Organizing Ideas

I was thinking about some organization ideas as I was going through a cupboard this morning and cleaning it up and making some new labels for my jars. I was thinking about the different things I use to help me organize cupboards, shelves and counters and thought I would share.

Canning jars have to be my most favorite. I use all sizes; small ones on up to gallon size, depending on the need. I have a small cupboard above my mixer and I store salt, baking powder, baking soda, measuring spoons, Sharpie pens, and some extracts on the bottom shelf. It was a mess so I took everything out and cleaned it up. Here is the way I store these items..

I purchase salt, baking powder and baking soda in large quantities. Then I transfer them into small canning jars to make them easy to use..



I also keep my measuring spoons in a short, wide mouth pint jar..



And I have a little tiny creamer that my mom gave to me years ago and I put the Sharpie pens in it.. I use the pens to mark ziplock bags for freezer storage..



I had one part of some drawer organizers that I was not using so I use it now to store my extracts and flavorings…



When I put everything back, it looked like this….



Here are some other jars I use for storage.. On my kitchen counter I 4 gallon size jars. One holds granola, one holds instant oatmeal, one has rice in it and one has cocoa mix in it. I buy rice in 25# bags and store it in the freezer. I bring out enough to fill the jar and refill it when it's out. ..



I use to get the one gallon glass jars from Costco. They sold their pickles in them. I was sad to see that the jars are now plastic and am glad that I saved the glass ones along the way. You can purchase one gallon canning jars however.


I also use 2 quart canning jars. In the two below I have whole corn in one (I use whole corn to grind up for cornmeal), and the other jar has bags of green tea in it…


Sometimes I use them for non – food storage. The jar below holds my extra clothes pins…



Baskets are another way I organize things. I have posted this pic before. It is my cloth napkins in a basket on my table…



I buy one package of paper napkins from Costco each year. There are 4 individual packages of napkins in the one big package. I would sit the open package on the shelf in my laundry room. But it always made the shelf look messy. So when I was cleaning out the basement I came across a basket that holds 2 packages of napkins perfectly and sits on the shelf, making it look so much neater….




Since I make my own soap I need a way to have it sitting out in the bathroom for use. I use a pretty basket on my bathroom counter and fill it with my homemade soap…


The other item I needed to figure out how to organize better was spaghetti noodles. Costco sells organic whole wheat spaghetti noodles. You get several packages all in one package. They were sprawled out on the shelf and I was not pleased with this. I had a plastic container that I buy my fresh spinach in (again it was from Costco).. it was in my recycling bin and I pulled it out, washed it and was happy to see that my spaghetti noodles fit in it perfectly! Which goes to show that I don’t always need to run out and buy something to serve a need.. sometimes I already have it right under my nose..



I found these little white baskets at Walmart, a few years ago… I use them for a couple different purposes.. One basket sits at the end of the shelf near my washing machine and it holds our used cloth napkins…






The others I store extra kitchen towels and cleaning rags in them….



Finally I use small size plastic totes to help keep things organized. This tote holds cleaning tools such as brushes and squeegees..


And this one holds my vacuum cleaner attachments and extra vacuum bags…



Lately I have been keeping my eyes open more and more when I am out and about (and around the house).. looking for items that will work for storage and organization!