Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Operation Organization - The Kitchen Cabinets

First of all, I want to thank everybody for the wonderful comments on my Work vs. Play post. Y'all really got me to thinking.


It would seem that a major reason I avoid certain tasks is that I feel like they're hopeless, so it feels like I've failed before I even begin, which all just seems like evidence of some sort of a moral failing on my part.

Of course, when I step back and look at it objectively, that's all just pure nonsense. Do I really believe that I would be a "better person" if I could just find a way to more effectively beat myself into submission? 



NicolaB's comments about clutter and organization really struck a chord. It seems like if I could just find a better system, then certain tasks would feel less onerous. But my frustration is that my organizational systems just never seem to "stick." 

But perhaps I'm just being unrealistic about the longevity of such systems. After all, life changes with great frequency and regularity, so perhaps my systems need to be able to change with it. 



So maybe... just maybe the fact that my systems stop working items isn't evidence that I'm a horrible person, maybe it just means that my life has evolved and my systems need to evolve with it!



So... when I really stop to think about it. What I hate about doing the dishes isn't doing the dishes per se, it's unloading the dishwasher. For some reason it is just THE most HATED of all kitchen chores. 

But maybe I just need to find a better system for doing it. So this morning I opened the kitchen cabinets to start putting things away and I was greeted with this:


Let me be clear. This is how it looked BEFORE I tried to put anything away. How on earth am I supposed to cram an entire load of dishes into this already over-stuffed cabinet? No wonder I hate this job so much!

So... I decided that I was gonna do some culling and re-organizing. I pulled everything out of the cabinet & dishwasher to set it all out on the table... only problem was that it wouldn't all fit on the table!


Oy Vay! Even Smoky agreed that there was WAY too much stuff!


So I went through it all and decided I'd just pull out the things that I never use and start there.

First up... the cardboard canisters:


These used to be sacredly important when I shopped at the bulk foods bins... but I really don't do that much anymore. Mostly this is because my diet has changed over the years and I now eat way more veggies and much less in the way of grains, flours and legumes. Honestly - these haven't been used in years, so out they go!

Next we have the sacred plastic garbage category:


I don't know why I insist on saving this kind of thing - it practically never gets used. I just always think that I might "need" it. Oy Vay! I put a few of the tubs out in the garage to use for gardening and painting chores, but the rest found a home in the recycling or garbage. Yay!!!

Next up: Plastic water bottles


These don't really get used anymore since I switched to stainless steel. I'll probably keep at least one of them since it's nice to bring two bottles along in the summer when it's really hot outside, but they certainly don't need to be occupying prime kitchen cabinet space.

Now we have the old "it seemed like such a good idea at the time" category:


Individual Souffle dishes

I'm not really sure these items have ever been used more than once or twice. The cheese grater is a massive pain to use - I vastly prefer the flat hand held variety. 

And the souffle dishes... well, to be honest I've never even eaten souffle let alone made it! I actually bought these because they were pretty and I thought they'd make good cat food dishes. But they're way too deep and square for that use, and they're really just taking up space. To the thrift store with them!

Now there's the "old and in the way" category:



This stuff is all just the wrong size and/or has long ago been replaced with something that works better so it can just go away.

And finally we have my nemesis... the storage containers!



There are actually about 3 times that number of jars... but I do use them regularly, but not so much as I did when Sputty was sick and I needed to store lots of partially eaten cans of cat food and other concoctions.

The other stuff all gets used, but it's sort of a seasonal thing. In the fall those Pyrex and Corning wear containers are all filled with garden produce and frozen. But this time of year there's just no place to put them! So I certainly want to keep them... but they don't all need to be occupying prime space, especially since the only ones I use for day to day stuff are the clear glass ones.

So... when the culling was over, here's the box of stuff that is going to find a new home - either by being given away, tossed, or stored in my basement for seasonal use:


And here's how my kitchen cabinet looks now... and this is AFTER emptying the dishwasher!


