You ever get frustrated trying to make a meal at home because you cannot find the ingredients you need, have to dig through all your pots and pans to find the right one or have to contort your arm to reach the mayo in the fridge, and then discover you have no counter space? An organized kitchen would make life so much easier, but it seems so daunting and expensive. Check out these cheap ways to organize your kitchen and keep you sane:

Part 1. Declutter Your Kitchen

Clear Your Countertops

Unfortunately, most people don’t have enough counter space in their kitchens or don’t have counters where they want them. One handy hack is to place small appliances you use infrequently away. Only make toast on Saturday mornings? See if you can move your toaster to a cupboard below the counter. Or, if you don’t have the cupboard space, consider going vertical with a space-saving shelf for your microwave and other small appliances. 

Clean Out Your Fridge

Take everything out of your fridge and throw away any outdated food. Yes, you need to remove the jam you received as a gift last Christmas or the container of leftover Chinese food you forgot you ordered a couple of weeks ago. Clean all the shelves and scrub away any bits of food or liquids. When you replace everything in the fridge, designate items to specific shelves or drawers. To prevent mishaps, like jars toppling over, grouping like items together in containers. Do something similar to your freezer and pantry (see below).

Conquer Your Cabinets

Unlike the dryer that seems to lose socks, kitchen cabinets seem to spawn container lids. Go through your cabinets and match containers to tops. Get rid of any that no longer have a match. Also, chuck any container that is cracked or melted, or discolored. After you thinned out your inventory, if you find you need more, replace the old ones with BPA-free storage containers.

Donate Duplicates

Get rid of duplicate appliances — ones that do the same thing. We had a toaster and a toaster oven and eventually gave away the toaster. If you happen to have a Ninja Mega Kitchen System, then perhaps you don’t need that food processor, too. You probably favor one over the other anyhow, so why not donate to Goodwill or another local thrift store? You’ll be happy to have less clutter, and you’ll be able to bless someone else.

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Part 2. Organize Your Pantry

Your pantry can become a jumble of everything from sugar to canned goods to cookies and chips. Like you did with the fridge, take everything out. Wash the shelves. Toss the expired food. Donate canned food that you’ll never use (if still good). And to make sure you keep track of your canned goods, you might want to add a stackable can rack organizer so you can easily see what you’ve got.

Even if you don’t have a large pantry, you can divide it into sections. For example, create a baking section, snacks section, spice section — you get the picture. You can simplify this process when you add wire baskets or stackable storage containers. We’re sure whoever coined the phrase, “A place for everything and everything in its place,” was talking about the kitchen pantry!

Think About Efficiency

We’ve watched cooking shows where an assistant prepared everything the chef needed ahead of time, and all the chefs had to do was toss everything together. While having our very own sous chef would be awesome, it’s not going to happen. The next best thing is to set up your kitchen in the most efficient way possible. 

If you desire an efficient kitchen, then it means spices and oils near the stove as well as pots and pans within reach. Keep cooking utensils in a nearby drawer or, if you like, sitting on top of your counter (but in an organized fashion).

We’ve found a few things to organize your kitchen better that won’t break the bank:

  • Lazy Susan — These are genius devices that let you see what you have in your pantry with just a spin.
  • Under the Sink Stackable Shelf — You’ll be able to keep your cabinet space under the sink organized with this shelf that includes a pull-out basket for easy access — no more straining your back just to see what you have in the back of the cabinet!
  • Utensil Holder — Make cooking a breeze by keeping your utensils close at hand. Plus, it’ll keep you from having to dig through tons of other gadgets when all you want is a spatula.
  • Spice Cabinet Tiered Shelf — Can’t find the cinnamon because it is hiding behind the garlic? Well, a tiered shelf helps solve this problem because you will be able to see everything. If you really want to be organized, take it to the next level and put them in alphabetical order!
  • Fridge Space Saver Drawer — These adorable little drawers are perfect for smaller items, and they open up space you may never have considered an option. 
  • Drawer Organizer — With the interlocking feature and the variable sizes of this drawer organizer system, you’ve got options on exactly how to organize your drawer. 
  • Kitchen Wrap Organizer — Who doesn’t have plastic wrap, aluminum foil, parchment paper, and storage bags of all sizes? With an organizer like this that you can mount on a cabinet door or wall, you’ll now have them all together and at your fingertips without taking up valuable drawer space, to boot!
  • Collapsible Measuring Cups and Spoons — These measuring cups and spoons are not only made of collapsible silicone, which allows them to take up much less space in your kitchen drawer, but you can clearly see the sizes on each of them. That means no fear of the measurement washing away over time. We’ve had that happen, and believe me when I say it’s not good. 
  • Misto Oil Sprayer — By using an oil sprayer/mister like Misto, you never have to worry about running out of nonstick spray or having to store two of them in the cabinet (and creating unnecessary clutter) because one is almost out. Plus, you fill them with the healthy oils you already have in your pantry. Not only are they cute, but they are also more beneficial for you, can reduce clutter, and you save money!

Part 3. Shop with Capital One Shopping

When you shop online, it can be frustrating trying to find the best deals. Who wants to pay more than they have to? It can be aggravating to do all the research before you checkout online, only to discover another site had the same item cheaper. This is why my husband always shops with Capital One Shopping.

Capital One Shopping offers a browser extension that activates when you shop at online retailers. It alerts you to any discounts, active promo codes or coupons, and you also earn loyalty points (LP can be redeemed for free gift cards to Amazon, Walmart.com, and thousands of other online retailers). He recently took advantage of a 15% Loyalty Point offer and a $10 off offer. Those two deals amounted to an extra $25 in the checking account.

If you shop Amazon, Capital One Shopping is a must. Get the browser and check it out for yourself. Capital One Shopping scours the internet to search for lower prices to help you save a lot of money.

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