and lay it under the counter.
Keep your cosmetics and small accessories in a drawer organizer so that they can be easy to find when you need them.
If you wish to arrange your shower, get shower racks where you can put your shampoos and other bath items. You can find these at department stores. They have various styles offered at reasonable prices.
Place scissors and metal objects in a magnet that is mounted on your medicine cabinet to keep them together and easily get it when needed.
Place an attractive magazine holder where you can put your reading materials whenever you need to pass time.
Mount hooks on the back of your lavatory door or wall for towels and shower robes that you are using.
Dispose of items that are not used anymore, such as make-up, old shavers, expired prescription drugs, and cologne.
Place an overhead cabinet above the toilet for keeping extra towels, washcloths, and other toiletries.
If you do not have enough legroom in your bathroom dresser for your towels, roll the towel up and place them in attractive holders that are near the bathtub or shower. You can also use ribbons to keep them rolled up.
To keep your shower door spotless, purchase a water squeegee (like the ones you use on your windows) and place it in the shower.
Managing your Cabinet or Wardrobe:
Place storage bins in your cabinet for soiled clothes and for dry cleaning so that you can easily identify each them item when you wash them.
Arrange your garments and other items that you do not use, such as old belts or shoes, and donate them to a local charity. These comprise old clothes, which you do not wear anymore because they are either out-of-style or they no longer fit.
Classify your clothes by season. If you have a tall closet with several compartments, place in-season clothes on the lowest level for easy access. Then, place out of season clothes on the tallest rods.
Also, group your clothes according to their function, for instance work attire, evening dresses, and party clothes.
Place your scarves on a hanger or scarf rack to prevent then from wrinkling. You can also hang belts and ties on hangers or racks.
Home Storage Ideas
May 7, 2006
Do you live in an apartment building with small or no storage space? Just because a room is small does not mean you can’t turn it into your dream space. Below are some creative strategies to maximize your space and manage your stuff!
- Examine your room for hidden spaces. You do not have to look for secret doors. Look instead for spaces among your things, above and/or below. Just think of other areas where you can place your stuff.
- The suitcase stack. Typically, you can find vintage suitcases for fairly inexpensive prices at yard sales. Use them to add extra storage space to your home by stacking them up (in a horizontal position) with the biggest at the bottom and the rest placed one on top of each other creating a pyramid of suitcases.
- Make use of folding furniture. If you do not have enough room for a kitchen table, you can use a folding table that is mounted on the wall. You can easily fold it up when you don’t need it.
- Store items under your bed. Obtain a few plastic boxes in which you can place small items. This way you maintain orderliness under your bed.
- Put spare blankets in a bag to increase space.
- Stack dishes on shelves and craft multi-level storage cabinets or utilize a small cubbyhole for cans of vegetables and consommé.
- Dressers are not only meant for the bedroom. Dressers add more storage space. You can also place them in your living room or kitchen. To remove the seemingly bedroom-like impression with the dresser, try painting it a color that matches your living room or kitchen.
- Use shoe racks to organize your shoes. Do not place your shoes under your cabinet. This will only make your cabinet more disorganized.
- Containers: Classify items according to their use and place them in small or large containers. Place all your hair care products in one container and put it near the shower so that it can be easy to reach.
- Be practical yet creative in decorating your space. Build shelves on top of doors or window to add more storage space. You can add small decorative items to make it more attractive.
- You can also put up shelves for small items at the sides of your cabinets. There you can place your shoes, hats or handbags.
Best Organizing Tips
May 3, 2006
For most people, the hardest thing in life is to get organized.
Imagine not finding a magazine article you want to share with your friend, recipes you want to try, a leisure book you want to read for a long time and even your sexy red top you want to wear to surprise your husband on your anniversary. Then, as you go along rummaging your house for all these things you trip on your son’s toy car. At work, you have three papers due for deadline, stacks of papers that need to be filed and falling sticky notes all over your work area. End result – LIFE IS A TOTAL MESS!
People fail to realize that getting organized has benefits that will last them a lifetime like a peaceful and happier lifestyle.
They made up excuses like lack of time to organize, cannot afford it and admitting that he is a naturally disorganized person. But what they do not know is that these excuses are results of their own disorganization.
Time is not a setback to keeping an organized life. You do not need to do big, unrealistic tasks to get started. Try organizing one area of your life at a time. Small steps are more realistic to accomplish. Most of all try to find some help from your loved ones.
Emptying your wallet is not a necessity in organizing your life. Try rummaging through your stuff and sure enough you will find organizers and storage bins that you were not able to use. Recycle those and use it. If it’s the holiday season or your birthday is coming, ask for organizational items for presents.
Lastly, do not think that you are a naturally disorganized person. What you need may be just a simple workable calendar system for your appointments, trying out more organizational ideas you have in mind and to be yourself. Try these and experience the feeling of freedom and having more time for other activities.
If you have overcome all these excuses then these tips may be the best organizing tips that will help you maintain order in your life:
• Do things on time so it does not pile up. What you can do today, do it. Be realistic rather than idealistic.Â
• Prioritize things you need to do now and the things that you can do with more time.
• Maintain a busy but orderly schedule with the help of planners and calendars. Do not allow yourself to be idle.Â
• Avoid unnecessary interruptions.
• Take time to work on your bills and taxes. Doing these will save you future problems.Â
• Clean your clutter from your workplace and home.
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