The top 5 reasons to stay organzied in the kitchen!!

Staying organized has many benefits, but today I want to share with you my top five reasons for staying organized in the kitchen.

#1  It saves you MONEY!!  That is right, when you are organized, you actually know what you have.  This prevents you from buying duplicates, which saves you money.

#2  It makes meal planning easier!!  By knowing what ingredients you have on hand, it is much easier to prepare a meal plan. 

#3 It makes it easier for the kids to help in the kitchen.  If your children have chores in the kitchen, I am sure you know how frustrating it can be when they do not know where to put something.  If everything has a place/home, it will be easier for them to do their chores, because they will know where items should go every time.

#4  It saves your sanity.  Nothing is worse then being in a hurry with 100 things to do, and not being able to find the one last ingredient that you need for your dinner recipe. 

#5  Speedy clean up when company arrives!!  Do you every have unexpected visitors?  Well, having an organized kitchen can make for a quick clean up job when that happens.

So, there you have it, my top five reasons for staying organized in the kitchen.  What are your favorite reasons to stay organized in the kitchen?

photo source: theswedish

Fancy Pantry!!

I came across this kitchen pantry the other day, and had to share it. It is amazing, so neat and organized. Everything has a container and a space, I love it. This has inspired me to start organizing my pantry better. It is kind of organized, but it can definitely be better.

So, my challenge this week is to makeover my pantry. I am trying to use as many recycled containers for storage as possible, so I don't have to buy too many. I will show you the finished product soon. Until them, check out House Of Smith's Pantry.
Photo source: quickcolor

Clean Closet??

Okay ladies, I have been following some really great blogs lately. One of my goals for this year is to not look so frumpy!! I have found some really great ladies with great style, and I love visiting their blogs. Today, I stumbled onto a post about closet organization, and just had to share!! Check out Jill GG's Good Life For Less, closet post here. It is awesome. I am going to work on mine this weekend and see if I can make it a little easier to navigate. In other words, GoodWill here I come with some bags for you!!

Guest Post!!

Hey everyone, I am guest posting over at Coupon Cookin' today. Head over and check out some great organization tips!!

Clear out some of that clutter!!

Okay, so I have been on a mission to clear out some of the clutter in my office. Sometimes it feels like I can not even think when I am surrounded by papers!!

So, one of the first issues that I had to address was magazines. I have tons of them (most of the subscriptions I get for free). Each one has at least one article that I want to read. I am sure you all know how it is, you see an article that looks interesting, so you turn the top of the page down, thinking that you will have time to read it later (assuming that you can find it later).

Well, I went through my magazines and ripped out all of the articles that I wanted to read. I then placed them in a little folder that I can grab on my way out of the door. I have been spending tons of time in the car since we started back with homeschool at various lessons and groups for the kids. This folder is perfect to keep me occupied, and my magazine pile a lot shorter.

What are some of your favorite tips on how to win the paper war??

photo source: R Young

Save Money on Organizing!!

If you would like to learn new ways to organize by using the items that you already have, check out my guest post over on Centsable Momma!!

Tackle it Tuesday!!

Okay, so today I decided to tackle the closet in the babies room. I have to admit that I have not really touched it since we moved in, and that was almost a month ago (I know, terrible)!!

So, this is the before picture:

**The diaper in the floor is a baby doll diaper, not a dirty diaper, Just wanted to put that out there**

After a few minutes of sorting and hanging clothes, this is the after picture:

Much better, now I do not have to cringe when I go to open the closet door!!

So, have you tackled a project today??  If so, leave a comment and share, or head over to 5 minutes for mom and check out what others have tackled this week!!

Some other great places to stop by are:  Anti-procrastination Tuesday and Thirty Minute Blog Challenge.

Obsessed??

That is right, you heard me, I am officially obsessed with lists!! I have to have them. I make lists for everything. I have a huge "list" notebook, and take it with me everywhere. I find that it makes me feel more organized, and as strange as it may sound, gives me a little peace of mind.

