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skinflint
Very Valuable Member
Joined : 13 Oct 2006
Posts : 1877
Localisation : Queensland, Australia
|  Subject: Organizing tips?  Wed 21 Mar 2007, 8:06 am | |
| I was just wondering if anyone had any household tips they've discovered and use that they could share?
My favourite discovery is one I use in the kitchen where I store my dried rice in a cereal dispenser. I used to keep it in a large round tub with screw on lid but it's so much easier to pour straight out of the cereal dispenser and easier to handle!
Maybe we could work from room to room, starting with the kitchen!
I love any ideas that make life tidier/easier 
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~ By sowing frugality we reap liberty, a golden harvest. --Agesilaus ~ |
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Sissy
Very Valuable Member
 
Age : 50
Joined : 20 Oct 2006
Posts : 715
| | Subject: Re: Organizing tips? Wed 21 Mar 2007, 9:59 am | |
| Well, I know people consider this...well...a_ _ _ retentive, but I like to store my spices in alphabetical order. That way, I can just reach in the cupboard and grab what I need without fumbling through all of them.
I, also, keep my cookie decorating sugars in a tupperware container. I just pull out the whole container and take what I need. It keeps bugs out of the sugar, too.
In the refrigerator, I put all the condiments on one shelf, all the salad dressings on another and the juices and milk on another. It keeps things more organized that way. |
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Donna
Very Valuable Member
 
Age : 46
Joined : 12 Oct 2006
Posts : 1351
| | Subject: Re: Organizing tips? Wed 21 Mar 2007, 10:23 am | |
| Those arent retentive Sissy,,I like those ideas,,makes things easier to find and you can see in a glance whats low and needs to be replaced.
I had a problem with my plastic containers and lids...bowl without a lid and vise versa..also seem to become a mess in the cabinet.I found baskets that fit through the cabinet door entrance and toss the containers in them with the lids too,,this way you just pull out a basket for the container.
I have a mis match of contaiers since I pack alot for work. |
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Vicki
Administrator
Age : 40
Joined : 12 Oct 2006
Posts : 2934
Localisation : Chesapeake Beach, Maryland
| | Subject: Re: Organizing tips? Wed 21 Mar 2007, 10:26 am | |
| I keep my spices in alphabetical order.
All my cooking oils and sprays are located in cabinet above stove.
In Pantry - all breakfast items on one shelf, all baking items on another shelf, etc....
All canned vegs are to one side of the lazy suzan, all soups are to one side, etc.....
In one drawer are the lunch bags, sandwich bags, foils, etc...
Under sink - cleaning supplies, trash bags and grocery bags
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Vicki
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Teri
Very Valuable Member
Age : 53
Joined : 17 Oct 2006
Posts : 264
Localisation : South of Boston, Englewood Fl & Nova Scotia
| | Subject: Re: Organizing tips? Wed 21 Mar 2007, 10:29 am | |
| I also like to use plastic cereal containers in the kitchen, I store dogfood, birdseed, coffee, flour, sugar and, of course, cereal in them. Not only are they convienant they keep the bugs out and when I leave one house to go to the other they pack well.  Another tip is too group like item together in containers, a basket with desk suplies on your counter looks alot less messy than tape, letter opener, pens etc. scattered on the counter, same with books and magazines.  It's also easier to put one thing away instead of multiple items. My sister buys her DH and DSs different brands of socks (always the same kind for each of them) then when sorting laundry she throws DHs socks in one basket, DS1 in another and DS2 in the third, she doesn't mate or fold them, they just get tipped into the correct drawer, she also taught me not to fold undies, saves lots of time! 
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Dear Lord, help me remember how lucky I am on both the good and the bad days! |
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gayla50
Moderator
Age : 53
Joined : 12 Oct 2006
Posts : 3493
Localisation : Western North Carolina
| | Subject: Re: Organizing tips? Wed 21 Mar 2007, 10:33 am | |
| I have alot of stuff in baskets.. I too keep mey cookie cutter in tuppperware box I have to be organzed in my kitchen. I storage my applicances on a shlef in the mud room but my Bread machine and my mixer inside a cabinet wall...
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Gayla
"They take great pride in making their dinner cost much; I take my pride in making my dinner cost so little."
---Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) |
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Vicki
Administrator
Age : 40
Joined : 12 Oct 2006
Posts : 2934
Localisation : Chesapeake Beach, Maryland
| | Subject: Re: Organizing tips? Wed 21 Mar 2007, 10:41 am | |
| forgot to add that all items are in see thru containers and labeled.
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Vicki
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Donna
Very Valuable Member
Age : 46
Joined : 12 Oct 2006
Posts : 1351
| | Subject: Re: Organizing tips? Wed 21 Mar 2007, 10:41 am | |
| | I like that idea Teri about the socks,,gonna invest in that system here! Thanks |
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gayla50
Moderator
Age : 53
Joined : 12 Oct 2006
Posts : 3493
Localisation : Western North Carolina
| | Subject: Re: Organizing tips? Wed 21 Mar 2007, 10:55 am | |
| I getting the stuff for the socks today there are so many socks here ....
I did fo mitten and scarfs during winter ..
this should have been a no brainer .
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Gayla
"They take great pride in making their dinner cost much; I take my pride in making my dinner cost so little."
---Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) |
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kim
Moderator
 
Age : 27
Joined : 12 Oct 2006
Posts : 1790
| | Subject: Re: Organizing tips? Wed 21 Mar 2007, 11:18 am | |
| Great tips ladies! I don't have much else to contribute...I do the spice thing on a lazy susan as I have limited space...and I too have the cupboards organized...I just try to have the bare minimum on the counters so it looks neat and is easy to clean.
Great tips! |
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Vicki
Administrator
Age : 40
Joined : 12 Oct 2006
Posts : 2934
Localisation : Chesapeake Beach, Maryland
| | Subject: Re: Organizing tips? Wed 21 Mar 2007, 3:08 pm | |
| I keep hats in a see thru container and gloves in another see thru container.
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Vicki
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skinflint
Very Valuable Member
Joined : 13 Oct 2006
Posts : 1877
Localisation : Queensland, Australia
| | Subject: Re: Organizing tips? Thu 22 Mar 2007, 2:12 am | |
| I'm liking this thread a lot, good tips from everyone 
I also liked the idea of designated shelves in the fridge for like items.
This reminded me of the 'fridge-crate' I bought last year. It's a long narrow plastic tray with deep sides and cost me under $2 and it sits on the designated bread shelf in the fridge and holds all spreads, i.e. margarine/butter/jam/marmalade etc....keeps them really tidy and easy to pick out and put back....my fav. purchase for the fridge....
I also purchased white-coated wire spice racks which DH screwed to the inside of one pantry door....there are 3 and they hold packet mixes and spices etc...so all these little items don't get lost in the pantry.....
I also bought a cheap tea-towel rack which I'm just waiting on DH attaching to the inside of the sink unit for hanging wet cleaning cloths over to dry.
When I repainted our kitchen cabinets I changed the door handles on the two-door pantry to wider handles (still in chrome to match the other cabinets) but the handles are great for hanging a handtowel and teatowel over. This saved me from having to attach hooks to walls or sides of cabinets!
I also read an article recently which suggested taping a cabinet inventory to the inside of each cabinet so that if someone other than yourself was looking for something or putting something away they could easily locate it's home!
Luckily about 75% of my kitchen organizing is great but I've planned to reorganize my pantry and microwave cabinet by this weekend.
I just love finding useful tips and ideas that we normally wouldn't think of!
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~ By sowing frugality we reap liberty, a golden harvest. --Agesilaus ~ |
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