I’m not very organized. I have too much stuff. I don’t have enough storage space but the truth is, there isn’t enough storage space for me because if I had a gymnasium, I’d fill it up and then I’d need more. When I’ve had a big kitchen, I did better with keeping things organized but nowadays, it seems if I have a jar of jelly and can find a spot in the pots and pans drawer, the jelly goes in there. There are aspirins in with the canned goods, potato chips in with the baking goods; a blender in the cabinet with the canned milk. I’m not blaming Vince but he’s as big of a mess maker as I am. If he gets the whisk out of the drawer where the kitchen gadgets are, I’ll say “Put that back where you found it please.” Yes! I’ll do that. I always do. “NO! You do not.” Later I’ll be looking for the whisk and I’ll say “Where’s the whisk” and he’ll say “I put it behind the jars on the top shelf of the glasses.” Huh? Why there?” He will usually say “So I know where it is.” But I will use it 20 times before he will use it once.
One time I went to MO and came back and could not find my hand grater. I put it in the drawer with the knives. It’s sharp. Sharp things stay together. He swore never used the grater. Never touched it. “It has to be where you left it.” About three weeks later, I went to use my big mixer and there were all kinds of small gadgets in the mixer bowl. I asked if he had put all that stuff in there. “Oh, I did! I unloaded the dishwasher when you left and I didn’t know where all that stuff was supposed to go.”
But, I promise . . most of my lost items are because of my total lack of organization and having too much stuff.
I’ve been trying to clean one cabinet per day. Take everything out, put like things together in cabinets. Everything else goes in a big box and once I get the cabinets somewhat organized, I can go back and put the “lost” things with their like items.
Yesterday was the “baking” cabinet. There’s wheat – mostly small bags of specialty wheat. There’s rye, Kamut, Einkorn, Teff, pumpernickel — any kind of wheat I might want, there’s a little bit in that cabinet. There was a rolling pin in there, which technically was ok to be in there but I have a different drawer for my rolling pins. There’s a small plastic container with all the extracts/flavors I don’t use often. But this . . though in the right cabinet . . why do I have this?
It’s 12 bags of high fat cocoa. It says “strong, dark chocolate flavor”. I do not like chocolate. Why did I buy that? I haven’t bought from that company for years? Why did I buy 12 bags? I checked online and now they sell it in a 3.2 oz. bag for $7.29. A bit of math tells me that it would take 15 of those bags to equal 12 of the 4 oz. bags I have so that’s a little over $100 in coco – strong, dark chocolate flavor . . that I wouldn’t even like. I don’t remember buying it. I just can’t imagine.
I said to Vince “Why on earth did I buy 12 bags of dark cocoa powder?” He said “Why on earth did you buy a million skeins of yarn?”
I was able to squeeze three bags of cocoa into a quart jar so nine bags are now in 3 quart jars, vacuum sealed and ready to last a lifetime. I told Chad “Do not buy cocoa powder! I’ll bring you three bags when I come and you can also have a jar if you want it.”
Just so you’re not trying to figure it out, I vacuum sealed some oatmeal too while I was vacuum sealing jars.
One thing for sure – every day around here is an adventure.
Ruth says
Dana White, author of How to Manage your House Without Losing Your Mind, talks about “container limits.” It’s having a bookshelf full of books and also having stacks of books around the room. Her advice: to accept the limits of the book “container,” the bookshelf, and set a goal to only have books IN/ON the bookshelf. Then you go through your books and choose the ones you most want to keep and put them on the bookshelf. Whatever doesn’t fit, goes out the front door, to Goodwill etc. The container sets the limits on what you keep.
She is such a funny author, and her ideas work too.
She says that you can, of course, buy more containers, but eventually the walls of your home, the container of your life, will be filled and you will still be buying more stuff and lamenting that you “don’t have enough storage space.” Because you haven’t accepted that enough is enough, and that you won’t ever use/touch all your stored belongings in your own lifetime.
Judy Laquidara says
I agree with the limits and we’re both past the limit of what we can use in our lifetime. That’s one of the reasons I like staying home. For the most part, the only thing I order is yarn, and I’ve pretty much stopped that, but going out and shopping, way too much comes home with us. Maybe with staying in and being secluded, we’ll both learn that staying home and not going out and buying stuff we don’t need is good for so many reasons.
Lee says
After nearly 24 yrs for, pushing 30 for my hub & 21 for our son, of living in this same house, our limits of stuff have been reached too. We tend more to just not get rid of anything. I’m sure I still have shirts in my closet from before we were married…same with hubby. I wouldn’t be surprised if we even had some of the same dust :O . The story of how you & Vince “relocate” kitchen stuff, sounds SO very familiar. I’ll go on vacation alone every summer to see family, be gone 3 – 4 weeks, come back and can’t find anything but an even dirtier house!
I always enjoy your blog content and am glad you’re here to brighten our day.
Elaine/MuddlingThrough says
Oh, Judy, you always make e smile. I can so identify!
Liz says
I can also relate about having a bunch of stuff. Since I got a postcard from a local charity, I have a deadline of March 31st to go through some closets and gather up some stuff for the pick-up truck. At least I hope they are still going to pick stuff up.
Since I bought some flour & sugar, I am also moving them to my glass jars to vacuum seal them. My favorite bread recipe uses 6.5 cups of flour, so I measure out that amount so it is easier to make the recipe.
Everyone stay healthy!
Judy Laquidara says
Good idea to put the amount needed in each jar! I use a variety of recipes so I just cram as much flour as I can into each jar and go from there.
LK Smith says
I have never used a vacuum sealer. I am currently looking at them, considering purchasing one. Do you have any suggestions for me as to what features to look for or a particular brand that has help up well? Thanks!
Judy Laquidara says
We usually get Food Saver. Don’t buy the most expensive one. Even with their better ones, we replace ours at least once a year but we use them a lot.
LK Smith says
Thank you for the good advice.
Susan Nixon says
Add enough sugar to it, and it isn’t dark chocolate any more!