Skip to main content

Frugal Organizing Ideas-Kitchen

My pantry is driving me CRAZY!! We have a tiny tiny kitchen, it could be much smaller I suppose but compared to our last kitchen its about 1/4 of the size. There has been a lot of adjustments regarding our belongings in this home, that is for sure!

I have been trying to find one of these wire shelves at the thrift store for about 6 months. I have found a couple, but none that were under $1, which is my budget.
Brand new ones run from $3 to 20. This one from the container store is $7.99


While these are gorgeous, that is just not possible. So I turned to what I had lying around my home. I had a few of these.
Drawer organizers. The larger one came in a package of 2 for $1. The smaller one came in a package of 3 for a $1. Why couldn't these work?


I just turned them upside down and stacked them.

When I stacked the cans the top container slid backwards but it works better this way!

Now after this I was on a roll! I walked back through the house looking for something else to stack my spiceson. I only had the 2 I used for the cans extra. I came across a candle I had filled but is mostly gone. Why couldn't I use that? It would have ended up in the garbage otherwise.


I put it against the back wall of the cupboard. Flipped it upside down and stacked up my spices.

If you look closely right in front of the upside down candle is a lip in the cupboard. Another reason why this solution was so challenging.

One more tip I really live by is grouping like items. The 2 green baskets on the bottom left of my cabinet are my most used spices. The one on the far left is my "Baking Basket".

It includes:
  • Baking soda
  • Baking powder
  • Sprinkles
  • Vanilla extract
  • etc.
The one on the right is my spices.

It includes:
  • Oregano
  • Parsley
  • Sage
  • Thyme
  • Etc.
That way when I'm baking I can bring all my supplies right to my work area. It works very well!

Frugal Farmhouse

Labels

Labels:

Comments

  1. Mrs.CFH2March 3, 2010 at 3:46 PM

    Haha! I did that exact thing! I'm not joking. I was laid off, stressing about money and cleaning like crazy to pass the time. I'm really not kidding when I say I went through that same process, came up with those same white trays laying around and flipped them over. I promise! I posted about it, but not in quite enough detail to completely prove it...I guess I just need you to trust me and laugh with me! Way to find a frugal solution! http://myhappycasa.blogspot.com/2009/02/organizing-food-cupboards.html

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownMarch 3, 2010 at 5:17 PM

    Oh my goodness! How funny! Unemployed minds must think a like!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mrs. B, a very peculiar personMarch 8, 2010 at 8:51 PM

    I am lovin' your frugal tips and ideas ... Mrs.B

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownMarch 9, 2010 at 12:01 AM

    Thank you Mrs. B, I'm glad you like them!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Diary From AfricaMarch 19, 2010 at 12:53 PM

    Such great tips here, & I love the way you made your 'substitute' shelves - very clever !

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why are you frugal?

Frugality has always been in my life. I spent my summers as a child with my grandma in a very very small town about 150 miles away from where I lived the rest of the year. My grandpa is/was a farmer, had cows, and a diesel mechanic. My grandma was a farmer’s wife. I learned how to garden, sew, cook, move pipe, change oil, and learned how to drive on a tractor. At home during the school year none of these tasks were put to use. We lived in a suburb of a city with nearly 50,000 people, we didn’t have a garden, we had a dishwasher, etc. So at the end of the school year I was ecstatic to get to go my grandma’s house! I loved being there; I loved the fruits of my labor there. I felt as though I had a purpose. Fast forward to 5 years ago. I graduated high school, moved to Phoenix, got into a heap of money issues, wanted everything in sight, forgot everything my grandma ever taught me and then I moved back to Idaho. About a year and a half later I came to the realization that something had to...
16 comments
Read more

Brown Sugar Meatloaf

Really? Meatloaf? Actually this is really good! We usually have it a few times a month. Super easy too! 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup ketchup 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef {I use 1 pound} 3/4 cup milk 2 eggs {I only use 1 egg} 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 small onion, chopped 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 3/4 cup finely crushed saltine cracker crumbs {I usually use pretzels, I never seem to buy saltines} Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 5x9 inch loaf pan. 2. Press the brown sugar in the bottom of the prepared loaf pan and spread the ketchup over the sugar. 3. In a mixing bowl, mix thoroughly all remaining ingredients and shape into a loaf. Place on top of the ketchup. 4. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until juices are clear. {source} What's for Dinner tonight in your house?
25 comments
Read more

Homemade Laundry Soap

Give it a Whirl Thursday will be a weekly column documenting triumphs and failures of frugal projects (yes, I realize this is blurry, I apologize.) Ingredients: 1 bar of soap (I used Zote) $1 1/2 c borax $.18 1/2 c washing soda $.21 2 gallons water Grate your soap. I used Zote and was very excited I found it at Family dollar!! Add 6 cups hot water into your pan, slowly add in your soap shavings. Once all the soap is melted add the borax and the washing soda. Stir until dissolved. Remove from heat and pour into large bucket. Add 4 cups hot water, stir until blended. add 1 gallon + 6 cups cold water to your bucket and mix well. Set aside and let sit for 24 hours. Its chunky and gel like. This is normal. Use 1/2 cup per load. Total for batch of soap $1.39 Which made 2 gallons of soap. 2 gallons=32 cups or 64 loads $.02 per load! Linking to
10 comments
Read more