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Friday, February 10, 2023

Frugal February 10- kitchen reorganized, no money spent

Hello everyone
Well, it was a big job and took a lot longer than I expected
  But I really think my work will pay off with cooking being easier and less frustrating.  


You saw I took everything out of the lower cabinets and also ripped out the old shelf paper and put in fresh - I used some shelf liner  I bought on grocery pickup way back during the shutdown. 


Over view of our kitchen- everything is where it is supposed to be and clean - except the floors need a super-deep cleaning and that’s going to happen soon. 
But one thing at a time, right? 
One of the most frustrating areas is the cabinet storage just over and under the mixer.  It’s in a corner and very hard to get things in and out.  
I’ve had grandchildren fish things out multiple times.  

So,  I tried to not use that corner space as much as is reasonable.  
I previously had cookware in the lower cabinet under the toaster.  
I decided to make it the extra stuff cabinet- stuff we use but not very often.

You’ll see I added a content list to most of the doors.  
The narrow cabinets on each side of the stove seem the most sensible place  to store cookware.
On the left is where that hidden space is. On the top shelf are our saucepans and to the left is nothing but the griddle that came with our stove top that we never use but I figured if somebody else lives in this house, they may want that built-in griddle. On the bottom is my medium-size Dutch oven And to the left of it are some ice trays and some extra drinking  cups 
In the narrow cabinet to the right of the stove are all our  skillets -  Nonstick skillets in the top basket and cast iron skillets in the bottom.

On the other side of the kitchen are two sets of double cabinets on top and bottom. 
This one has four pull out containers. One contains small Tupperware, one contains large Tupperware, on the bottom is a container of jars, 
and the red basket has a hand grader, a salad, shooter, and a vegetable chopper.
 
This cabinet has two crockpots and a rice cooker on the top shelf. On the bottom shelf is a basket of cupcake liners, egg coloring cups, little silicone cups, etc. 
Beside it are other large food containers.

  
Dishes in the left hand cabinet- on the top shelf are an assortment of disposables, because when we have big family meals, we use throwaways. 

This cabinet has travel bottles, straws, cups and glasses,  
a few cutting boards on the top shelf.  


One move that really cut out frustration was moving these big flat  things like pizza pans, cookie sheets, the biggest cutting board, muffin pans- to the pantry. 
They stand up like a library books, and they only take up a few inches in the pantry. But it is so easy to get one out and put the clean ones back.
Previously, they were in baskets in two cabinets and it seems like it was always hard to find the one I wanted and then to put the clean ones away.  

I did do some downsizing. My daughter wanted some things. 
There were some kitchen things that were things I’m not using, but I didn’t really want to get rid of like some nice pans and some extra silverware. I decided to store them on the guest bedroom shelf in case we hear of someone that needs these things.
And crazy as it sounds, we will have grandchildren going to college in a few years, 😱 and when they get apartments, they will need their own pots and pans and silverware.

And I have another container of things that I will put on the local Facebook Buy nothing list.

It’s Friday!
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend



❤️ Rhonda 



















17 comments:

  1. Wow, looks really good! Congratulations, what a big project. Hilogene in Az

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  2. Everything looks so clean and fresh. I am impressed and motivated. Barb

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    1. Thank you Barb. That’s fun to think I’m motivated somebody.

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  3. Fabulous job! I am now motivated... :) I labeled inside the door of the cupboard over my refrigerator--which I never get into. I finally got rid of most of the items! One DIL wanted my cookie cutters and cookie press for spritz cookies. I was happy to oblige and also gave her the recipes for both kinds... Jane

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    1. Hello Jane. I think that’s great that you wanna head and gave your daughter-in-law, the cookie cutters, etc. My daughter told me she liked some big jars I had so I just went ahead and gave them to her. I’m easily living without them and I’d rather she have them and enjoy them now then for them to get sold at a yard sale for a quarter when I’m no longer on this earth.

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  4. Nicely done. Everything seems to be put exactly where you need it to be.

    God bless.

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    1. Thank you Jackie. I hope everything is where it should be as I cook more I will know more. But I can always move stuff if it’s not where I like it, right?

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  5. It certainly looks well-organized! I have labeled doors in cabinets, too. I label now for Tommy.

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    1. Thank you, I think labels are just a good idea. It will help me remember, but it will also help my husband or if anyone else is cooking in my kitchen.

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  6. Great job! It all looks awesome. Now come on over to my house! LOL!!!

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    1. Cheryl, I’ll be over as soon as I rest up😀 that would be fun though wouldn’t it?

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  7. That's such a good idea to tape a list of the contents on the doors, Rhonda! Standing on my head to search for things on those bottom shelves becomes more and more frustrating the older I get!

    Hugs
    Jane

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    1. Jane, I purposely did not put anything to the back of my lower cabinets. I tried to just put things to the front, because I am also tired of standing on my head to find things in the back of a cabinet.

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  8. You are so organized! Still need to work on my baking cabinet and then the one that holds all our glass (and a few plastic) food containers. I am noticing that people who are having their kitchens redone are getting drawers on the bottom instead of cabinets and I don't blame them. It's not easy when you're older to get things out of the lower cabinets. I asked my husband recently what we're going to do when we get to the age where we can't get down on our knees to get things from the backs of lower cabinets anymore, and then stand back up! Or maybe we can install those slide out racks in some of our lower cabinets.

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    1. Thank you, Melanie! Nina‘s new home and my sister-in-law‘s house that is a few years old have those big drawers for the lower cabinets in their kitchens. They are very handy for both children and for older adults. I would like to have that kind to, but I certainly don’t want to do a kitchen remodel. Those slide out racks are a good idea.

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  9. What a great looking organized kitchen you have. I love the fact you have a pantry, one "room" that's not in our house. I store extra dry foodstuffs in our office, behind the door. Tacky, but it works for us.

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