Surprise! The kitchen flooded. Don't you love days like that?
The good news is that the plumbing only cost under $100 and that the flood forced me to clean and organize the area under the sink since I had to take everything out, anyway. (See me noticing the positive? Also, having a glass of wine. Those two things might be related.)
I started by putting things that we never use, but that need to be in climate control, in the very back of the area. For example, paint, which can't go outside because Louisiana summers are too hot, goes under the sink.
I used the paintbrush extender to slide all the paint in, since my arms are really short.
TIP: A mop or broom handle makes a great slider.
BONUS TIP: Anytime an appliance comes with a special tool, like the food processor does, go ahead and tape the tool in a labeled envelope near the appliance. I came across a good example of that when I was cleaning under the sink.
The next step was to divide the items up in categories, like insect sprays or dusting supplies.
TIP: Divide complex organizing projects in a comfortable space, then move them one grouping at a time until all are put away. That method is far less stressful than trying to organize everything with your head stuck under the sink. (And just imagine where your booty is, if your head is under the sink.)
For the rest of the things that I store under the sink, I tried to put things that are used less often near the back.
Things we use all the time, like dish washing detergent, goes in the front, where it is easy to reach.
If you are a Loyal Reader, you know that I prefer a monthly/weekly planner system. I use my monthly pages for scheduling and my weekly pages for tasks. Normally, I never need a daily page and actually don't recommend one unless you have lots of appointments each day.
Except, sometimes, this happens on a Monday (or a Thursday, I'm not picky). Yes, those are tasks listed ABOVE the Monday box.
While I am a fan of following set rules for your planner (because, for example, if you ONLY write tasks in one place, you won't forget to do a task), I do break the rules every now and then. Planning is more about the practical than the perfect. Some days are so busy that they just call for a daily page.
TIP: Use the daily page sparingly, for days when you truly need a scheduled plan. If you use it too much, it takes up valuable planner space AND means you are spending too much time being busy. Humans need downtime. I happen to have these pages (that I simply cut, hole punch, and store at the very back of my planner) from the Dollar Spot at Target.
TIP: If you don't have special pages, just use a lined or graph piece of planner paper for a daily plan.
I make three different plans. Should dos, errands/appointments, and must dos.
It really does let me organize a particularly busy day with ease. The red in this picture shows the parts of the list that I completed.
By the end of the day, I had done every single task. That never happens.
One of my fellow bloggers suggested that a video is rubbish without a tripod. My Loyal Readers know that I am all about the practical, and as an infrequent video blogger, I was not about to go out and buy a tripod.
Instead, I went all DIY on the problem. Plastic ice bucket, an upside down basket, and a couple of binder clips.
*Decide which planner will hold which information and don't duplicate or deviate, unless absolutely necessary.
My personal planner holds work times, important due dates, and important meetings.
My work planner duplicates the due dates and meetings (just for record keeping purposes, so they ALWAYS go in my personal planner first). All work projects, tasks, and files go in my work planner ONLY.
*Clear plastic makes the best page markers. Use them to hold your task list sticky notes.
*If you do not have much space, use an index page only ABC system. But if you have lots of space, use the address tabs to arrange projects and files. I compromise by using the index ABC system for projects and the address tab ABC system for files.
*Keep a list of completed projects and accomplishments somewhere in your work planner. You will thank me when it comes time to have your annual review, ask for a raise, or apply for a new job.
I don't store much under my beds. I like the idea of hidden storage, but I have wicked asthma, so anything I drag out from under the bed tends to bring on a dusty, oxygen-deprived gasping for air episode. I've decided to reserve my under bed space for one purpose - pictures.
1. Go shopping for storage solutions.
I don't often recommend spending money to organize. But there is just no other way to deal with photographs, especially if you, like me, are too lazy to make nice photo albums. I purchased two under bed containers on clearance. (They usually go on clearance around Christmas or right after and again at back-to-school time.) I also got a big plastic box and the small plastic basket pictured below. Finally, I got some photo boxes.
2. Clear out the area under the bed.
3. Sort the items into things that need to be in climate control (under the bed) and things that can go in outside, shed storage (like old yearbooks). Box them up.
4. Use photo boxes to keep loose photographs together.
5. Bring big boxes to outdoor shed.
6. Put flat boxes under bed.
And the most important step...
7. Keep a small basket somewhere to hold any new photos until you can process them into the appropriate box. Mine goes right under my make-up table in the bedroom because it is near the photo boxes.
This basket is very important because you don't want to have to pull the photographs out from under the bed all the time. When the basket gets about half full, I pull out the photo boxes and file the pictures in the front of a photo box. Etcetera.
