Tomato Soup and Expired Cupcake Mix Do Not Make a Clutter Free Pantry

My last post gave you a couple of wonderful sites of organizational projects that were amazing and beautiful.  The question posed was which was worse-the clutter or the envy?  I had whined that I would love to have kitchens with the beautiful pantries shown on not only those sites, but in magazines.  And honestly, that made me unsure and a little embarrassed at my own attempts at controlling the pantry clutter.  After thinking on it a week, I realized that this is not what my blog is about.  I will never have a professional organizer come in and do my home with custom built cabinets. My pictures will never be shot with professional lighting and a group of stagers.  But that’s O.K.  I am getting a handle of the clutter in my way, with my budget and with you all along for the ride! Although this make over is supplied by the Dollar Spot at Target, it works.  I hope that it will inspire you to toss out that expired can of soup, get rid of the box of healthy cereal NO ONE wants and for the first time in a long time enable you to open your pantry and see what you truly have.

The first step in organizing any food space is purging. 

Why does it seem that organization always starts with getting rid of things?  Because clutter is made up of too much stuff!!! I was not entirely surprised to find some things that had expired.  I was surprised to see the amount of things in the pantry that we were never going to eat.  Even if the power was out for a week, there was no way that I was ever going to convince my family to eat tomato soup.  What? You love tomato soup?  Well, I will send it your way. But my boys would rather try the dog Snausages than try runny hot ketchup.   

What worked for me was taking everything out and dividing it into food types: Cereals, mixes, salad dressings, cans, ect.   Then I went through each item and looked at the dates and thought about whether or not we would really eat it or were we allowing it to add to the clutter?  If you find that you have a lot of items that you have that is just there “BECAUSE” then put them in bags and donate to a local group or food pantry.  Especially this time of year your extra supplies can help feed people who truly could use the help.

Second, think about how you want the space to work. 

 I wanted Austin to be able to go to the pantry and get a snack without asking if it was something he could have.  I also wanted to be able to see what I had for dinner in that jumble of food.  In looking at the piles on the counters, it just made sense to keep all the like things together in the pantry as well. I had a plan and it was now time to start putting the pantry back together.

Why plastic is good

In the linen closet makeover I sang the praises of baskets and trays and how wonderful it looked!  But the kitchen proved a different dilemma.  Sure I could go out and get jars and canisters.  But for us that wouldn’t work. One, because they had to be easily opened without a call for mom every two minutes and two, because some of those things are breakable.  So for me baskets or bins would be best- something easy to still see what was inside, but also easy to slide in and out. 

The next question was what material?  Sure canvas and wicker look best, but in the kitchen I wanted something that wouldn’t break easily and would also be cleanable.  I found these bins for a dollar each at Target.  They are the perfect size to fit on the shelves, they hold lots and have great handles so that everyone can grab and go.   I got out my handy dandy label maker and set to work….

Austin now has his own bin that has mom approved snacks that he can get something from anytime!

But what about the things that didn’t fit in a bin? 

I arranged all the like items neatly together but still needed something else to make sure that the pantry stayed neat.  But I have those standard wire shelves and the labels would not stay attached to them no matter what I tried.   So after a few days I came up with something I thought was really unique. 

We had tons of the tabs that go in hanging files at the office.  They sure do make looking for a file a breeze; surely they could help me find the mac n cheese!  And you know what?  Those tabs fit perfectly into the slots of the wire shelves.  They do not move, they show what goes where, they can be changed out if needed and they were free!

If you look you can see where the pointed tabs at the top slide right behind the wire bars holding the labels in place.

Here it is in action

So how does this makeover break down?

The cost- 8 bucks (for the 8 bins) and the freebie folder tabs

Does it work- Yes, I have been able to see what I do have.  One thing that you can learn really quickly is if you are good on an item. Be honest, do you really need 8 cans of peas?  I am not saying get rid of the peas.  I am merely hoping that you realize that even if they are on sale at Harris Teeter, that its ok to let the deal go this time.  It will also prompt you to say,” Hey kids how about pea surprise for dinner tonight?”   Conversely you can see when you need things so you can add them to your shopping list. Best of all no one has asks if we have something.  If they want Cheez-Its and they are not in the cracker section (yes, I made a cracker section) then they know that we don’t have them.  For a mom this is invaluable!

