It doesn’t matter whether we are talking about your bathroom, your garage, or your kitchen. I can tell you one thing I know for sure: When you get organized you change how you feel at home.
IKR? CHEF?
Well yeeeah. You walk into your bathroom because you need hydrogen peroxide for example. You know it’s there, but just where?
You have this wonderful box grater. You know you have this grater. But where? In what cabinet? Behind what?
And when you open that refrigerator door? It’s got so many things that are old, so disorganized that you don’t even know what you have. There may be great produce. But since you don’t know what you have…. so when you go to the store you just buy more?
THAT’S ME CHEF!
Well you are not alone.
Personally, as I come more and more into focus (and that was hard to do following a big downsizing) I can tell you that it feels better and better to be living in the space I’m in.
About a decade ago, when I lived in huge quarters and there was so much space that everything had it’s place, it was easy to feel good. Easy to be organized.
And I remember helping three different women by going into their homes, and room by room, taking everything out… and off the counters, then strategically placing a few things, only a few back in, depending on what the woman said was really important to her. In one case, I got a woman to agree to donate all the extra stuff to her cleaning lady.
I mean, over the years we really do acquire all kinds of things we don’t want or need. Sentimental? Take a picture and get rid of that item you don’t use. Re-gift things that still have the tags on them.
And for those of you either in the process of downsizing, or have recently done so? Like me? In a space that’s a third the size of what you lived in for over a decade? There are some simple things I have done, that I want to share with you, and even after that? I have two recommendations of people willing to come work with you!
First of all, go visit the Container Store off Friars Road, or one near you if you’re not in San Diego. Even if you go in search of the same stuff at the dollar store later, it will give you some great ideas about how to get organized. There are also some pretty good video’s on YouTube. Some of them are with really anal people, almost not possible to get through because they’ve almost got a sickness about organization, (label food in see thru boxes in your fridge… really)? But if you’re tolerant, you can pick up some tips worth learning.
I do like adding shelves to the cabinets in the kitchen and bathroom doubling the space, so that you can put less in each place. And those stairs (they’re plastic and white, for spices… gives you three tiers up and up so that you can see what you have?) are way better to be used for cans in the pantry.
Last but not least…. I have two friends that organize. Let me give you their emails and if you live in San Diego and decide to use them? Say Chef Marian sent you….. just so I get feedback that you actually read this blog!
These friends have helped me out in a big way and now it’s payback time!
So enjoy the references. They’re both easy to work with and will help you thru the decision making process!
Happy Eating and Breathing! lol
Chef Marian