I grocery shop on Tuesday morning. I grocery shop every Tuesday morning after carpool drop-off. I have some coffee, grab my reusable bags, and grocery shop on Tuesday morning.
Tuesday morning. Got that? Was I clear enough? :)
Tuesday morning long enough after the Sunday sale paper to make a complete grocery list.
But it's soon enough after the start of the week that I haven't run out of milk or bread. It's early enough in the day that clearance meat is available and not picked over. Since I arrive right at store opening, there is no crowd. And the cashiers are still pleasant and not exhausted yet.
Most of all, my OCD forces me to do my grocery shopping every week without fail. Tuesday morning is grocery time.
Except that, this time of year, it isn't. My husband, once a year for a period of two to three months, works a crazy schedule at work. During that time, I have to adjust my schedule. We live outside of the city where he works and the kids attend school. We had to swap carpool schedules, so for a bit, I'll be going to the grocery store in the afternoon instead of the morning. Sometimes, I won't even be able to go on Tuesdays!
This minor change would not stress a normal person out.
But I am not normal. I make the plan, write it in my planner, and follow the plan.
If I say I'll be there at 6 p.m., I will be there at 6 p.m. If I say I am cleaning the bathroom, I am cleaning the bathroom. If I promise you the project by Friday, you will receive the project by Friday. I don't run out of milk.
But when the plan has to change, I have to remind my Type A that my Type B is something worth striving for.
A friend of mine has a blog where she shares delicious, healthy recipes. You can visit her blog at decadentlyFIT. Today, as a special treat for my Loyal Readers, she will be sharing a wonderful recipe for chili.
I cooked chili this morning, too. I promise you that mine was not as good as hers. I'm a good cook. She is a gifted cook. So when I considered what advice I could bring to her readers, I thought about what I do best. And that, my friends, is organizing.
I am very organized when I cook. Being organized means I don't miss ingredients, I have less clean up after cooking, and I can enjoy the task (and, yes, pretend I'm a Food Network star...shush, you know you pretend you're talking to the camera, too) without worries.
Here are my top ten tips for organized cooking.
1. Plan the menu in advance in a planner or on a menu board.
Because I plan my menu in advance, I know what I am cooking and when. For my visitors, if you don't use a planner, consider making one at least for your kitchen, with menus, ingredients/staples lists, shopping lists, lists of meals that your family loves, and weekly or monthly menu plans.
2. During nightly planner review (where prep for the next day happens), decide when to defrost and start cooking.
Write down the details in a planner or on your dry erase board.
For chili, I needed to defrost the ground meat in the fridge overnight and start cooking at 8 a.m., since I had out-of-the-house appointments all afternoon. So the meat went into the fridge last night and my planner reminded me to start cooking first thing in the morning.
3. Put out all ingredients and spices on the counter ahead of time. For the chili today, I actually put out the dry items (tomato sauce, hot sauce, mustard seed, etc.) the night before, when I checked my planner, on the counter. Doing this in advance means I don't forget to use an essential ingredient. 4. Start the water boiling first.
If my meal requires boiling water (and, obviously, since Loki eats "spaghetti" but HATES "chili," I must boil water and call the meal spaghetti, 'cause he is five and that is keeping parenting real), start the water boiling first. So what if it boils for 45 minutes before you actually use it? You'll never have to wait for water to heat up again.
5. Next, start whatever takes the longest.
Today, except for noodles, chili is a one pot meal for me. I caramelized the onions and peppers (can one caramelize peppers???), then browned the meat in the same pot, and finally, added the tomato products. I had to chop the vegetables in order to start. However, if I was cooking something where veggies weren't cooked first, I would have started cooking, and then chopped the veggies while the first bit was cooking.
6. Use the timer.
Seriously. Use it. Set it and let it remind you each time you need to do something new (like stir the food or start the pasta).
7. Use the vegetable cutting board as a spoon rest.
It will keep your counter cleaner.
8. Store cooking tools within reach.
For me, this means spatulas, spoons, and potholders are close to the stove.
9. Clean while cooking.
I keep vinegar, dish soap, and water, mixed in a spray bottle, to clean counters while cooking. Also, while waiting for meat to brown, I might chop veggies or wipe down the sink or the island in the kitchen. I might unload or load the dishwasher. I can't really leave the area anyway, and lots of stuff can get down in those few found minutes.
10. When running low on an ingredient, add it to the grocery list immediately.
This single act has changed my life. I never run out of anything, unless something unusual happens (like that random rotten onion last week).
I hope some of these tips help to make cooking less stressful for you.
For those visiting Giftie Etcetera for the first time from decadentlyFIT, welcome.
You can subscribe to my organizing tips by signing up for an almost-daily email in the right gutter. You won't receive spam. You'll just get a quick reminder when I publish a new post. Etcetera.
