Week 18: Creating the Most Organized Pantry

Is your pantry a mess? Do you find yourself buying extras of pantry items because you don’t realize you already have them? Are there expired items sitting in your pantry? I would not say mine is a mess, but it certainly could be better. So, what are we going to do about it? We are going to create a system to keep on top of our pantries! Set a reasonable time limit for yourself, say 30 minutes, and do the following:

1. Do a quick run through of all your pantry items checking food for expiration dates. Anything that is expired or questionable should be tossed.
2. Pull all the items out of your pantry and group them together by like item.
3. Combine any half full open containers of like items. Make sure you are using air tight containers to store open items.
4. Give your pantry shelves a quick cleaning.
5. Assess the pantry space you have and decide where your items will go. Food that is used daily should be stored at easily reachable levels while less frequently used items are stored higher up. Face items forward so they are easily seen.
6. Create a separate area for non-food products in your pantry (party supplies, cleaning supplies). Make sure cleaning supplies are safely high up and away from food items.

If you have a sizeable pantry you really have many options to create additional “zones”. You can make a recycling center or entertaining supply center. The possibilities are endless. Next week we are going to talk about a pantry supply tracking system to make shopping and maintaining your newly organized pantry a whole lot easier.

Coming Up Next Week: Pantry Supply Tracking…

Update

Hi all. I've gotten a little behind over here at The Organized Year. I will be back next week with my regular posting. Thanks for your patience!!!

Week 17: Creating a Home Resource Binder

Do you find yourself wondering where the warranty for the stove is or what paint color you used in the dining area? Why not create a resource binder to help keep track of these sorts of things? A home resource binder is a tool where you can store all the pertinent things for your home. It really is a simple task to accomplish. All you need is a binder, tabs and some folders or clear plastic sleeves to store all your materials.

Tab 1: Important Contact Numbers (just a sample, the possibilities are endless)
•Family Emergency Contact
•Neighborhood Emergency Contact
•Poison Control
•Doctor
•Pediatrician
•Dentist
•Mortgage Company
•Insurance Company
•Alarm Company
•Plumber
•Electrician
•Roofer
•Baby-sitter
•Cleaning company
•Lawn service

Tab 2: Deed (copy only)
Tab 3: Insurance policy (copy only)
Tab 4: Appliance & electronics warranties and receipts
Tab 5: Furniture receipts
Tab 6: Paint samples by room

You can make as many tabs as you need and be creative!!! I recommend storing the binder in a common area, like the kitchen, where it is readily accessible.

Coming Up Next Week: Creating the Most Organized Pantry

Week 16: Organizing Your Garage...

Organizing a garage can be a daunting task. It tends to become a dumping ground for stuff that overflows from the rest of the house. Unfortunately, we don’t have a garage but I have organized many over the years and have some ideas that may help you with your garage.

Step 1: Sort, categorize and purge the items that reside in the space. This is the best time for a garage sale!!!
Step 2: Create “zones” in the space. Gardening, sports, tools, holiday storage, etc.
Step 3: Maximize the vertical space by mounting shelves, hooks and storage racks to the walls. Bicycles, tools and other items can be stored on hooks and racks to clear floor space.
Step 4: Clearly label any storage closets and bins to easily locate items. Make sure to store any hazardous products out of reach of little hands.
Step 5: Pull your car in and admire your hard work!!!

Image courtesy of Real Simple

Coming Up Next Week: Creating a Home Resource Binder…

Week 15: Throwing an Organized Party

Throwing an organized party is pretty easy to accomplish. Planning in advance will lead to a stress free party for you, the hostess.

Step 1: Pick a party date and write a guest list. The further out you start planning, the better. I generally start planning our Christmas cocktail party two months in advance.

Step 2: Choose an invitation and rsvp date. I prefer a mailed invitation and try to mail them at least three to four weeks in advance of the party.