I am one of those people who always forgets something, unless I have it written down. So, what are some of the things that I make lists for??

Groceries
Homeschool assignments
House Work
Daily "To Do" lists

You name it, I have a list for it. So, are any of you out there "list crazy" too? If so, how do you organize and keep up with your lists?? I would love to hear how you manage yours.

photo source: KTVee

Tips for saving money in the kitchen!!

One question that I get asked a lot is how do you save money, other than using coupons? One of the largest ways that I save other than coupons is to "use my kitchen well".

I am not big on convenience foods, and honestly consider them a waste of money for my family. So, if there is something that can be made from scratch, I make it. Below is a list of some of the things you can make from scratch to save money.

1. Bread, rolls, muffins, cookies, cakes, brownie mix, cookie mix, pizza dough.

2. Chicken stock. If you buy your chicken whole, which I recommend because it is cheaper, once you cut it up place the remains in a big pot, add water and any other seasoning you want. Once it is done, let it cool and freeze.

Here are a few more ways that you can save in the kitchen:

1. Stop using paper towels. I did this a while back, and it isn't as hard as you may think. Rags work just as well, and you don't have to buy new ones every week.

2. Use your left overs rather than throwing them out. If you don't want the same exact thing, create something new with your leftovers.

3. Keep your cabinets and freezer organized. If everything is organized and easily accessible, you will be able to see what you have. This will prevent you from buying duplicates.

Some of these money saving methods may seem like they will only save pennies, but pennies do add up over time. Do you have any money saving strategies that you want to share?

photo source: thekitchendesigner.org

Frugal Tip of The Day!!

Okay, so if you are anything like me you probably have some trash lying around in your car (or maybe it's just me). So, how do you control it? Take an empty baby wipe container, and fill it with some of those empty plastic grocery bags. Slide the wipe container under the seat in your car, and the next time you need to do a quick clean up simply take out a bag. I love finding new ways to use old items, like empty wipe containers, so this is a win win for me.

Spring Time!!

Well, I don't know about you all, but this lovely weather we have had in the South has given me a little bit of Spring Fever!! I love the Spring time, the weather is perfect, and everything is beautiful.

However, there is one little aspect that I am not that crazy about. I like to call it the "clothing transition". You know what I am talking about, when you take all of the winter stuff out and replace it with summer stuff. Everyone may not do this, but storage space is hard to come by in my home, so we have to make room.

For the past three days I have been taking the summer clothes out of the attic and washing all of them (I know that probably sounds weird, but I am a clean freak and have to wash them after they have been stored eventhough they were washed before they were stored). I have also been taking all of the winter clothes out of all the closets and dressers and replacing them with the summer items. That may not sound like much, but when you have to do it for seven people, it can take a while.

Anyway, I am almost done, and super excited about that!! Now, I can spend more time with the kids outside. They love to play on the swing set and on their bikes, and I love to sit on big beach towel in the sun and read. It really is a winning combination if you ask me.

What is your favorite thing about Spring??

Photo source:  Samuraijohnny's

Clutter Free Friday!!

Last week I mentioned a book that I recently read, Confessions of an Organized Housewife. This book inspired me to become "clutter free", so each week we will talk about a different area to organize. Today we are going to tackle those scary kitchen drawers!!

The first thing you need to do is, separate all of that stuff. Do you really need 5 spatulas, or could you get by just fine with 2? Are there things in your kitchen drawers that do not belong there, for instance board game pieces, batteries, hair bows, you get the point. If items do not belong in your kitchen, then remove them so they will stop taking up precious space. Once you have removed all of the stuff that should not be in there, tackle each drawer one by one. Look at your items and think about how much you use it, if you really need it, and what your life would be like if you did not have it.

There are people out there who feel that they need to keep everything, just in case they need it one day. But, chances are when that day comes you probably will not be able to find it, if you even remember that you have it. So, go through each drawer and be realistic and disciplined. You will feel so much better once you move out the clutter.

photo source: martyz