Project : Pantry Complete!!! February 2, 2010

I don’t know how Project Pantry even started… Outta frustration perhaps?? One thing I know for sure, I’m finally done!!! One Project I’m sooooo happy about!!

Project Pantry Day 1

Project Pantry Day 2

Today’s the last day of Project : Pantry. I didn’t do it all in 3 days, I took a few days off here and there, but I’m really really happy with the process & results! And best of all, I can share it with you =)

The Last few projects:

The Upper Cabinet :: This is where I keep our spices, mixes, misc baking ingredients & other little things. Here’s the before & after!!

Like my first couple of days organizing the panrtry, I used the same method :

1. Remove everything & set them on the counter (or in my case, stove)
2. Toss anything that’s expire & anything else I knew we would never eat.
3. Group foods together by category : For this case, my main categories were Canned Goods
   Pasta
   My Daughter Kailani’s Snacks
   Adult Snacks
   Extra Dry Food
4. Recontain if necessary, Reorganize & Label
5. Take Inventory.

It works for me!!

I didn’t do sooo much purging on this cabinet, but I did a lot of re-containing and shuffling.

Here are more detailed pictures:

Next I did the Bottom Shelf. WHAT A RELIEF!! See for yourself :

My goodness…. My daughter LUHHHVESS to help cook rice, but everytime she does, rice spills all over the place. So I put it in a nifty Snapware Container I can set on the counter whenever she needs to help out. We’re cutting back on rice, so I stored the extra in another cabinet. That HUGGE Container was taking up alotta space anyway. I’ve got plentry of room for other liquids I’ve been meaning to stock up on (worsteshire sauce, BBQ sauce, etc etc)

And last but definitely not the least, The BAG cabinet!

We’re pretty short on storage space, but this space was really needed. Its original intention was for grocery bags, bigger ziplocks, lunch bags & reusable shopping totes. What I found was all that and a pile of light bulbs =) I moved the light bulb into another cabinet (will work on that project later on) It’s still not completely declutter – I knew I can purge more, but I was pressed for time & had to get it done quick. Here’s the B&A shot!

I think I can finally breath a little better now. I can cook & prepare food so much easier now, I know where everything goes and what I’ll eventually need. I also know where I can put it!

One more thing I gotta work on… TYPE OUT OUR SPICE LIST

Thanks for reading!! Till the next Project.

Camera : Canon T1i : No photo editing used other than picasa collage & text addons.

Containers: From Bed Bath & Beyond & Costco (Snapware) – Great for stacking!!

Project : Pantry :: Day 2 January 28, 2010

This week’s project has been all about our pantry. Click here to read the beginning.

We don’t have much space available to store food so it’s important for us to keep what we love, what we eat and what we can use.  After the first mini project [upper cabinets] I found 40% more space! I purged and organized what I kept. Moved food that should be kept in the upper cabinet pantry and called it a night. I don’t have before pictures (I wish I did) but here’s the after makeover shot

After completing that project, I moved on to my next mini project : The bottom pantry cabinet.

The bottom pantry cabinet was meant to store snacks accessible to my daughter, pasta & canned food. I found so much more here. More than I thought was possible. There was so much food that was ‘out of sight, out of mind’ that it all went to waste. I found food that expired in 2007. How sad!!!!

Here’s the before makeover pictures:

A deeper look into the mess :

I used the same methods I used before:

1. Remove everything & set them on the counter (or in my case, stove)
2. Toss anything that’s expire & anything else I knew we would never eat.
3. Group foods together by category : For this case, my main categories were Canned Goods
   Pasta
   My Daughter Kailani’s Snacks
   Adult Snacks
   Extra Dry Food
4. Recontain if necessary, Reorganize & Label
5. Take Inventory.

I had to split this into two mini-mini projects : Snacks & Dry goods then the Canned Goods.

Here’s all the Dry Goods

After purging, here’s what’s left :

I the grouped all like foods and labeled the containers.

I repeated the same process with the canned goods

Before Purge

After Purge

This time, I wrote down all the expiration dates, took inventory THEN grouped & contained.

We have to have MRE’s. Just in case.

After all the sorting, purging & recontaining, I placed everything back into the lower cabinet. 50% space gained!!! Woohoo!!

Goodbye old, expired food. I know we were very fortunate to have you, but now I know better. No more wasting.

project : pantry January 26, 2010

I’ve hopped from project to project lately. [although that’s always been my problem – that’s why it’s so hard to stay focused!] I decided to on one project alone : and I chose my pantry.

It’s definitely not the worst I’ve ever seen, but my pantry was full of trash. Food that was just wasted, because we all forgot it was there. I wish I took before pictures. . noted for my next project.

