I love an organized space. I have learned over the last couple years that I feel much calmer and less chaotic when my spaces are organized. Are all of my spaces organized...no. Do I want all my spaces to be organized...yes. For me, the one space I have to have organized is my kitchen. I have very minimal storage space in my kitchen and weird spacings, so I have to be organized to make things work. Does it all make sense to the normal person...probably not. But it is the way things have to be to fit.
Organization can help you save time when you know where everything is and money when you aren't overbuying on things you already have. When you make your grocery list...shop your pantry first! This is much easier when you can see everything easier.
The steps to organizing are edit, categorize, contain, and maintain.
Edit:
If you did the Kitchen Cleanout with us last month then you have already edited your kitchen. If not...you have a bit of work to do to start. You need to pull out all of your stuff and edit out what is broken, damaged, or that you no longer use. Also, edit out anything you have in excess. Group like items together so you can see how much space you need. And lastly, edit! Clear out the unused, damaged, or disliked items. A good rule of thumb is 6 months. If you have not used the item is 6 months think really hard why you are hanging on to the item. Personally, I love a good edit. I am always editing my space. Because of this, I usually keep my space pretty edited. Some people are not fans of editing. This could be enjoyable or not, but it is necessary. You will need bags on hand. Designate some for trash, donations, and gifting. Have a plan for your donations. Don't let those bags sit in the garage or car and worse case be brought back into the house! When a bag is full, or you have multiple bags take them to the Good Will. Let someone else appreciate these items. Keep going! Don't give up! If you are worried about motivation, then start small. Do a drawer or cabinet at a time.
Categorize:
When editing, group like items together. This helps keep things from getting out of hand and makes you see what you have easier. What you had 5 can openers in your drawer? You had chop sticks you never use? You can glance at the sections easier to see what needs edited. Categorizing and editing really go hand in hand. Plus, once you have edited you have already categorized your items so it will be easier to contain it.
Contain:
Having a specific place for your items and keeping it grouped together helps you stay organized. You can use things you have on hand like mason jars, or you can buy some product to help contain like items. For instance, I have baskets that I keep snack foods and sweets in. Popular product that you can use to contain are lazy susans, door racks, magazine files (I use one to hold my cutting boards), storage baskets with handles, clear bins, and storage tiers. Labeling helps you to know what is in a bin so you and your guests can find things easily. I personally like putting things in clear bins and am working on redoing my space slowly. How do you tell the grits from the cornmeal? Labels are an incredible tool for knowing what you have. Clear storage also will help you know what you are out of easily. For instance, my quinoa bin is empty I can easily see it needs refilled, so it goes on the grocery list. Some people don't like to have a lot of bins and would prefer more general categorization. You can have bins with labels like baking, dinner, breakfast, cooking, condiments, etc. These are generalized and you don't have to empty your items into bins just organize into baskets. I honestly do a combination of both right now. There is no one size fits all. Section your kitchen into zones and get containing/organizing.
Maintain:
Now that you have edited, categorized, and contained, maintaining should take minimal effort as long as you keep it up. You should have a system set up now that works for you. If you live with others enlist their help. A good rule of thumb is 80/20. Do not cram your space up. Leave some space to grow in to. Backstock is key to maintaining. When you have backstock you no longer have to make unnecessary trips to the store. Things I have back stocked are paper towels, toilet paper, flour, sugar, baking soda, and vinegar. You don't have to have backstock for everything. I don't have the space for a lot of backstock but if you do you can buy in bulk and save yourself some money as well.
Some kitchen organization fundamentals are:
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