Finishing up my January new year clean out.  Although I purge throughout the year, January is a great month to tackle a few projects.  I shared two stories previous to this post here on cleaning and here on recycling and re-purposing.  This post is about organization — specifically my three favorite products for keeping supplies organized.

First, I took advantage of the Container Store Elfa sale and got a gift wrap cart. I went through all my ribbons, bags and wrapping paper and did a major purge. Sometimes this takes two go-arounds since at first you think “I sorta like it, I might use it” then you have to do a good stern talking to yourself with “be serious, you will not use that because you haven’t in three years.”

It comes with five drawers which I designated for big bags, medium to small bags, tissue paper, gift tags and ribbon.  The side compartment holds rolls of paper.  I’ve got plenty of room to grow into the cart.  Any bigger and I would feel like I had to fill it up.  What I like about the cart is I can move it from the closet to my work space, plus since I can see it I am less likely to buy unnecessarily.   I can see several other great uses for this like scrap booking, stationary, crafting, etc…  A really good investment.

Second, I love Container Store multi-purpose bins.  I have them all over the house. Recently, I went through my pantry again and reorganized and decided to use these bins to store my canned goods.  I had been using the stacking stair for my canned goods, but I could never see what I had or glass jars were perilously sitting on the edge of disaster.

shelf of peril before

after

This system makes me only purchase what I need.  If the bin is overflowing, I have too many items.  I can easily pull out the bin, place it on the counter and return it.  I can also stick a note on the bin when I am doing an inventory for grocery shopping.  The chalkboard labels are from Michael’s and peel off.

My third favorite — glass jars.  I use them for dry goods.  Again, it helps me to see how much I have on-hand and makes it easier for me to prepare my shopping list.  The larger jars for staples like flour and sugar are from the Container Store.  But on a recent visit to Ikea, I found this smaller jar perfect for things like raisins, rice, popcorn and bread crumbs.  Super affordable at $2.99 a jar.

I use turntables in the corners of the pantry for things like syrup, sauces and vinegars.  Next to the dog food, I have the small bin with pet meds, their shot records and copies of dog food labels so when we have a petsitter it’s all handy for her to access.   I have a few empty jars for staples I may add to the pantry for later.

So, that’s a wrap.  I hope these “Easy Three” were helpful.  Be sure to share if you tried any of these tips, or have your own to share.