Is it eye pleasing? Well, this is what started the whole doubt on posting this makeover.  But the truth is that it is as eye pleasing as I can possibly make it with what I got. There is definitely more space and it is organized so I am going to say yes, it is eye pleasing to us.

What ideas have you come up with to help organize your food spaces?  Everyone has different challenges- walk in pantries, small pantries, no pantry and cabinets shoved tight.  What cool tricks, ideas and suggestions can you share?  While I wait on the responses, I will head to the pantry for a snack…and I know right where to lookJ

Which is worse? The clutter or the envy????

Coming off of the linen closet love, reality has set in.  I have started on 2 new projects.  One is a cute and clever way to help organize Austin’s school items that have exploded all over his desk.  Scissors, glue sticks and colored pencils all neatly and uniquely stored in a project that Austin was all too eager to help with.  I will be posting those pics and project ideas soon.  The main project I have been working on has been the pantry.  I started by looking online for some ideas--BIG mistake!!!

Looking at what I don’t have is not good when faced with an overflowing closet, room, or pantry.  I see beautiful ideas online and think “why can’t I have a kitchen like that?”  I would live in the pics if I could.  But I have to remember that those pictures and ideas are staged and are not practical for most people’s space limitations or budgets. I look at my Target dollar spot bins and wish they were a matched set of old world inspired hand-blown canisters. That I would ever buy pasta other than those shaped like cartoon characters and would have a need for a whole pasta section.  No where on any of these sites do I see where Capri Suns and Pop Tarts are stored next to the imported oils and homemade salad dressings. I love looking at these sites, but then get discouraged. But, I have found two sites that are great for gathering inspiration and providing a little bit of direction for me to take and incorporate into my own makeovers. 

thehandmadehome.net

This is a great blog and idea site for those who, like me, would love to create a beautiful space but just need a place to start. It’s also fabulous because she gives step by step directions on a lot of the projects that she highlights.   

perfectlyimperfectblog.com

This blogger is everything I wish I could be.  She has been featured on the Nate Berkus Show and is incredible.  Not only does she have great solutions for organizing problems, she also has cool decorating ideas.

I may never have color coordinated labels and jars lined perfectly along a reclaimed barn wood shelf that I whipped up in my workshop out back, but I am making a dent one small project at a time in taking control of my clutter.  I am on my way, but it never hurts to look at the works of others and dream…

Closet Lovin'

If you have hit upon this blog in error, this is NOT a website devoted to people who want to marry their closets or have unnatural obsessions with wire shelving.  This is the reveal of my first uncluttering adventure- the Hall Linen Closet!

And here it is…in its uncluttered glory.

Look at the space…

The organization…

The satisfaction of one project completed!!

My goals starting the makeover were threefold- It needed to be cost conscious; it had to look pretty; and it had to work for my family. This closet hit all three with flying colors!

Being Organized Doesn’t Have to Break the Bank

Don’t ever neglect discount stores or thrift stores as a great place to get great organizing items for next to nothing.  I found four great items that transformed this makeover from just straightening up what we had to create a look that we want to maintain.

Purchase 1--A large canvas tote with an attached lid ($8) 

This is the perfect size to sit right under the bottom shelf.  It also holds a comforter, a quilt and tons of small blankets that are great for lazy days snuggled on the couch.  The lid is perfect because it will keep the blankets dust-free, and putting in a sachet or even a dryer sheet will keep them smelling fresh. Most of all it contains what could easily become clutter in nice neat way.

Purchase 2-Bamboo trays (1.49 each)

These two bamboo trays are perfect because they are pretty and practical.  One is used to store toothpaste, soap, shampoo and anything else that I find on clearance at Target .   The other is used to hold toilet paper. Using trays is also a great way to handle one big issue with wire shelving- things falling through the spaces. It also discourages things from getting shoved to the back of the closet into no-man’s land and starting the whole cluttering cycle again.

