Kitchen Organization Means More Time for You

I used to have my spice cabinet alphabetized.  I would open it and know exactly where to find things.  Cumin, got it.  Mustard seed?  Here you go.  Celery salt, just over from the cinnamon.

I did it because all those small containers can get lost in between one another, making it hard to find something when you really need it.  I know.  I share a kitchen with a husband who loves to cook, and while I find this quality endearing and useful (and don’t take it for granted at all), the lack of Type A in his habits ruffles my feathers on a regular basis.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve needed a bit of nutmeg and can’t find it anywhere in our spice cabinet only because my husband’s method of storing is pick from the back, shove in the front.  Repeat.

When the lack of organization, whether it’s misplaced spices, a refrigerator where food is just placed wherever or cupboards stocked with dry goods that are just haphazardly thrown ends up wasting both time and money.

Time:

Every second you spend looking for food products is time you could be that much closer to eating, cleaning and ultimately, relaxing.  Even if it’s only five minutes anytime you need to cook, five minutes three times a day times seven days a week is a full hour and 45 minutes you could have had doing something else.

Money:

Have you ever looked for something, determined you didn’t have it and then purchase it again?  Or how about forgetting food in the back of the refrigerator or the freezer until it expires or rots.  You paid for it, and now no one will eat it, plus you still have to purchase more food.

The end result:  Organize your kitchen.  Save time.  Save money.  Read more. Sleep more.  Enjoy life more!

[photo by enigmachck1]

Editor’s note: This post was written by Shaina Olmanson, author of the Food for My Family blog.