One of my main requirements for a new home when we were shopping around last year was a big kitchen. When people come over, that seems to be where everyone congregates. It’s easier to cook for the holidays with a larger kitchen. It was most definitely at the top of my list…
…but I didn’t get it. We got a bar in the basement instead. If our house didn’t have the bar, I wouldn’t have agreed on this house. The kitchen is beyond small, so I’ve had to learn a few tricks.
I have, literally, 3 squares of counter space, so I don’t keep very much on my countertops. However, the things I do keep on the countertop are things I use regularly and need to have in arm’s reach, like my dish towels.
I have this gorgeous tub that I’ve had for ages, and it holds all of my dish towels, washcloths, and pot holders with a bit of style to boot! It sits to the right of the sink so I can grab whatever I need when I’m doing dishes.
Another problem area can be plastic container storage. I have dedicated one entire lower cabinet to our plastic containers, simply because we use them so often. I cook almost every night and we take leftovers for lunch. Here’s how I organize our containers:
Let me give you a closer look:
On the top shelf, I have our divided lunch containers that are stored with the lids on them. It’s easier to grab and go. The containers in the middle are used for soups or spaghetti…things like that.
On the bottom shelf, I have the containers that we use for things like fruit storage, or miscellaneous leftovers. They fit inside one another for easy storage. In the back on the bottom shelf, I keep the odd-sized containers that are used less frequently.
All of the lids for the containers on the bottom shelf fit into one plastic container from the Dollar Tree.
I do our best to keep our pantry organized as well, to eliminate wasted space. You can see how I put together our pantry lunch station HERE.
I also use a rolling cart to give me a little extra counter space when I’m cooking. Check out the details of my cart HERE.
How do you organize your kitchen? Share your tips and tricks!
For more kitchen organization, try these posts:
For more kitchen organization, try these posts:
How to Simplify Meal Planning – Dinners
How to Simplify Meal Planning – Lunches
Pantry Lunch Station
12 Responses
I am hoping to be rid of my tiny galley kitchen soon! You can fit exactly ONE person in there at a time to work. It’s the first thing I look at when we house-shop – how many people fit in the kitchen? 😉
I, like you, have a small kitchen and said I must have a big one with the next house (however have always wondered if I’d actually get it!). Because it’s small and I tend to be a bit OCD, I am constantly going through the cupboards and drawers to eliminate whatever I can, rearrange, and even move them around to work better for me! I don’t have a pantry so pretty much half our cupboard space is food and the other is dishes. I have a whole drawer dedicated to washcloths & hand towels because I’m constantly reaching for a new one too! I have a cupboard dedicated to breakfast & drink type things, a cupboard for lunch & snack type things, a cupboard for cans, a cupboard for baking things we don’t use so often (i.e. cakes, sprinkles, etc.), a cupboard for pastas & rices, etc., a cupboard for all the other misc (i.e. vinegar, oil, extra bottles of ketchup, jelly, etc.), and one for more at home type snacks (i.e. chips, popcorn, crackers, ice cream cones, etc.). Then I have a cupboard for my pots & baking dishes, cupboard for my dishes, cupboard for the little one’s dishes & all of our water bottles, a cupboard for mixing bowls and pitchers, and the baking sheets get stored under the oven. After this, I think we have far more than half in food alone:p It’s about time to reorganize again too;)
You are seriously the organization queen! I wish I had just a little bit of that in me. Lol. I love the new header on your blog, by the way! 🙂
I love these ideas especially since I am house hunting. That’s my goal to be more organized in our fresh start 😉
Well written post. Management of small kitchen is little bit tough. You have really given useful ideas for organizing in proper way. I need this information for my kitchen because I have also small kitchen and I like the plastic container ideas. You are such a nice blogger and thanks for making this information so interesting and helpful to your readers.
I have a small kitchen as well but no pantry. There isn’t even room for a mobile cart!!! To make matters worse there are 4 doorways in the kitchen. They lead to the bathroom (the only way to the main floor bath), the back porch, the basement and the rest of the house. So not a lot of wall space either!!!
Oh my gosh Barbara, that’s a tough situation! Have you tried utilizing storage on the doors themselves? Hanging storage? I hope you have a decent amount of cabinets to use since you have no pantry. So sorry!