Quick and easy refrigerator clean out.

I just wanted to share a quick post with you today about a great product I found at Costco.  It is set of 4 refrigerator organizers.  They are made of hard plastic and are easy to clean and slide out to access your  food items.   I love them.

Here is a good article about them. http://www.frugalhotspot.com/2016/01/interdesign-4-pc-storage-fridge-and-freezer-binz/

Here is what they look like in my fridge.

Here are the steps for your quick and easy refrigerator clean out.

1. Throw away any old food or leftovers that you will not eat.  Throw away any condiments that you haven't used in a couple of months.  If it's been longer and you want to keep it check the expiration date.  Throw away any expired foods.
2. Wipe down the doors and the seals of the fridge.  Wipe down the inside if there are any spills or messes.  You can use a disinfecting wipe or a sponge.  I used a washcloth.  This isn't a deep cleaning.  Just a quick wipe down and concentrate on problem areas!
3. My fridge has glass shelves.  Sometimes I cover them with plastic cling wrap.  This has worked well for me.
4. Organize the remaining foods.  The bins make it easy to store small items.

That's it.  Spend about 30 minutes on this task.

Enjoy the journey and seize the day!

๑Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ๑*¨*• Barbara •.¸¸..๑Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

No space or poor organization? Part 2

My favorite cleaning spray
from Target and a hand
crocheted wash cloth.

1. Start a load of clothes.
2. Put on some fun music.
3. Get a cup of coffee, water or tea.
4. Empty the cabinets.
5. Clean the cabinets.  I wiped mine down with a mild cleaning solution.
6. Let dry.  If you would like to keep the cabinets clean put down some shelf paper.
7. Look at the items and begin to group like items together.  I have found a kitchen table or clean counters are a good place to do this.  As you touch each item ask yourself these questions. 1.  Do I need it? 2, Will I use it in the near future?   3.Can someone else enjoy it?  4. Is it expired (food items) ? 5.Is it a duplicate?
8. Throw away all expired foods.  
9. Donate any food items that are not expired and you will not be using in the near future to a food bank or pantry.  Take them as soon as possible to the donation location,
10. Place items you don't need in the donation box or sell box.  A word here; I have been trying to sell things on a facebook, buy, sell, trade page.  It hasn't been worth it to me.  Usually my item doesn't sell and if it does, people want to meet.  I don't think its worth it to meet at a local parking lot to sell a $5.00 item.  So, while I may continue to try to sell some items,  I think donation is the  better option to get rid of your clutter!
11. Get rid of duplicates and items you haven't used in the past year!  You don't need them!
12. Now organize your items back into the cabinets.  You should have more space since you have eliminated some things.  Try to decrease your items by 50%.
13. When placing items back into the cabinets think about how you use them.  Is it a seasonal item that will only be used once a year?  Place it in a harder to reach area or towards the back.  Daily use items need to be near the front and lower down so that they are easier to reach and put away. Place food items and food prep items close to the area in which they will be used. 
14. Put your clothes in the dryer and after they dry fold and put away. (I know I sneaked that one in on you!)
15. Sit back and admire your work!  Post a picture on my face book page here so we can all admire your work!  Smile, you accomplished a lot!

Some of my plans did not work out.  Some of yours won't either. That's OK!  Don't let it discourage you.  Be flexible and see how items fit the spaces.  Don't spend a lot of money on organizing shelves.  I am finding that they are not that helpful.  I am using some that I already have but they are not helpful.  I placed some items in plastic zip lock bags to keep them dust free and clean.  For example solo cups.  I use these for summer parties.

Here are the after pictures.  I am still not happy with it. It took several hours to do this project.  I did not time it but I would say close to three hours with some interuptions (lunch, and coffee time)  I bought a slide out drawer but it didn't fit the cabinets.  I am going to write part three for this post when I come up with a solution.
If anyone has any ideas please let me know or post in a comment!  Thanks!
This first set of pictures is the cabinet in my laundry room.

Ready to load it up!

Christmas (rarely used) items on the top shelf.
Small appliances on the second shelf.
Paper plates, cups, cutlery and napkins
within easier reach on bottom shelf.