There's still probably more in there than is absolutely necessary. But it's a vast improvement over what it was, and perhaps I won't dread the job of unloading the dishwasher quite so much now.

So tell me. How often do you find that you need to come up with new systems and re-organize things? Is it a constantly evolving thing for you or do you wait until it becomes a disaster like I do? I'd love to hear how other people approach this sort of thing.

43 comments :

  1. OMG...I re-organize FAR too frequently. I'm doing so less now that I get to do it professionally haha. If I get rid of something that leaves a space, I then feel the need to re-organize EVERYTHING in that area. I may be slightly addicted. I love your before and after photos :)

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    1. OK... you totally crack me up. "If I get rid of something that leaves a space..." Now that is one problem I never seem to have!

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  2. Getting rid of stuff is the key to good organization. You will never be well organized if have too much stuff for the space you have. At least that's what I've figured out. I reorganize my kitchen cabinets a couple of times a year and the area with the extra "storage" containers that seem to migrate into the house more often. I try to live by the rule, that if something comes in, something has to go out. And sometimes that works. Other times, I reorganize the cabinets when stuff starts to fall out of them when I open the doors.

    I used to hate emptying the dishwasher also. Then I timed how long it takes me to do it--usually less than 5 minutes. It wasn't taking forever like I thought it was. Since then, I've had an attitude shift. Emptying the dishwasher is no big deal because it really isn't.

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    1. Wow... reorganizing the cabinets a couple of times per year. So perhaps my "once every 10 years or so" plan isn't quite sufficient! And you're totally right that emptying the dishwasher doesn't take nearly as much time as I think it does... I think perhaps it was just the emotional toll of having to try to cram everything into a space that it didn't fit.

      Anyhow, I think that in general I need to do a bit of culling all around. I just have sooo much guilt about getting rid of things - like I'm afraid I'm being wasteful or something. The truth is that most of the things I'm willing to part with are either broken or things that other people would consider to be garbage anyhow. Perhaps I just have to accept that our society in general is just full of way too much stuff, and trying to house it all by myself isn't doing anyone any favors.

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    2. I think this might be sort of like people who want to finish everything on their plate otherwise they're wasting it--you're wasting it by throwing it in your mouth, too.

      Basically, at the point when we quit using things, they have already become a waste. And on top of that, they are intruding on your lifestyle. Perhaps it is the punishment you deserve, but I'd rather think not!

      (I also find that most things I'm willing to get rid of would clearly be considered garbage to other people. I like to think that's a good sign--I'm actually using up the things, or I've kept freely acquired garbage that turned out not to be useful after all.)

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    3. I LOVE the clean plate club analogy. What's the saying... it will either go to waste or "go to waist"!

      And you do have a point about the garbage stuff... I've already given the thing more life than it was intended to have, so I should rejoice in that accomplishment rather than mourning the inevitable death that was programmed into it from the start.

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  3. I have found that if I don't do a major clean-up of the pantry 2 times per year, I wind up with no space for anything. I am way, way, way overdue on pantry cleaning. I'm like you, I accumulate stuff and hang on to things that other people would claim is garbage. I'm always thinking I may someday have a use for it. A good cleaning of the pantry will usually cull those empty coffee tins, plastic clamshell take-out containers, and lids that don't fit anything I own. The financial benefit is once I have a clean pantry, I can see what's in there, and not buy things that I already have.

    Some people are good at this on an on-going basis, and never seem to need to do a major de-cluttering. My mom was like that. I am not. My brain doesn't seem to work that way.

    Great idea to store some stuff elsewhere in the house, off-season. About this time of year one of my cupboards becomes over run by canning jars. I won't need most of them for a few more months. So at the very least, I could box most of them up and store in a nearby closet, outside the kitchen.

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    1. Oh the jars... I didn't photograph the vast quantity of larger jars that inhabit the other cupboard. I try to rotate them down into basement storage but there's a never ending jar creep that seems to happen.

