Thursday, February 21, 2019

Kitchen Organization. The Spice Cabinet.



"A place for everything and everything in its place." I would love for this famous quote to be true for  my home. I've set out on a mission, to organize my home in 2019. For every thing that is loved, important, or useful to have a place; and when you go to that place the item is actually there. Novel idea, I know! I'm sure you are thinking, "Kate, that's crazy. You have five kids! How will you ever have an organized home?" I didn't say this was going to be an easy mission. But, one I've chosen to tackle and I'm brining those five boys along for the ride.

I started back in January, and I'm prepared that this mission is going to take some time. I'm breaking the process into small pieces making them easier to tackle. I've found the reward of small, complete, and organized spaces brings instant gratification and a desire to keep going. I'm talking as small as one drawer or cabinet at a time. Nothing overwhelming, but the job is getting done.



When I got to the spice cabinet, I didn't realize how out of control it had become until I finished this space. The difference is astounding. Looking at the before picture stresses me out. The after picture makes me feel calm! Who knew a cabinet could make you feel these things?!?

I started by ordering these spice jars when they were on sale at Target.com. I also purchased a Dymo label maker (punch version) that was only $9.99. I know I'll get more use out of it as my home organization project continues. And side note, my kids were jumping at the chance to help me so they could use it!


Amazon also has a lot of great spice jar options as well. Many sets even came with spice labels.  I love the copper lids of these Target spice jars and after much research, I decided that this was the look I was going for!


I washed the jars in the dishwasher before transferring all my spices. I went through all my spices and was amazed at how many were expired. I honestly, never thought about spices having expiration dates! Thankfully, most of the expired spices I never use (one expired in 2007! The year my first son was born. He's eleven. Yikes)! I threw all of those away and got to work. I don't have a funnel, and I looked into purchasing one, but I was surprised that many funnels come in sets of 3. I just don't need that many, I don't want to store that many, and due to the price thought that I could figure something out since it's not a gadget I will use very often. I took a small piece of paper, twisted it, and it worked perfectly and I didn't have to spend any money on it!


My kids were home from school, due to the weather, and they enjoyed helping me with the labeling and putting the lids on the jars (these jars also come with the plastic cover with holes for shaking). At one point I told the boys we may need to give the jars a little more dry time before we proceeded and they said, "No! This is so much fun!" My 3rd grade son loved using the label maker. It brought me great joy that he was having so much fun, and he was working on spelling at the same time!


These white baskets are from Target! I love that all I have to do is grab the baking basket and all the essentials are in one place (vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, etc). It's all nicely contained and I'm not looking all over the shelf for the vanilla, it's in it's place. That's really the goal I've made for myself for this organizational journey. Creating a happy home where everything has a place.

I've lived with this cabinet complete for several days now. Cooking is more fun and efficient. The newness still hasn't warn off, and I may or may not open the cabinet every time I walk by to get a peek. I can't wait to tackle my next space. Food pantry, I'm coming for you!

What's you favorite organized space in your home?