These are the pantry cabinets.  See how deep they are?  Things get lost in them!

These are the lower cabinets.
Not being well utilized!

These are the upper cabinets.  I am not
crazy about having the crock pots so high.  I can't
reach them without a stool.  But it looks great!

I threw out 2 trash bags full of expired food and junk. (I'm not proud, note to self, if you buy it use it within a month or donate it to a food pantry)  Sad to think I have expired food in my pantry while people in my city are hungry!  What a waste of money and resources. I vow to do better in the future!

I hope this has inspired you to do some pantry organization!
Here are some pictures I found on the web to get you inspired!
Enjoy the journey and seize the day!
๑Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ๑*¨*• Barbara •.¸¸..๑Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

here

No Space or poor organization? Part 1

I have a problem in my kitchen.  I don't have a proper pantry.  I have a lot of cabinets, but they are deep and things get lost in them.  I seem to keep a lot of items on the counters for easy access.  I would like to stop this habit and clear the counter tops!  I also have cabinets in my laundry room, which is across a small hallway from my kitchen, that are hardly utilized.

So in answer to my own question I think my issue is poor organization.  Also, the spaces do not work for the types of items I need to store.  I have made multiple attempts to make these spaces work for me.

I think I have a solution.

Here are the before photos of the pantry cabinets in the kitchen.  (Don't judge!  I am trying to be honest here!)








Top Cabinet, I don't know it you can see but there are wire organizers in here. They just aren't working for the space.

As you can see there have been futile attempts at organization. Labeled canisters and all.  But on the other hand there are many things just thrown in here, when I have attempted to clear the counters.


Here a before picture of the cabinet in the laundry room.  Look at all the empty space!  I hardly ever open this cabinet. I should mention that I cannot reach the top shelf without a stool.  I even attempted to put a shelf in here that is also NOT working.

So here is my solution.  I think I will put Christmas items on the top shelf.  They are only used once a year and it is OK if they are hard to reach.  I will move the food items back to the kitchen for easier access.  I will take the patio lights out of here and relocate them to the garage.  Paper goods, and plastic utensils will be kept on the second shelf.  I think maybe small appliances will be stored on the bottom.  I have never tried this before so I am optimistic about it!  I will post part two later today.  Stay tuned :)

Enjoy the journey and seize the day!
๑Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ๑*¨*• Barbara •.¸¸..๑Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

One Drawer at a time!

Today I am going to de-clutter my kitchen junk drawer.  It is a place that at one time was organized, but over time became a tangled mess of miscellaneous items!  It is a monster that can, over time, take over your space!  I am wondering why I even have one?  Many of the items are useless.  I don't know what they are for, or where they go.  I don't ever use them.  They get tossed into the abyss and are never thought of again.  Here is a before picture of my junk drawer.




I guess you have noticed there are three pictures here!  Yes it's true, my junk drawer has flowed over to other spaces because it is full.  Let's examine some of the things found in here!

Old cell phones, old cameras, hair clips, hair bands, needles, screws, unknown items and coins.  Needles, pins , pens, teeth!, baby shoe tie keepers, old elementary school papers (my youngest is 15!!) , batteries, cell phone cases for old phones we no longer own! Well you get the idea.  Most of these things are ok if they are being utilized.  Not if they are buried in a drawer.

Here are the after Pictures.  I cut the plastic packaging that the batteries were in to make holders for them in the drawer.   I don't have small children in my home but if you do please lock up the batteries!  Especially the button batteries as they can be easily swallowed and can cause death.



I found the drawer organizer at goodwill for $1.00.    I already had the white organizer.  I think it came from Container store but that was years ago. Small boxes would also work.  Cut up small food boxs and tape them together to help you organize small items.  Or use ziplock baggies!  Go to dollar tree and buy these for $1.00.

 Don't use a lack of organization tools or money to keep you from being organized and neat.  When things have a place to "live" they become easier to deal with and put away.  So ban the junk drawers in your home...One drawer at a time.
All clean and organized! This project today took me 45 minutes start to finish!
The steps.

