From the looks of our IG squares it may look like we’re all organized and run a pretty tight ship around here…but um…that’s a hard no! We’ve definitely got our problem areas – our garage for one as always been a disaster (see below), but last year we prioritized organization just about everywhere in our home and even the garage is looking pretty great these days! More on our organizational efforts in the garage to come later this year…
We’ve got our fair share of chaos corners just like everyone else (I named the one below our “crap corner”) and those who know me also know that even if it looks perfect on the outside, it’s probably a giant mess on the inside, ha! I hate the visual clutter so much that I tend to stash things behind closed storage just so it’s not staring me in the face. As long as it’s hidden behind a cabinet or door, I don’t really care what the inside looks or functions like and that’s just sorta how it’s been around here for the most part until last year when we were forced to spend a ton of time at home because of a world wide pandemic.
I used the extra time at home to go through a lot of our high traffic cabinets and closets and finally put some organizational systems in place that’ll hopefully keep us organized for the long haul.
I know organization is top of mind for a lot of us this time of year so I’m sharing all the systems and how we implemented them that have helped me reach my organizational goals over the last few months.
IN THE KITCHEN
I gave the refrigerator a good scrub down and simultaneously re-organized it too. When quarantine started, snacking went up ten fold and I found that my assistance was repeatedly being requested to grab snacks for a certain cute toddler that lives here. In an effort to make grabbing a snack easier for her, I rearranged the refrigerator and filled the bottom pull out drawer with snacks just for her. Mom assistance is now no longer required and the refrigerator is way more functional too!
We use a variety of these clear bins to corral things like yogurt, fruit pouches, cheese, and jarred condiments plus these fluted bowls in the lower pull out drawer are filled with washed produce. This one small change has seriously increased how much fruit my family eats. If it’s washed, ready, and prepared, they’re all more likely to grab for it. Myself included.
These glass containers are the only ones I’ll ever use for storing leftovers and I always use a tray like this to hold the meat for whatever meals we’re having that week. That way there’s no cross contamination to worry about.
One thing I would change is our egg holder. I make a rookie mistake and bought this one (it only holds 12 eggs) which means if you’re down to 2 eggs, purchase another dozen at the store, you’re already over capacity on the one I have. In hindsight, I’d totally purchase this one instead. You should too.
Our pantry was another unorganized mess that had to be dealt with. I’m so embarrassed I ever let it get this bad, but here’s photo evidence that I did. Yikes!
I used a combination of these white totes and glass jars (both from Ikea) to really pimp out the pantry. All our dry goods got decanted into the glass jars, were labeled, and given cute, but functional, little scoops. These clear can organizers, can stack which is such a space saver in our already maxed out pantry plus they hold a ton of canned goods. Everything else was categorized and now lives in the white totes which we labeled accordingly.
IN THE BEDROOMS
I shared all about this project in this post here but getting Emie’s closet organized and in tip top shape has made toy clean-up so much easier these days!
Separating out her toys and storing them in these lidded bins (similar) by category was a total game changer. Our categories include: dollhouse, magnets, figurines, and play make-up just to name a few.
I took photos of what was stored inside each bin and used the photos to label. Since she is still too young to read, photo labels enables her to quickly recognize not only what’s inside, but what should go back in the bin when playtime is over. Doing this has made clean-up after playtime so much easier as a result.
A few other powerhouse organizational items in this space that I love include the zip pouches (top of the 1st photo) for storing puzzles or board games and the lidded sea grass baskets (bottom of 2nd photo) hold stuffed animals and dress-up clothes!
In our room, I have a rather small wardrobe which works well for our super small closets but when space is limited, every inch counts. Combine with the fact that we don’t have a coat closet or a linen closet, so our personal closets also have to double as storage for items typically stored in those spaces: bedding, hats, coats, purses, and such.
The velvet hangers maximize storage space for clothing and I used these storage cubes and these felt bins in both our closets to hold things that I don’t reach for often like swimsuits, snow gear (we live in CA), maternity clothing, and baseball hats. They’re in reach and easily accessible whenever we occasionally need something from them.
Despite all the organizational projects we tackled last year there’s still a few outstanding projects that I’m looking forward to check off in 2021. More specifically…
The soon to be closet desk:
And the garage:
Are you tackling any organizational projects this year? I know that for us specifically, getting the house organized and working to its fullest capacity is at the forefront of my mind this year, especially before baby comes in May!