Things I’ve tossed away

• 30 bags of nissan ramen. Yes. 30 bags. that’s $10!!
• 2 gallons of hot wing sauce
• 3 boxes of ice cream cones I hid from the hubby
• A bottle of partly opened oil. yucc
• Food that expired from 2005-2009. Shows how long it’s been since I last purged!
• Was that halloween candy from 2006?!?
• Random Random Randomness.

Alright. I get it. Filthy.

What I’ve done so far

• Purged the main pantry. Placed all kept items/foods in pretty little containers
• Labeled all the containers w/ proper expiration date – I had to do a google search to see when things expire i.e. flour, sugar etc.
• Wiped down the shelves clean. Wiped cabinets as I go.
• Purged unused pots & pans. Relocated seldom used pots up on the top shelf.
• Did a mini inventory of the pantry.

What’s left to do

• Take pictures of my progress & post them up to share!
• Purge. Group. Contain. Organize bottom pantry – mainly the snack cab.
• Create Inventory. Take note of staples
• Install Sliding Drawer purchased @ the container store on 01.23.10

There’s not much left, and I’m excited to finally finish ONE project! I was full steam ahead until I filled up our garbage. I had to stop purging. Nothing should stop me now.

Goal : post final pictures by 01/30/10

my kitchen mess December 2, 2009

One of tonight’s projects is the kitchen. The dumping grounds. It’s the first room we walk into so everything is just left homeless. I took a pic with my iPhone before I go half at it. I’ve got a lot of sorting, dishes, putting away to do… Not to mention I also got dinner to cook.

Here’s to a hopeful night.

Baby Steps Baby April 15, 2009

This week is all about our Kitchen. Although I’m not going by my original day2day plan, I’m getting there a little at a time.

Today I was able to accomplish – –

:: Bar Area & Drawers. This was simple since I just cleaned it a few weeks ago. I still need to empty it out and get ready for some re-stocking.

:: Wash an overflowing sink of dirty dishes. *patting my back*

I still have plenty of items to tackle, and I’m nowhere near discouraged. Here’s tomorrow’s plan.

– Clear countertops
– Sanitize countertops
– Bless our pet area
– Clean stovetop
– Organize under the sink drawer

Time should go by a lot quicker now that my mac book air is back in commission ; )

Spring Cleaning – Kitchen Edition Update #1 April 14, 2009

Just wanted to post a quick one to let you know that I’m on track and that I’m procrastinating (again!) It’s really tough with a lot of distractions, but loved ones always come first.

:: Meal Plan – done for this week. I posted mine here Me and my daughter had a blast thinking of what creative ways we can empty out the freezer to make room for new goodies!

:: Food Prep Area – this was quick and simple. Super thankful for sanitizing wipes! While I was at it, I wiped down the kitchen appliances on the counter. We have so many but use everything at last 5x a week!

I’m a little behind schedule but I’m getting there!

Always remember to eat the ugliest frog first.

Spring Cleaning – Kitchen Edition April 13, 2009

I’ve posted my Plan for Spring cleaning here. Here’s what I have planned for our Kitchen

:: Clean and organize the bar. – It’s dusty and it wouldn’t hurt if I cleaned the mirrors too.
:: Dining Area – I can’t remember when I last sanitized the floor. The chairs also need a good wipedown.
:: Food Prep Area – I need to sanitize and organize the counter I use to prep meals.
:: Pantry – Need to re-organize and toss out any expired foods. Also need to create an inventory and shopping list.
:: Storage – I haven’t seen our kitchen storage in a quick one, so I might as well do it now.
:: Under the sink – I also haven’t really re-organized or taken inventory of what we already have. I can possibly toss a lot of the things in there and make space for items I really use.
:: Fridge – It needs a good wiping down and a new systematic way of storying foor. Perhaps make an inventory of what’s in there?
:: Command Center – our Command Center is located in the Kitchen. Right now it’s fully of coupons and notes that I totally ignore. Needs a good clean up.
:: Meal Plan – Obviously, it’s part of our Kitchen’s life. I haven’t been planning any meals and I find myself stressing when I really don’t need to.
:: Top of the fridge – I’ve tried to organize this place a few times, and I need to do it again. It’s been the dumping grounds of homeless Kitchen Items.
:: Windows – Our window and sliding door needs a good clean up. I’m not sure if I can tackle this in the week, but it wouldn’t hurt to try.
:: Floors – It’s also been a while since we deep moped the floors. With our dog and daughter always on the floor, this should be regularly done but often taken for granted.

That’s 12 major tasks that I need to complete in my Spring Cleaning Challenge. I think I can do it as long as I pair up bigger and smaller tasks together.

Wish me luck!!