40 bags - bag #12

The kitchen is never too bad because I tend to go through drawers and cabinets, sorting and de-cluttering and straightening, while I'm waiting for the food to cook or the sink to fill or whatever.

I did manage to get a bag full out of there today. It's just odds and ends, plus a few old phone books, a couple of expired bottles of food, and a bunch of worn-0ut, blistery fridge containers. Also going out the door is a mini muffin pan, and a Fry Daddy deep-fat fryer.*

Regarding the fridge containers, I saw a tip on another blog that suggested putting together the bowls and lids before storing them in the cabinet. I've never done that before because it seems like a waste of space when they all neatly nest inside each other.

The thing is, they don't really neatly nest inside each other. And when I'm putting food away after dinner I can never seem to find the right lid without trying half a dozen of them first, which then sometimes results in the not-the-right lid getting dirty (and having to be washed and dried and put away again) which is so frustrating.

The other thing that was pointed out is that if I need so many fridge containers, I am probably putting food in the fridge that will never again see the light of day before it's too late. Resulting in waste. If I am out of clean fridge containers, it's past time to have a leftovers night.

Another problem with this cabinet is that I use my big measuring cups a lot, and having to reach around or take one or more out to get to the right one is an inefficient way to cook. And, again, sometimes results in getting dirty some dishes that I'm not even using. Storing the lids snapped onto the bowls and getting rid of the lids container frees up space so that my measuring cups don't have to be stacked two deep into the cabinet.

It seems like so much work and effort to think about all this. Is it a waste of time? I don't know, but I hope that sorting it out will result in using my kitchen and equipment more efficiently over the long term. I spend so much time in the kitchen - it should be easy and enjoyable and not frustrating and troublesome.

Cabinet before:

Not too bad but not really working great for me either.

Cabinet after:
When my Pretty Girl and our sweet little Buttercup get out on their own, I'll have another shelf to use that right now is filled with baby dishes/cups/etc.

* I had to have that mini muffin pan and that Fry Daddy. I mean, I had to have them. Now, after having been used only once or twice, they haven't been used in years, literally years, and are useless to me, and are looking for a new home. Note to self: stop buying stuff. Just stop. You don't need it.