Organize Your Kitchen Without Breaking the Bank!

This is the first installment of a new series on Established Ways, which I am very excited to present!

Starting with the KITCHEN, we are going to be talking about S.T.U.F.F. for Every Room in Your House: Get Organized Without Breaking the Bank!

Plastic Bins

You can get plain plastic shoebox-sized bins at Target, Walmart, and Dollar Stores. They are very affordable. I got several sets on clearance from Target for about a dollar! You can group stuff together in them, like hot cocoa, coffee and tea making supplies, eggs in your fridge, or groups of condiments. (Please make sure that bins you use in your fridge are of the sturdier type, and look for straight-sided bins instead of slanted for maximum space.) Imagine pulling out everything you need to make a salad in one or two moves! It makes cleaning less of a chore, because you can move so many things at once! Plus, if you need to totally move something to another location, say you are going to a family barbeque, and are in charge of the condiments, add a jar of relish to your condiment box, and off you go!

Simple Dishpans

Again, these are easy to find anywhere for a tiny price. This is great for someone who doesn't have a lot of drawer space. You can throw your dishtowels down in it under your sink, or fill it with cleaning supplies (if you don't have small children who might get under the sink, in which case you need to be keeping those things up high!). You also have a handy container for household accidents (read flu here!), spills, or leaks. I suggest nesting two of them under your sink, so you can pull off the empty one for emergencies, leaving your supplies, towels, or whatever you store in the dishpan undisturbed!

Purple Rags from www.flylady.net are a MUST have when keeping any sink or surface shiny with minimal effort, and NO cleanser! These rags are 80% polyester and 20% polyamide. They are BETTER than any microfiber cloth out there, and look a ton better than your average "dishrag." To get comparable rags, try your auto parts store, or Walgreens to get some with the same fiber content. They are still better than your regular polyester microfiber cleaning cloths, but come in second to the FlyLady “rags in a bag.” I keep my sink clean, and the mirror in the powder room adjacent to my kitchen shiny WITHOUT cleanser! I can't remember the last time I bought window cleaner or all purpose cleaner. That stuff is for the tub and toilets now, ha ha!

Let me know your thoughts, and there is more to come!