January Recap

Bins, and caddies and tea bags, oh my! I’m skipping down the yellow brick road of review, going over not only what we talked about in January, but also many of the awesome comments you guys brought up.

     Looking back to my first post about all possessions having a home, Meredith  made a great comment about setting up a system of organization that is intuitive. What a perfectly awesome word! The thing that’s great about it is that an intuitive system is specific to each individual. What makes sense for one person might not make sense for another. So if you are trying to implement a method in your home that you saw on TV, or was suggested by your bestie, or even a result of some awesome contraption you saw in an organizing store, but it is just not taking root, you are not to blame. It simply means that perhaps this is not right for you or goes against what might be a natural tendency in your daily routine. Keep on tweaking until you find something that works for you, makes you comfortable, and is easy to maintain, even if it is not what’s popular at the moment.    

  Jenni had a great question about bins. She had asked if she could keep her cooking oils in the pantry in a bin up on a shelf, keeping like items together. When using bins it is important to remember not too make them too heavy, especially if they are kept on higher shelves and you have to pull them down. That’s an ouch on your back and an accident waiting to happen. If you must keep something on the heavier side up high, make sure you have a step stool so you can safely retrieve the items, though it’s always best to not make higher placed items too heavy.

     I had also asked if she keeps larger bottle of oils in storage and siphons them gradually into easier to use bottles that either drizzle or mist. Tanya posted a great picture of hers, and above is a picture of mine. The smaller sized bottles wouldn’t be as heavy, and could be kept in a bin, the larger ones stored away until the smaller ones needed some replenishing. It’s also a great money saver to buy the oil in bulk.

     Something I keep on a higher shelf and conveniently pull down are my vitamins. No making fun and calling me an old lady but I love me a good supplement! I just retrieve the one container each morning and my stash is right there, ready to go. P has his right next to mine. We don’t have to worry about rummaging through the bottles, knocking them over in the cabinet, and because the items inside are lightweight they are super easy to pull down.

     I told you not to make fun of me, but I made fun of my mother for this next suggestion. As always, mother knows best and I wound up loving her hack. She keeps these light weight, basket weaved, plastic containers on higher shelves. Instead of having to use a step stool, she just tiptoes on up, sticks her pointer finger in a bottom square and easily pulls down the bin. I keep extra plastic bags in mine and it makes things super simple. They can also be found in the dollar store, which is super cheap!

     AnnMarie  had a great suggestion when using shoe boxes as bins. She covers hers in pretty fabrics, not only making them pleasing to the eye, but also giving herself a fun, creative project to work on. I know Karlie would probably love to spend a cold or rainy day digging into a craft like that. Anyone?

     Megan  rocked out this week by going through her spice bin and discarding all the outdated ones and the items that no longer served her. Woot woot!  We also discussed an excess of sprinkles, which reminded me to use some of mine. I made the kids cupcakes for dessert this weekend and it was a win-win all around, as I used items I already had in the pantry. Which leads me to our final topic.

     We talked about avoiding the pitfalls of overbuying and using what we have. When making my meal plan for this past week, I looked over everything I had in my cabinets and freezer, vowing to clear most items out, cooking with what I already had. A lone can cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving finally got used with some chicken cutlets, a can of pumpkin helped with muffins for the kids breakfasts, those quinoa burgers I kept forgetting about made yummy lunches and we rounded up a rag tag dinner with various meats that had been begging to be cooked for a while. By making the basis of my menu the items that were already in my cabinet, I cut my weekly grocery bill in half. And by the end of the week, I was able to easily wipe out the refrigerator and freezer, as we were cleared out. A dream come true! Not really, but it felt so good to stay within my budget and not be wasteful.

     So thank you for traversing the yellow brick road and journeying the Land of Blog with me these past weeks. In the true fashion of Oz, have the courage to start somewhere, the brains to do what works best for you and discern what is needed, and the heart to maybe blast some music and sing along while you do!