      I wish I had an actual pantry, it would make things much easier. As it is, I only have this cupboard and another the same size, plus one under the counter cupboard of the same size as these two. So this one is for dishes, the other one is for pantry/food stuff, and the below the counter one is for pots, pans, casseroles, and, of course, the larger jars & containers that I can't seem to part with!

      At any rate, I think aiming for a good clean out/reorganization once or twice a year is probably a good idea!

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  4. Awesome job! That's what I'm talking about!

    I think I have that exact box grater! Did yours come with a bottom that could slide in and out? That part turned out to be stupid for me, and the curled lips that hold it collect gratings and require extra work to clean out, but overall, I like this much MORE than the hand-held kind. Interesting!

    Sadly, I come up with new systems and re-organize things only when I can no longer stuff everything into their appointed spots. (Or more likely, a few months or years after that happens.) But it's shockingly true how things that used to be important and useful can become clutter as we move on to better things or just evolve in a new direction.

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    1. Ha! Yes... the grater has this annoying bottom on it that slides out and falls on the floor EVERY time I pick the thing up! Not sure why I find the thing so hard to use. Maybe it's because I'm generally not grating very much at a time so it's just cumbersome for me. I really thought it would be better when I bought it!

      So now my challenge will be actually getting rid of some of the stuff instead of hanging onto it just in case I evolve back into some former version of myself! Of course, it's not like this stuff is terribly expensive or hard to come by, so I just have to tell myself that I can always go get the things I actually do need when I actually do need them. I'll just keep repeating that until it sinks in...

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    2. I never use that bottom part--it just stays in the cabinet. I just stick the grater on a plate or cutting board. I don't know why I thought that bottom thing would be good.

      Well, you're never going to evolve into a person who likes that grater!

      De-cluttering experts say that if you allow yourself to fear that you'll err on the side of getting rid of too much stuff, what really happens is that you do have to re-buy a couple of things, but it's well worth the money to have ALL THAT SPACE in your life. Also, you might get better versions of those couple of things.

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    3. That's a very true statement about the space being worth it. I did actually declutter an air popcorn machine once because I hadn't used it in years and always hated the taste of air popped popcorn. Then CatMan and I started doing movie night and he asked for popcorn and I was sort of kicking myself for getting rid of it. BUT then I bought my wonderful stovetop popper, which I LOVE to pieces, and which makes popcorn that tastes worlds better than the air popped kind.

      So, perhaps when I'm afraid of getting rid of something because I think I might need it, I should just start chanting "popcorn popper, popcorn popper" and maybe the feeling will go away! :-)

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    4. You're getting so many good-sounding ideas from this post! Hope some of them help!

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    5. Well... they certainly couldn't hurt! :-)

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  5. I love the 'before' and after pictures! I'm not surprised that you hated unloading the dishwasher if you were trying to put things away into a full cupboard!

    I find that I declutter/organise when a space is becoming hard/annoying to use (like when it becomes hard to find/get to things in the kitchen cupboards). I then look at the stuff and work out if it 'should' live there...or if I want to keep it at all.
    I also sometimes get the urge to get rid of a bit of furniture that is making life slightly awkward (such as CD rack that stopped a door from opening properly). Sometimes it takes a while to work out what to do with the contents of the bit of furniture, but I succeed eventually!

    The problem I have with the fluttering process is the bit where you actually take stuff to the charity shop/recycling centre- for some reason that seems like so much more effort than deciding to get rid of things! The spare room therefore ends up full of things, which I clear out periodically...

    It's just started to get warmer and sunnier here, and to feel like spring- I find I am motivated to sort the house out at this time of year...might have a look through the cupboards today!

    PS pleased that my comments were helpful/thought provoking :)

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    1. I'm chuckling because the box just got taken down to the spare bedroom in the basement and set on the bed because all the shelves and storage places are full of other crap. But I WILL continue this process until there is less stuff in my way all the time!