1. Empty the drawer on the counter or a table.
2. Take stock of the items.  Quickly throw out the obvious trash and items that you haven't needed in the last 6 months.
3. Sort like items
4. Take items to the rooms they belong in for example, hair ties in the girls bathroom, screws and tools in the tool box.
5. Clean the drawer.  Vacuum and wipe out.
6. Consider using a  drawer organizer, cutlery tray,small boxes, ice cube trays or ziplock bags to organize the remaining contents.
7. Neatly place items you will use back into the drawer.
8. Take a picture and post it to the Facebook page so we can all admire your work!  
9. Smile!!

 I am renaming the drawers, the battery drawer,  scent drawer and utility drawer!

Enjoy the journey and seize the day!
๑Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ๑*¨*• Barbara •.¸¸..๑Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

DVD's are clutter too!?

Today I am going to get rid of excess DVD's and electronic clutter.  First you have to decide for yourself if these items are clutter or not.  With the abundance of services that offer movie rentals you should ask yourself why own them at all?  How often are you actually watching the movies?  If you are a movie buff you may watch them often, and that's great!  You will need to find a way to store them.

Here are a few ideas.  Get this box storage at Amazon

 

Or this one from Miles Kimball

Or maybe you could use a shoebox.  Organization does not have to cost a lot of money!  If you want to get rid of the plastic covers but still protect the dvds you could use sleeves like these from super media 

I already own a storage case.  It looks like a large binder and it has DVD sleeves.  I am currently storing movies in it.  Also, I have a smaller one that holds wii games.  I have opted to throw out the hard cases.  This may not be an option for everyone but for my family it works!  I find that the discs take up less space without the cases.

Steps to clear the clutter.

1.  Collect all the DVD/VHS tapes/ gaming system games etc in one place.

2.  Decide which ones you will keep.

     a.  Ask yourself Have I used it in the last year?  If you answer Yes you may want to keep it, place it in the keep pile. If the answer is No.  Put it in the giveaway box.  If you are unsure set it aside for now.

     b.  If you are emotionally attached to it ask yourself if you are really ever going to use it again.  Is it worth it for you to store it?  Probably not.  This is difficult!  I have a hard time getting rid of old            

Disney movies because they remind me of my children.  I like to think I will play them for my grandkids someday.  But this is unrealistic!  Children today are technologically advanced, they will not want to watch movies on an antiquated system.  I know this may not be a popular idea, but when you clear your clutter you will start to feel better.  Give them away!

3.  Find a spot near the device (DVD player, gaming box, etc) to store the discs.  Decide how you will store them.  Store them away neatly.  If you want you can further organize them.  I am not going to get into this as there are many great organization blogs!  For now I just want to concentrate on getting rid of things I don't use.

4.  Take the discs in the giveaway box and get rid of them!  Before you change your mind.  If you haven't used it in a year you don't need it!

5.  Get rid of old technology!  Unless you have the machine to play it and you use it regularly you don't need it!

6. Now that you have cleared out some of your DVDs or VHS tapes take a look at your Unsure pile.  Maybe now it will be easier to part with some of them.  Or you could put them in a box, write the date on it.  Then in 6 months if you haven't looked in the box toss it.  It seems harsh but you can do it.  You won't miss the items inside.

6.  Finally, before storing your keep pile, look at it one more time with a critical eye.  If you can get rid of a few more, do it!  Make sure you only keep what you can reasonably store in your space.  This is a key point. If you have a large home with lots of shelving and storage space you can keep more than someone that has a small apartment or living space.  But I would like to add that even if you can keep more, should you?  Only you can decide this for yourself!

Now let's get to work!  

Here are some before and after pictures of my media cabinet!

This was crazy!  I was even storing some VHS cases without any movies in them!  

 I put all the extra cords in a zip lock bag.  The wii remotes and games are in the black basket. It took approximately 2 hours to clear this clutter, dust the shelves and rearrange the contents.  I threw away one full trash bag of empty VHS and DVD cases.  I will try to sell some of the DVDS and VHS tapes that I am getting rid of.  If I don't sell them within two days I will donate them to charity.  I feel awesome looking at this now!  I might even take time to watch a movie :)

Tomorrow I am taking on the Kitchen Junk Drawer

Enjoy the journey and seize the day!

๑Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ๑*¨*• Barbara •.¸¸..๑Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