Purchase 3- Wooden container (1.29)

I wasn’t sure at first what I would use this for, but found that it worked perfectly for keeping the vacuum attachments within easy reach. In the past, I could never find what I needed as the attachments were usually laying scattered on the closet floor.  The box allows all of the attachments to be kept together and the handles allow me to pick it up and take it from room to room when in use.

Wicker Baskets (Free)

I already had two wicker baskets that I was able to reuse to complete the organization of the closet.  A smaller basket was used to hold extra hand towels and the larger basket used for beach towels. As the beach towels are seasonal, they were put on the top shelf out of the way--making more frequently used items more easily accessible.

Total cost of supplies for makeover- 13 dollars!!!!!!

Looking Pretty Shouldn’t Be Overlooked

Being a Type A personality, I have to have things that match.  Although this is a quirk that annoys many, in organization it works to my advantage.  When you choose one color theme, you avoid Visual Clutter.  Having 10 different colored containers in one small space will still serve the same function--it will keep things organized, but visually, it will always “look” cluttered. Using containers in the same family shade causes the eye to glance over the containers instead of focusing on one item.  Also, by using things that are different textures, the closet looks more customized than it really is.  Just because you have contractor grade wire shelving does not mean that you can’t have a more high-end look.  Use wood, metal and fabrics to make a style.  All of this will work to create a space that looks good so you will be more encouraged to keep it looking good!

Does It Function the Way My Family Needs It To?

In the past week, I have had to look for sheets—which were easily found under the beds they go to; spare blankets—now in the tote at the bottom of the closet; and of course toilet paper--right there on its pretty tray.  Every single thing was found without stress, drama, or more importantly, the creation of more clutter.  Everyone in my family knows exactly where things are in this closet.  That in itself was worth the makeover.  So far, I can wholeheartedly say that this closet has exceeded my expectations.

Thank you all for the patience, encouragement, and most of all reading.  Hopefully you have been inspired to think of new ways to use items that you would not normally think of to organize your own space.  I have enjoyed sharing this first project with you and am already working on my next idea.

Best Laid Plans

First, I must apologize that the reveal of the linen closet has been delayed.  First thing to note on this blogging thing is never promise if you can’t deliver!!!   I am truly sorry and promise to have the pics up THIS weekend.  Why the delay?  Well first off, life in general--best laid plans get pushed aside when you come home and have to cook, clean, take care of the kid and get some sleep in between; but also the “Mother” is coming this weekend…

Dum-Dum-Dummmmm!!!

No seriously, my folks read the blog and it’s a great thing.  We are very excited and they have even agreed to spend the night.  So trying to get the house ready for overnight guests, much less get it ready for a person that I have exalted to great uncluttered heights for the entire internet world to read, is to say the least, a little daunting. 

As for the closet update, it is wonderful and is still working out great after a week.  I hopefully haven’t hyped it too much and you all are like, “Really??  I waited for this???”  I also hope to have a tidbit on making overnight guests feel welcome from the “Mother” herself.

Now I’m off to hide (uhhh, I mean “nicely put away and purge”) the clutter that has been living on the guest room bed!

Crystal

Facing the clutter with a plan

There is nothing like starting a project- the excitement before you realize halfway through repainting a room that your arm hurts, you’re covered in paint splatters and it just isn’t really that fun!   I really want to get this clutter under control, so I went in with a positive attitude and a plan.  Any successful project needs to have guidelines and a plan of action or it can easily get derailed and leave you with a half empty closet and the clutter on the dining room table.  I seriously thought about what I wanted to accomplish, how I wanted the closet to look when I was done, and came up with these rules for myself:

1. Don’t let yourself get overwhelmed.

 It’s just a closet!

2. Make 4 piles-"Trash"," Give Away", "Keep", and "It Goes Somewhere Else".
3. Touch it once and put it immediately into a pile.

As soon as I touched something it had to go into one of those piles with no hesitation. If I wasn’t sure about something I put it in the keep pile.

4. Pick the easiest task first.

I am really bad about wanting to tackle the hard things first and end up overwhelmed, frustrated and usually give up.  Pick something that you know that you can do that will make an immediate impact.  I picked the trash pile and out it went.  I felt better already!