      And I really need to remember that when a job starts to become a real problem it isn't just because I've turned into a lazy good-for-nothing slob, it's a good clue that my system is no longer working for me.

      Thanks again for getting me thinking!

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  6. You did good! Perfect timing on your part as I am now putting everything back in my kitchen after clearing it out. I'm one cupboard down now so have to get rid of some stuff (I've earmarked cups and glasses to be sorted rather than food!). Now that I'm inspired I'll deal with that cupboard today!
    A x

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    1. OK... this has to be a first. Me... of all people, actually inspiring someone on a cleaning/organizational front! Good luck with your kitchen culling!

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  7. I'm looking at this and thinking the main difference between my kitchen and yours (I have all the same stuff) is that I have about three times as much cupboard space, including one cupboard that's just for sacred plastic garbage, plus a jealously guarded store room, where all the storage jars go.

    I was also thinking that I don't reorganize my kitchen... ever, but then I realized that I've moved house more often than you've reorganized your kitchen cupboards, and that brings an enforced reorganization with it. All the same, I have my way of doing things in the kitchen - more or less the same way my mother did them - and I'm pretty stuck in my ways. If someone gives me kitchen gadget as a present, my reaction is more likely to be irritation than excitement. If I needed it, I'd already have it, so now it's just a thing that's going to get in the way.

    The rest of the house is a completely different story. I've yet to figure out how to use the rooms and furniture in a way I'm really happy with, and every so often I'll try moving things around a bit to see if that makes it any better. I guess I'm still working on the theory that one day I'll find the right system, and then I can stick with it and life will be blissful.

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    1. Wow... an entire cupboard just for sacred plastic garbage... my mind is reeling! Actually, having a small kitchen is probably a good thing for me, because I'm much less likely to accumulate junk that I don't use.

      CatMan gave me a toaster oven a few years ago, and I have to admit that I was really grumpy about it at first. I really didn't want anything cluttering up my precious counter space. Plus, the circuitry in my kitchen is old so you can't run more than one appliance at a time without tripping a breaker. I finally ended up putting it out in the living room/dining room area on a little stand next to the table and it's worked out fabulously - I've come to love it.

      It took me a good 5-6 years to come up with a furniture arrangement that works for my living room area, but I think I'm finally happy with it - for now anyway. My next chore to tackle is the storage room/spare bedroom in the basement because it's definitely suffering from clutter creep!

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  8. I didn't think your before picture was that awful ... probably because I've lived through the same scenario! :) When we renovated our kitchen this past year, I decided to take the opportunity to really THINK about what I stored where, where I use the items, and which things I could stick elsewhere (the basement?) because I only use them once or twice a year. I discovered just how stupidly I had organized my space before. I am still tweaking my system but it's SOO much better now. And yes, containers (and plastic water bottles) are my nemesis as well. You have the advantage of not having children--who come home from school or events with a brand new plastic water bottle that they won (WHY can't we come up with other prize tokens to give out???). Anyway, you will feel better now that you have tackled a job that you have been putting off. I cleaned part of my desk yesterday and it makes me feel so much better mentally when I look at it.

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    1. Ha! The thing that I always seem to get is those plastic travel coffee mugs - which I would just NEVER use because a) I don't commute, and b) I would just never put a hot beverage in a plastic container! They generally go directly into the thrift store box without ever even entering the kitchen! I suppose it's harder with kids if mommy wants to do away with their brand new prize. I can remember as a kid having a Floyd Little cup that I was VERY attached to (he was a star running back for the Denver Broncos back in the late '60's and early '70's). In my mind I was little, and he was "Little" so we had something in common! :-)

      Anyhow, my desk is back to disaster land again - even though I just did a major clean off about a month ago. I definitely haven't found the right system there yet! There just seems to be an endless stream of papers entering the house that I can never figure out what to do with. Let me know if you find the magic answer for that one!

