There’s something about the New Year that makes me crave organization. Somehow the beginning of the year always feels like the right time to purge some old ‘stuff’ that’s been kicking around, and try to make the space in our home a little more efficient!
I’m by no means an organization expert – but I do get a warm fuzzy feeling when everything has a place, so teaming up with Kitchen Stuff Plus to take on a reorganization of my fridge, pantry, spice cabinet was kind of the project of my dreams! Read on for the deets on what we did, and our tips on the process!
Our Fridge Folly
So, here’s the deal with our fridge. When we moved into our home, we bought it from a lovely senior lady who had carefully crafted the kitchen to suit her needs… meaning that she bought a compact fridge (like smaller than the one we had in our previous condo) and built it into the cabinetry.
So, we’re now a family of four, using a teeny-tiny fridge, with no option to make it bigger unless we want to rip out our entire kitchen and start from scratch (uhhhh… nope).
What I’m getting at here, is that I needed to seriously look at how I was using our fridge space, and find some ways to make the space work better for us.
Here’s the BEFORE (because this is a judgement-free zone, right?!)
And, drumroll please…. Here’s the AFTER!
We used a combination of InterDesign and KSP clear plastic bins in assorted sizes to separate the space, and allow for stacking items within them. For example, we have these bins for all of Emmett’s (and my) snacks, so they’re easy to find and put away:
And then I used this long rectangular bin with a lid as his ‘lunch bin’. We often have chopped veggies, cheese, hummus, and other bits like that for lunch – so having one container where I could prep and keep all of that together makes it so easy and quick to access each day!
The pop can dispenser, egg container (with a lid so you can stack other items on top!), and milk bag dispenser were all fabulous additions, and help limit the amount of space allotted to each one of those items. But I have to say my single favourite addition was the condiment turntable. We took a plastic turntable and placed it inside the fridge for all our condiments. This way we have a limit to the number of bottles we keep in there (because only so many will fit in the turntable), but it also allows easy access to items at the back with a quick spin!
One last tip? If you’ve storing items like milk or eggs in a separate dispenser, just grab a set of wine-glass markers and use them to write the best before date on the storage bin! They’ll easily help you keep track of dates and wipe off in a snap!
Ad just a small hint – we’ve made it super easy for you to find all the items we’re using for our reorg – just follow this link and it’s all laid out for you!
Cabinet Chaos
Pantry organization. It’s my nemesis. Between baking supplies, canned goods, toddler snacks and general staples… I’ve never been able to get a handle on our pantry. It just always feels over stuffed and chaotic. Check out this BEFORE for a little sample of what I mean.
It took a combination of OXO Pop Containers, KSP Easy Lock Containers and some Chalkboard Glass Cannisters (those are on the top shelf away from toddler hands), but I think we’ve finally figured it out! Take a look at this masterpiece!
Dry goods are stored in airtight containers, and anything with a best before date is labelled on the bottom using some OXO Removeable Labels.
Oh, and one more hack? If you’re pouring dry goods into containers for storage, quickly clip the preparation instructions from the original package and tuck it into the top of the container. You’ll always have it easily on hand, but you can get rid of the rest of the packaging and make the most of your storage space!
Need a solution for your spices? We sure did. This was our BEFORE:
We grabbed a InterDesign Stadium spice rack and some Chalkboard Spice Jars and went to town! It’s so much easier to see what’s what, and we eliminated all the duplicate spices in the cabinet!
Savvy Sink Space
If you’re anything like us, your sink space is like grand central station in your kitchen. I feel like I’m at the sink before, during and after meals for one reason or another, and inevitably over time the organization of the space has gone out the window.
So, we made a few super simple, and super effective updates to the space around our sink.
We added some super handy wire bins to the counter beside the sink. We always have fruit, bread and other snacks that end up gathering in this space, so having a designated area for any food bits helps keep them contained.
On the opposite side of the sink we added a big ol’ utensil container. It’s perfect for all the wooden spoons, salad servers and other items that end up floating around the kitchen.
And two of my favourite additions? We added a brush holder by our faucet that keeps our dish brush (or sponge) up out of the sink and super handy, and we added a cute little towel hook – so our dishtowels dry easily and stay close at hand (you can tuck this on the inside of the cupboard too if that makes more sense in your space).
Honestly, I’m thrilled with how the space turned out. It’s useful, functional and suits our family – so really I can’t ask for more than that!
If you’re inspired to take on an organization project of your own, first tell me all about it – because, fun! And second, check out all of the products we mentioned above HERE! Go wild, and while the Organization Event is still on at Kitchen Stuff Plus use the code ’emmettsabcs-10′ when you check out in store or online and you’ll save an additional 10%! Hooray!
Happy organizing!
Note: This post was created in partnership with Kitchen Stuff Plus and we were provided compensation as part of the process. I can assure you however, we really do love organization this much and all the thoughts and opinions are ours!