5. Where does it really go and am I ever going to use this?

Oftentimes things get shoved and hidden in closets that don’t belong there.  I relocated everything that belonged somewhere else and the things that didn’t really have a home I asked myself if we really used/needed it.  Almost every item that didn’t belong anywhere else, we never used. So out went the dust buster--does ANYONE use those? A hand held carpet cleaner, flashlights that didn’t work, and photo albums that I didn’t like and only bought because they were on clearance were among the items on the list.

6. Think outside the box. Don’t let your ideas of what something should be make you stay with something that doesn’t work.  

I thought hard about what had really not worked in the closet and the main thing was the bed linens.  They were everywhere and I could never find what I needed.  So I started brainstorming ways to make this easier.  “Why” became the question and “what if” was the answer.

Why do the linens have to be kept in a linen closet?

What if, instead of hauling the sheets to the beds, they were already there????

That made me realize that a lot of times we try to force ourselves to live with something that doesn’t work for us because a contractor never thought about real family life (Hence why our laundry room is literally the farthest point of the house from the bedrooms).  When I started this line of thought, it made such perfect sense that I felt stupid-do you ever have one of those moments?  I already had the bins and realized that they would slide perfectly under the bed.  Putting the linens under the beds they belonged with, solved ALL the problems.  I would always have the right size, it would eliminate a huge amount of clutter and it would discourage any items being stored under beds that didn’t belong there. This new look at my closet excited me and I was determined to get the lids on the totes so they could fit under the beds.  Looking through the sheets, I realized that I had way more sets than we could ever use.  Because I knew exactly how much space I had, I eagerly got rid of sets that had seen better days, were missing matches or were gifts that were not our style at all.  And you know what? It worked!  I was happy with what was left, I had rediscovered some beautiful things and everything fit just like I had hoped.

7. Eliminate the temptation to pull something back out of the Give Away pile.

Now that I had sorted through the sheets, I was left with a huge pile of give-away items.  I bagged all those up and immediately took them to the car.  This eliminated the second guessing of myself and family to be tempted by “just in case” or “remember when’s”.

8. Set a time limit.

It is so easy to be overwhelmed not only by the clutter but the sense of time it will take to clean up.  I had said that I would give it 2 hours and no more.  I was surprised when I looked at the clock from the time I opened the door with a plan until I stood there looking at what was left, it was 47 minutes.  Not 2 hours, not days or years. 47 minutes to make a change in our life. Wow!

9. See if what you think will work, will work.

I had said earlier that I had picked up some things to help get the closet organized at the thrift store and with what I already had on hand, was eager to see if everything that I needed in the closet fit back in. One thing I did notice was that the very bottom shelf got in the way of the vacuum coming in.  Easy fix, off it came.  I have plenty of storage space with the remaining shelves, so it wasn’t a great loss.   It went so quickly and was so much fun, I didn’t even count the time. I have been so happy, tickled, really that I constantly walk by just to look at it.  I have some things to finish up but am so excited to reveal the finish project to you all.

10. Be proud of yourself.

No matter how far you get, you have made an effort and once you get into it you will be surprised at how much fun it can be.

Check back this weekend to see the final results!!!

These are some of the items I bought to use-

Crib sheets, rockers and toilet paper- Making over the Linen Closet

For my first project I chose something simple and straightforward.  I think that creating a new organizational lifestyle will have to be baby step by baby step.   This is our hall linen closet.  With plenty of bathroom space (that will be another project altogether) we only need to store linens, extra soap, and I would love to get the vacuum in here at some point. You may look at this and think "That's not so bad". True nothing falls out when we open the door. But there are cribs sheets still hiding among this clutter, photo albums bought but never filled and even the rockers to a rocking chair. This is supposed to be a linen closet, how did it turn into the place where everything gets shoved when people come over? 

When starting a new project you have to always ask yourself the BIG question:

What is working and what is not?

Don’t get rid of a system that works, just update it.  But for this closet, nothing is working. 

