Organize + Energize: 5 Ways an Organized Kitchen Saves You Money

Tuesday, June 02, 2015

 

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How much money do you think you are wasting if you are disorganized in the kitchen? I can tell you that in every kitchen I organize, at least 3 full garbage bags of expired food are thrown away. How many of you actually know what’s hiding in the dark corners of your food cabinets?

Here are 5 ways to save money by having an organized kitchen.

Itemize and categorize food. There is a great sale at the market for buy two get two free. You get home and there isn’t enough room on one shelf for the items. You store them all over the closet or they get pushed to the back of the closet.  You now have 4 of the same item floating in different areas.  Six months later, you clean out and organize your closet and find those bottles and they have expired. Initially, you thought you were saving money on this great deal but you have just wasted money and thrown it into the garbage along with the food. Keep like items categorized and stored together so it is easy to find things.

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Plan ahead. When going to the market, make meal plans ahead of time and then make your food shopping list from your organized food pantry. You will avoid purchasing duplicate items and wasting money on things you already have. Many people make the mistake of not checking their food cabinet before they head to the market. Not planning ahead will also allow you to make impulse purchases and you’ll end up spending more than you planned.

Paper products. Don’t forget about paper products, dishes and utensils you keep stocked for casual events or outdoor parties. Keep all these items grouped together.  When you are planning your party, you will know exactly what you need to purchase and you won’t be purchasing duplicate items and wasting money.

Junk drawers. Many people have junk drawers in the kitchen. Do you really need a junk drawer in the kitchen? Could you utilize that space better? Empty your junk drawer and you may be surprised at what you find. You spent $100 at Target last week but you just found a Target gift card in the back of your junk drawer. You may be wasting money if you are keeping that disorganized junk drawer in the kitchen.

Everything should have a home. Never again purchase a duplicate item because you forgot you had it or you couldn’t remember where you placed it. Keep items grouped and categorized together. Don’t scatter items all over the kitchen. When items are categorized together, you will know immediately where to find something and you won’t waste money purchasing duplicate items.

How are you functioning in your kitchen? Are you wasting time, money and energy in your kitchen? When was the last time you emptied all of the contents of your food cabinets down to bare shelves? Create a kitchen where you can be efficient and productive. Put this on your to-do list and tackle it.

It’s time to give your kitchen an overhaul and have less stress, more free time and more money in your pocket. 

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Kristin Carcieri-MacRae, the founder and owner of Organizing in RI, has always enjoyed finding creative ways to streamline the environment around her. She has appeared on air on Patricia Raskin's Positive Business Radio and her articles have been published in the Rhode Island Small Business Journal and New England Home Life. Kristin's CD, Organizing Basics, is a 1-hour guide for the person who wants to get organized but doesn't know where to start. She is also available for organizing workshops. Tune into her weekly radio show, Organize, Energize! on talkstreamradio.com.

 

Related Slideshow: 10 Minute Organizing Projects

Declutter and Organize

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Spices

As you take all of the spices out of the cabinet, check for expiration dates and smell for potency. Categorize and itemize your spices to how you utilize them. Contain them in a spice rack that fits the space where they are kept. Don’t purchase a spice rack until you are finished organizing. You want to measure the space and make sure the rack fits and holds all of your spices. There are a variety of spice racks out there. Choose the one that best suits what you need it to hold.

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Makeup

How many items do you touch in the morning to find what you need?  You want to be as efficient as possible in the morning and having your makeup organized will be a big time saver. Do you have difficulty deciding what to keep or toss? When is it time to throw away makeup?  Aline Sarkis, a Providence, RI-based makeup artist, states lipstick can be used for 2 years or until it starts to smell like a crayon. Mascara is good for 2-3 months. Eye shadow is good for 2 years and foundation is good for 1-2 years. Aline also states that some makeup and skincare will be marked with an expiration date of 6-12 months. Begin counting once you start using the product

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Women: Purse

Depending on the size of your purse, and what you keep in your purse, this may take you a little longer than 10 minutes. Empty the entire contents of the purse on a table. Declutter, categorize, and itemize the contents. Break this process  down and take it one category at a time. Develop a system going forward so the inside of your purse doesn’t look like a cyclone hit it. Contain receipts, gift cards, money, and makeup.

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Men: Wallet

It’s time to empty all of the receipts out of your wallet. Do you also store receipts and random items in your car? While you are tackling this project, head over to your vehicle and declutter the center console and glove compartment.

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Underwear drawer

If you aren’t using drawer organizers, you should start now. They are very inexpensive and will maximize the space in the drawer. How many of you wear the same item over and over again? With drawer organizers in place, you will be able to see everything you own and can categorize and itemize. Nothing will ever get pushed to the bottom of the drawer again.

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Under the bathroom sink

If you haven’t taken everything out of this area in awhile, you may find some scary items under the sink. Empty the contents, itemize, and categorize. Throw away anything that you can’t recognize. Contain items in containers that fit the space like a puzzle. Once again, utilizing containers will maximize the space and allow you to store more items. Develop a simple system where you can locate items and locate them quickly.

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Pets

Ninety percent of my clients have a pet. It’s time to organize their belongings. Medicine, leashes, bandanas, clothes, dishes, food, etc. Take this time to also organize any paper work related to your pet. Set up a filing system for your pet. Keep their medical records, rabies and vaccination information categorized in these files.

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Junk drawer

Nobody says you can’t have a junk drawer. Junk drawers can be organized. You just have to think about if you need everything in this drawer and if there is a better place to store the items. Remember, store like items together. If you have tools in the junk drawer, maybe you should keep them with the tools in the basement.

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Office supply drawer

So many people have office supply drawers that are out of control. Money is wasted on purchasing duplicate office supplies. It’s very difficult to figure out what you need to purchase if items are scattered all over the office and are disorganized.

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Top of your office desk

If you can’t see the top of your desk, take this time to focus on this area and categorize and itemize what is there. Do you have a working filing system in place?  If so, once your desk is cleared, make a habit of filing once a day or a couple of times a week. If your system isn’t working for you, it may be time for you to re-evaluate your system and make it work for the way you function.

 
 

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