Jenn at Frugal Upstate recently wrote about organization (see divide and conquer, parts 1 and 2)--an area of my life that is sadly lacking.
But after all the velveeta I used this weekend, I looked at those boxes in the recycle bin and was inspired.
So I organized my spice cabinet.
I didn't think to take a before picture, so you'll have to imagine my jumbled three entire shelves of nothing but bottles of spices. And ever time I looked for something, I'd practically empty the whole cabinet to find it.
- top shelf: since I need a step-ladder to reach anything but what's at the very front, I put all those bulk-bins in the rear. Salt, jumbo chili powder, taco seasoning, extra peppercorns, and italian seasoning blend. Then I placed my less frequently-used spices, such as my jerk seasoning blend. In front is my box containing those bag-packets of 5-spice powder, ground fenugreek, lavender and dill.
- middle shelf: the herbs and spices used fairly regularly are kept here in the new box-bottoms, like tarragon, saffron, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg.
- bottom shelf: the items I use weekly, like custom-blended (by me, of course) seasoning blends, italian spices and adobo.
My most frequently used herbs & spices (such as the one nutmeg in grinder, red pepper flake, and chili powder) were moved to the spice rack on the counter beside the stove, next to my bottles of olive oil and vinegars.
Maybe if I get really energetic I might cover those boxes with con-tact paper for eye-appeal and added durability. Until then, it works for me.
It may sound silly, but I have to say that I'm pretty proud of myself! It was exciting to take control of this one tiny but really disorganized area of my life.