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  9. I think you're on to something here! I was thinking about what you said in your previous post/comment section about hating housework because it just reminds you of how much there is left to do. Personally, I definitely needed to realize that when perfection is the standard, pretty much nothing gets done. But also, I find housework much more satisfying (or less onerous) now that (some of) my place is more decluttered. First of all, it's less of a hassle because I don't have to move so much stuff around to get to the floor or whatever it is I'm about to clean, clean and care for the stuff I had to move, move the suff back in its place when I'm done cleaning underneath etc. But also, when I've done whatever chore I decided to do, it feels so much better because the place actually looks kind of neat. I remember in my pre-decluttering days when I had spent time and energy tidying and cleaning my place, it was such a let down that the place still didn't really look calm and tidy enough (for my taste anyway).

    I can relate to feeling bad about not sticking to systems. But I'm starting to realize that the system is there to serve us, not the other way around. I remember feeling bad for a while that I didn't really meal-plan. But the thing is, I don't think it would work for me. I don't know how much I'm going to eat for dinner on any given day, maybe there will be left overs, maybe there won't be. Sometimes I make a large portion of something, sometimes I don't. I'm figuring things out along the way, I'm sure there will be changes in the future. :) One thing I do know is that a system needs to be pretty darn easy for me to stick to it. I have a pretty low tolerance for hassle.

    Maria

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    1. ...and for what it's worth, you totally have my blessing for getting rid of the stuff you don't need/use/want. It has happened that I've gotten rid of something and I regretted it later, but I got over it, and the decluttering journey has still been totally worth it. And I think that in the long run, it probably makes us less wasteful.

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    2. "... the system is there to serve us, not the other way around." OK... those words need to somehow get embedded deeply into my psyche. I always get frustrated with "systems" because I just feel like I'm never good enough to keep up with them. I totally need to remind myself that I am not a slave to the system!!! :-)

      When my kitty Sputnik got sick with a bladder problem, he started peeing on ANYTHING that got left out on the floor. It was a real learning curve for me because neatness has, ahem, never been one of my strong suits. But knowing that it was gonna get peed on turned out to be strong incentive not to leave things laying around!

      Now that he's gone, I've been resisting the temptation to slide back into old habits. I have to admit that vacuuming is SOOOO much easier when all you have to do is pull out the machine and vacuum, instead of spending half an hour finding the floor before you can begin! But every time I look at my uncluttered floor it is a little reminder of him. Sorta feels like a gift from my little departed kitty friend.

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    3. One of my cats had/has the habit of peeing on discarded clothes that end up in the floordrobe...it was a great incentive to put them away! Bless the cats for giving us tidy floors...

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    4. Ha! The "floordrobe" I LOVE it! :-)

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  10. One of my favorite phrases is "Progress, not perfection". You made progress and that is really the goal. Focusing on getting things "right" is, at least for me, the seeds of future frustration. It's never 'right'. But 'better', yeah, I can achieve that.

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    1. Oh, I sooo need to remember this one. For me, housework is the worst offender in this department - probably because as a kid most of my friends had stay at home moms who kept their homes neat and tidy, meanwhile, I was raised by a single mom who would do just about anything to avoid cleaning (see... I come by it naturally!)

      I fear I developed a bit of a slob complex and somehow I always imagine that "everybody else" is living in surroundings that look like they came straight out of Better Homes & Gardens. It always makes me so happy when bloggers post photos of their less than perfect homes.

      Anyhow, thanks for the reminder!

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  11. I definitely need to do this! After moving in with a housemate we have a lot of doubles of things (or even triples or quadruples...). Not to mention that I own things like four separate funnels :)

    At the moment everything is just shoved in the drawers and cupboards, but they're very full!

    I'm glad Smokey was helping you out :)

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    1. I'm really good at shoving things into a cabinet, closet or drawer and then just forgetting about them. I somehow always hope that the "neatness fairy" will just come along and tidy it all up while I'm not looking. Never seems to work though!

