Organizing Your Kitchen

It's really funny.  About the time I was planning to write this(at this point it's been two weeks until my scheduled post for this), similar posts popped up on other blogs I read.  I think we all need better organization in our kitchen! Below I've included their links for additional tips and inspiration.

Do you have a drawer in your kitchen?  More than, oh, three?  Well this just might work for you.

It's a good idea to move your spices away from steam and light, to a drawer or cabinet.  Nearby, but not right by the stove top is best.

A couple years ago I moved our spices to a tall closet where my husband installed a makeshift shelf.  Most spices fit perfectly here and are away from the moisture of the stove top.  I also love that it's at a great height for me, being short of course.  The only problem is, I have to take five things out to get one item.  I can't see anything except for items in front.

I need a chair to reach anything not in front of the top cabinet.  The shelf on the bottom is essentially a broom closet but with a small shelf installed on top.  It's really a deep abyss.

Clearly I need a better solution.

See how Frugal Decor Mom organized her spices in a nearby drawer so she always knows just what she's grabbing.

I thought for sure this idea wasn't going to work for me as I have limited drawer space in my kitchen's workspace.

So, what's my solution then?  The only other idea I had was a tiered shelf inside a cabinet.  Then in theory I could see everything.

I picked up two sizes of tiered shelves and proceeded to move my spices.  After arranging most of them I realized I had just put them to the left of my stove top's hood.  Clearly this location defeated the whole purpose!

Looking further at my kitchen I decided I had to make space in one drawer within the workspace.   It was that or keep all of the spices where they were in the first place.

Two (child-free) hours later, my own kitchen is a little better organized, purged, and spices are in a drawer (larger bottles and sauces are still on that very top shelf).  It's not the most beautiful option, but certainly economical.  Maybe in the future I can purchase some "pretty" containers with uniform lids.

While at the store I saw other storage options that you might find useful.  One was a tiered lazy susan to hold spices (also consider baby food tiered storage devices).  The other a pot storage rack.

I'm not sure what it's called, but it was pretty neat and works well so pans can be easily grabbed rather than nested and prevents scratching on non-stick surfaces.  I would really like to hear from readers that know about and where to purchase other pot storage racks such as this.

Frugal Decor Mom also links to The Geek's Guide to Rebooting Your Kitchen.  It's a great post that's definitely worth reading.

Organizing your spices: 10 Practical, Creative Spice Storage Solutions

Additional organizational resource on Streamlining My Kitchen. I must add I am jealous of the drawer space and locations in this kitchen.

I wish you great success in your own kitchen.

If you have additional ideas on how to organize your kitchen I'm all ears.  I feel like the kitchen is one place that always needs help!