Four Ways to Declutter and Organize Your Kitchen for Good!

As much as I love cooking, I always have a difficult time cooking whenever I’m surrounded by stuff. I used to look around my kitchen and see piles of unopened mail, kids’ toys, food that’s been left out and who knows what else, and it would always make me want to hit the drive-thru instead.

Of course, that’s not very frugal! So instead, I decided it was time for some kitchen counter organization! And while I was at, I thought I’d show you how to organize kitchen cupboards as well. Just in case you had the same dilemma!

Want more of this?  This is the first in a series of Frugal Ways To Organize Your Home!  I also have started a Pinterest Board called How To Organize My Home.  I will be putting all of my posts on there as well as other things I find online that look interesting to me!  And readers who sign up for the Home Organization E-Mail List will receive bonus material!

Ready? Let’s get started! Here’s what you need to do to declutter and organize your kitchen for good.

1. Get Rid of Clutter

The more stuff you have in your kitchen, the more stuff that will be in your way. Go through and ruthlessly find things to eliminate. Stacks of mail, gone. School papers, gone. Laundry, gone. Kitchen appliances and dishes you rarely use, gone. Tupperware that doesn’t have matching lids anymore, gone. The more things you can get rid of, the better.

2. Buy What You Need

While I’m a huge fan of creating a stockpile, there’s a difference between intentionally buying several of a product that your family uses regularly when it’s on sale, and just amassing more and more foods and products because they are on sale or you don’t want to run out. Meal planning is a fantastic way of determining what you actually need to buy each week, so you don’t end up with kitchen cupboards full of whatever you happened to grab. Use up what you have, and then only buy what you will actually use from here on out.

3. A Place for Everything and Everything in It’s Place

This tip may be basic, but it’s my absolute favorite of all the kitchen cabinet organization tips. When you assign a place for everything, not only does that help ensure things get put away where they belong so you can find them again quickly, but it also helps to prevent other random things from taking up residence in that spot.

If you are wondering how to organize kitchen cupboards so everything fits, you probably have too much stuff or you aren’t storing it properly. Not all “kitchen stuff” needs to have a place in the kitchen. If you’ve got a huge stockpile and no place to put it, you might consider using a shelf in the basement, garage or linen closet instead. This will help free up additional space.

4. Get Creative with Storage Solutions

Of course, there is always the possibility that you won’t have much storage room in the rest of your house either. This is when you’ll have to get creative. Use cabinet end caps for storage. Use a spice organizer for cabinets.  Opt for a stove that has a drawer for pots and pans (most of my tupperware actually stays in that drawer). Choose bench seating or an island with storage. Place high shelves over the windows, or even in between the wall studs if someone in your house is handy enough. Get creative!

If you are ready to declutter and organize your kitchen once and for all, there is no time like the present. Which of these tips can you begin implementing today?