Step 3: Start planning the menu about one month in advance of the party. Make a list of all the foods you plan to serve. Think about a mix of items that can be served at room temperature and several hot items so that you don’t spend the whole party in the kitchen! Make sure to include things like veggies and dip and beverages in your menu so that you don’t miss anything when making your grocery list. I would advise keeping all your party recipes together with your menu. Mark the pages in your cookbooks so you can easily find the recipe you want to use.

Step 4: Use your menu to make your grocery list. This would be the best time
to check your pantry and make sure you have all your staple items like seasonings and cooking oil on hand.

Step 5: One week before the party, shop for the non-perishable items and beverages.

Step 6: Spend the week before the party cleaning and straightening up your home and party area.

Step 7. Shop for the perishable items the day before the party. Prepare any items in advance that can sit in the refrigerator overnight.

Step 8: Set up the party table, platters, decorations and music the day before the party. The bar/drink area can also be set up the day before the party.

Step 9: Party Day!!! Give yourself plenty of time to get all your party items together. I would advise that you have all your food items prepared one hour before the party starts. Any items that need to be cooked right before the party starts should be set up in bowls or on baking sheets to be popped into the oven.

Step 10: Fifteen minutes before the party starts give your place the once over. Light candles, start the music and get ready for a good time!

Coming Up Next Week: Organizing Your Garage…

Week 14: Organizing Your Medicine Cabinet

Hi all! Sorry for the lack of a post last week. Going to blame it on wedding stuff! If you read my other blog then you probably know what I'm up to on that front. This week, I want to talk about organizing your medicine cabinet. When my fiance and I moved in to our apartment we were faced with combining all of our toiletries and trying to keep on top of them. I found that I was buying doubles of items because I could not find them under the sink or in the medicine cabinet!

Last summer I tore the whole under sink area apart and created a home for everything. I bought some inexpensive stackable plastic storage boxes (about the size of a shoebox) and separated all the undersink items into categories. Items that are only accessed sporadically are stacked together. All of our larger items are stored under the sink.

Since we do not have a standard medicine cabinet in the master bath we purchased an over the toilet standing cabinet. The top shelf of the standing cabinet holds smaller items and medicines. I bought some small plastic baskets in the dollar section at Target and separated medicines on the top shelf. One basket for pain relievers, one basket for antibiotics/antibiotic ointments and band aids and one basket for stomach aids. The lower shelf houses all of our other daily toiletries.

I also took the opportunity to check all of the expiration dates on everything in the medicine cabinet and dispose of anything that was expired. Then, all I had to do was stock up on anything that needed to be replaced! This Real Simple checklist may be helpful when stocking your medicine cabinet.

Coming Up Next Week: Throwing an Organized Party

Week 13: Quarterly Clean Out!

It is that time of year again! It is time for the Quarterly Clean Out! This is time to really assess your home and start taking action. What parts of your house are in need of more organization? What do you do first? Too often, I have torn apart an area of my home with good intentions, only to feel exhausted after a couple of hours. It all starts with a plan to tackle the problem areas.

Here’s the plan:

1. Make a list of all the areas in your home that are in need of being organized. Go in order from smallest to biggest.
2. Look at each space and write down what you want that space to be or to look like.
3. Decide what areas of your home you want to tackle this quarter. For instance, if your garage is in need of serious clean-up it can probably wait until the spring when it is warmer outside. Focus on the inside areas right now.
4. Spend approximately a half hour in each area this week purging things from the identified areas. It is important to purge anything you don’t need first so you will see how much actual space you have to work with.
5. Now go back to the smallest area, the first on your list, and really tackle it this week. You have made a plan for the space, you have purged the space and now you can organize the space to better fit your needs.
6. Finally, set a timeline to complete the rest of the areas that you identified for this quarter. Don’t feel like you have to complete all of the areas this month. Don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to do everything at once.

This is where I am going to focus this quarter:

Kitchen Pantry – I worked on this last quarter and am still not happy with it!
Fiance’s closet
Office closet

What are you going to work on this quarter?

Coming Up Next Week: Organizing Your Medicine Cabinet