Organizing the Kitchen

Yeah... I'm getting organized!  Lately I've been super frustrated with my Tupperware and plastic containers cupboard.  It was just a couple of shelves crammed full of miscellaneous lids and containers... and every time I unload the dishwasher it seems that whatever I put into the cupboard just manages to shove the other pieces to the very back.  So this weekend I decided it was time to do something about it.  I researched what kind of pull out system I could put inside the cabinet and I needed it to be super reasonably priced!  I researched online to see what I could find... I found a couple of brands that appealed to me.  Rev-A-Shelf  and ClosetMaid.  I ended up going with the Closetmaid because it was an inexpensive solution to my problem.  Since I eventually want to do all four openings on my island cupboards, going with the higher priced options just wasn't for me.  Since plasticware isn't heavy, these ClosetMaid wire basket pull outs were the perfect choice.  I will be able to do all four pull outs for under $100 (yea... I'm stoked about that).  We started with doing just one pull out on the top shelf of the cabinet... I wanted to be sure it worked well before investing in several of them.  It does and I love it... so I will definitely be picking up a few more!

I like how this storage solution turned out so much that I plan to go buy another one now and do the other side of the cabinet (for the rest of my plastic containers).  I love that I can now just slide it out (like a drawer) and I can actually find my lids!  Before the lids were always disappearing into the rear of the cabinet and I'd have to get on my hands and knees and dig around the back of the cabinet to find them.  I'm definitely getting a bit too old to be crawling around on the kitchen floor... so this little fix is HUGE for me!!!  I'm digging it :)  and it was super easy to install too!


While I was looking at other options for organization, I found several other items that I am interested in eventually adding to my kitchen and pantry.  This can organizer looks like it would free up a ton of room on the shelves.  It's called the Cansolidator 40-Can Pantry Shelf Organizer (clever name!).  It is the can system shown below.  This is great for putting in a cupboard.  No more not seeing what is in the back of the cupboard (yipee)...  Also, I love that you put the food into the top slot and it comes out the bottom.  So it self rotates your food.  As long as you always use cans from the bottom, you are using the oldest dated can first.  Here are some great inspiration pictures of this system.

These make such great use of cupboard space (or lack of cupboard space, depending on the situation)...  and nothing gets buried in the back of the cabinet.  I so could have used these back in my small condo!

You can even use them in the refrigerator for sodas or beer.

 It's pretty cool that you can stack them and they connect side by side.  Also they can widths are adjustable (notice even the thin tuna can slot on the bottom).  I want these for my pantry!

Below are links via Amazon to the great organizational items that I mentioned above...  They can be purchased at hardware stores, but Amazon is super convenient.

      

I am totally enjoying getting organized... and  I can't wait to do more!

Until next time,