Kitchen Organization & Blog Updates

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I'm making some updates to the blog, and the process of naming things reminded me of an organization tip that I use in my house, particularly the kitchen.

Every cabinet and drawer has a name that indicates its purpose. Besides having drawers for tableware and cooking utensils, we also have the overflow drawer. This contains bulkier tools as well as things we don't use as frequently but are still useful like the cheese slicer and potato masher.

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The same naming system works for the cupboards, too. My husband added shelves to a small broom cupboard to create a pantry when we moved in. This is where we store canned goods, sauces, and every other nonperishable needed for making a meal, thus making it known as the cooking pantry. Cereal and oatmeal are also in this cabinet. A small cabinet near the stove serves as our baking pantry. This is where I store everything we need for making desserts (flour, sugars, cupcake liners, etc.). And another cupboard is known as the snack cabinet. This is where items for packing the kids' lunches are also kept.

 

Habitus Living

A set of high cabinets is reserved for "extras"--all of those things that we buy at the grocery store because it's a great deal but we don't yet need. Extra bottles of ranch dressing and maple syrup, jars of spaghetti sauce and peanut butter, and boxes of rice and spaghetti noodles are on stand-by in this out-of-the-way area.

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I find that giving things a name helps me communicate my organization plan to my family. When I'm telling someone where to put something away or where to find something that they need, it's a lot easier to say "extras cabinet" or "overflow drawer." Usually I only have to say it once, they catch on fast! This process also containerizes what we have so that we don't end up with wayyy more than we can comfortably accommodate. Ideally, this is how it works anyway. ;)

Coco & Kelley

All of this organization is meant to get dinner (breakfast and lunch) on the table a little more quickly and with a little more panache.

BHG

There are still (many) areas that could be better organized in my kitchen, but I think that's just life. It's a process, not perfection.

Do you like to name things around your house?