      I have to say that my general stress level with the kitchen has gone down significantly since I did this. Just being able to reach into the cabinet and get what I want without having to reach around things or be careful not to knock something over, or re-arrange a bunch of stuff to get to what I need is HUGE.

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  12. Good Job! I have to get rid of plastic storage pieces and cardboard canisters too!!! Having a system is good but only lasts so long. I can sorta keep to it but the man never does....

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    1. I'm so heartened to learn that I'm not the only person who hangs onto stuff like that. :-)

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  13. One cabinet is better than nothing! :) And since you use that space so much, it'll probably feel like a much bigger improvement than sorting decorations or something you rarely use.

    I have 2 competing issues going on: everyone once in a while I get the urge to organize (weird, right?) so I try to take advantage of those feelings while I have them. But that also means I put things off waiting for the mood to strike. Sometimes, that means the mess/disorganized space builds up until I can't stand it anymore. Then I do a whirlwind cleaning/organizing marathon. Afterwards, I'm so sick of cleaning and sorting things that I put off other cleaning/organizing tasks, and start waiting for a day when I feel like tackling it . . rinse and repeat! But I always breathe easier after it's done so I should probably make it more of a priority :)

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    1. I can so totally relate to that feeling. There are times when I'm in a real "deal with it" mood and I feel like I can tackle any project... then there's the rest of the time when I just want to commune with the couch and watch bad movies on Netflix.

      Anyhow, I was just drooling over some blogger's picture of their supposedly small kitchen which is twice the size of mine - but I caught myself. Twice the space would probably only mean twice the clutter!

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  14. Yay, for you. I hate reorganizing. I always feel wasteful when I get rid of things but invariably I have too much of things I neither need or use.

    Your organized cabinet looks so tidy. Good job.

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    1. Oh yes... I feel wasteful when I get rid of things too. But I have to remind myself that the wasteful part isn't getting rid of stuff, it's buying it in the first place!

      My current challenge is to figure out what to do with the old peed upon foam mattress and feather topper that I recently replaced with a nice new futon. Maybe my neighbor's dogs would like them. I'm sure it would look like some sort of horrible chicken attack took place though, as the young dog enjoys destroying anything she gets her little jowls on. Or maybe I should post them on FreeCycle. Well, whatever I do, it would be nice to get them out of my basement!

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    2. Would an animal charity make use of them?

      I've had to compromise on finding the 'perfect' way of getting rid of/reusing something in order just to get rid of it!

      You are right that buying stuff in the first place is the most wasteful bit- must remember this!

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    3. Hmmmm... maybe an animal shelter or rescue group... that's a great idea!

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  15. Love your photos! I hate emptying the dishwasher too. I always have to dry everything because the dishes don't "completely" dry in there. And if I have to rinse things and dry things, then why do I even use it? So I put everything away angrily!

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    1. I can imagine that in your climate having things perfectly dry would be an issue. With our dry air it's not such a big deal as stuff tends to evaporate pretty quickly. But my dishwasher does a good job drying most everything except the plastic and pooling water. In other words, I have no excuses, I just hate it! But I do have to admit that it's easier with less cluttered cabinets. :-)

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  16. Cat, I have to admit that all my cabinets looked like yours (or worse) a few years ago. I hated putting anything away because I had no room or things fell out at me. I had such a hard time getting rid of things and my boys made it harder because we each had our favorite items. Now it all fits on two shelves where each item has its own home which makes the task better.

    One note on the cheese container I saw in your plastics. If you have mason jars the lids from those Parmesan cheeses fits perfectly on the mason jar. I use them to pour out bean and such from the pantry.

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    1. Oooo... thanks for the tip on the Parmesan cheese lids. And speaking of mason jars, that's next on my list. I've got to come up with a better method for storing them all - I think it's gonna involve clearing some shelf space in the basement storage room.

      I'm actually finding unloading the dishwasher to be significantly easier now that the cabinet isn't so stuffed full. Imagine that! :-)

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