For one thing, we have 2 different sized beds in our home and just grabbing sheets and hoping that they not only were the right size but matched was a game of chance. If you look, I had tried to organize the sheets for the different size beds into tubs.   My thoughts originally were that having them already sorted would be easier and quicker to find.  Having lived with this system several years, I can say that it does not work.  In fact, it’s just a cluster of cotton. In theory it is easy to always make sure that the right things go back where they belong, but doing laundry at 10 at night, sometimes we are lucky just to get them in the closet at all.  Blankets and sleeping bags are shoved wherever I can get them in, and the bottom of the closet is filled with extra pillows and toilet paper. There are obviously things that need to be purged that do not belong but there is lots of space if I can get it under control.  I need a closet that allows me to find what I need with the least amount of effort.  I need a closet that works. 

Out with the old and hopefully in with the new and improved.  Baskets? Totes? Boxes? There are so many options.  But one thing many people overlook is what also looks good.   What clever but still cute ideas can be incorporated to make a linen closet one that is functional and pleasing to the eye? I hit one of my favorite thrift stores this weekend and scored some great finds.  I can’t wait to show you how it turns out.

Have you ever watched the show Hoarders?  It’s a show about how someone can be so overrun with clutter that they literally cannot get through the front door.  I am not a hoarder, but after watching an episode and thinking “Don’t throw that away! You can repaint it and use it in the bathroom.” I have had to face some facts.  I think now is the time to make some changes before the Discovery Channel shows up at my door.

My husband has declared me the most “Disorganized -Organized Person, Ever!!!”  Ok. He didn’t say “ever” and he would never use 3 exclamation points, but he might be on to something.  I try. I am definitely a type A personality. I have lists. I have calendars. I have cute little baskets to store things in.  But it doesn’t matter if I have to straighten things when I go to friend’s houses, when it comes to my own, I fall short.

The title of this blog- “Not My Mother’s Clutter”, pretty much sums it up.  Growing up, I never remember my mother having a mess or an organizational problem.  My mother has a perfectly kept home; a beautifully decorated house that could easily be photographed for a magazine.  Sure my mom probably has a closet somewhere that hides things like sheets that she never intends to use, shampoo bought on sale and stuff that my dad insists on keeping that she can’t throw away.  But from my point of view, she has it all. Beds that are always made, laundry never left in the dryer, and shoes that are always put back in a perfectly organized closet. And most of all, she always knows where her keys are. 

 Do I have a mother complex? No.

 Do I have a mother’s house complex? Absolutely!

 But my mother’s clutter does not have a 6 year old energetic boy adding daily to that clutter.  Growing up with 2 girls, my mother’s clutter was never made up of hundreds of little Lego pieces, tons of Star Wars themed items, and a boy’s fascination with rocks. 

My mother’s clutter was never allowed to spread to playrooms, bonus rooms or spare bedrooms.  Growing up, houses weren’t built the way they are today.  We had just enough space to avoid killing each other and not enough that the extra bag from Target would easily get shoved aside. 

My mother’s clutter certainly never filled a SUV.  We did once have a Ford Aerostar Minivan.  She never allowed it to become the catch all that my car seems to be. I can confidently say that if MacGyver had my car to pilfer from he could save the world from zombie ninjas and still dress appropriately for a nice dinner out.

But most of all, my mother’s clutter was never really clutter at all.  My dad is in sales and we moved a lot.  Moving around every year or two, you tend to break everything down to the basics and shed all the things that aren’t worth packing and hauling around.  And maybe that is my problem.  I have now lived in my home longer than I have ever lived anywhere- 6 years.  Not a lot, but enough time to not have to sort and purge, time to fill the rooms with stuff that I couldn’t live without and most importantly to learn to pretend that the clutter isn’t truly a problem.

  

In order to take control before it’s too late, I am creating this blog.  I am exposing my closets and clutter to you to get ideas, suggestions, and some tough love.  Feel free to voice your own organizational questions. I am eager to see what practical and clever ideas everyone can provide.  But most of all, it must be money conscious.  Each project will have pics posted, great ideas that were explored, the cost to overhaul, and most of all the opinion of real world use.  With your help we can create an environment that doesn’t quite reach my mother’s, but one uniquely and wonderfully my own.

I am picking my first project and will soon be airing all the dirty details for all of blogdom to see....