Use Pull Out Cabinet Shelves to Maximize Storage
April 21, 2017
With modern kitchen gadgets, appliances, and other cooking essentials, space comes at a premium in any household kitchen. Even if you have a huge and fully renovated kitchen, are you using your deep cabinets to their full potential? Or do you lose items in the back of your cupboard for so long you forget you have them in the first place?
Maximize the storage potential in your lower kitchen cabinets with the use of sliding cabinet shelves and drawers. This allows you to pull the entire contents of your kitchen cupboard out so you access the items stored inside, and it slides smoothly back in place to keep the stored items effectively organized yet stowed away.
The easy-glider pull-out drawers come with ball-bearing full-extension slides and mounting hardware so you can install them to the bottom of the cabinet. Widths are available from 8 to 34 inches to fit perfectly in any cabinet space, and the raised sides help keep stored supplies in place. The soft-close hardware ensures the wooden drawer slides smoothly back into the cabinet without making a noise. These drawers come with a protective clear finish, but you can stain or paint them in order to match your current kitchen cabinets.
As an alternative to wooden shelves, you can add wire shelves to the inside of your cabinet to provide a more functional layout. Two-tier designs are available in order to take advantage of the vertical space in your cupboard as well as the depth. Some of the two tier designs are easily adjustable in order to customize the storage system in the kitchen cabinet. For example, u-shaped designed baskets avoid built-in pipes in order to work underneath the kitchen or bathroom sink.
Adding more cabinets to your kitchen is not always an option, but by maximizing the storage space you already have you can keep all of your supplies effectively stored.
Pantry Organizing – 9 Must-Have Products
April 17, 2017
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Pantry Organizing – 9 Must-Have Products for a Fabulous Kitchen
Pantry organizing makes for a more efficient kitchen so that cooking, food prep, and making lunches is convenient, fast and easy. Cupboards and shelves are great, but food cans and boxes always seem to wind up toppled or are difficult to find. Multiple-tiered organizers, food storage bins, and other pantry accessories are lifesavers when it comes to organizing your food. Here are some of my personal favorites.
1. Under-shelf Basket
Add instant storage space beneath shelves that are up to one-inches thick. The under-shelf basket is made of sturdy steel mesh and has an open front for convenient access. Measuring 5 H x 14.5 W inches, it stores food items, cups, plastic bags and other items, while utilizing space that often goes unused.
2. Spice Rack
Clean and white, this spice rack holds up to 24 full-sized or 48 half-sized spice bottles in three convenient pullout drawers. Use it for round or square bottles and enjoy the bonus 48 spice labels.
3. Three-tiered Wire Shelf Organizer
Make spices and other kitchen essentials more accessible with a tiered organizer. It’s 12 W x 10 D inches and chrome-covered for handsome looks and a long life.
4. Chrome Lazy Susan
Add 360 degrees of accessible storage to your pantry, cupboard, fridge – or anywhere you need some convenient, two-tiered storage. This handsome Lazy Susan measures 10.5 inches in circumference with 5.25-inches of bottom vertical space for spices, Jell-O, condiments and other food items.
5. Canned Food Rack
Canned food can hog your cupboard space in a hurry, but this can rack maximizes space while providing quick, convenient access to canned goods. Six shelves give you mega storage for all of your canned staples.
6. Food Wrap Holder
Keep your wraps under wraps and reduce drawer sprawl with this handy, inexpensive wire food wrap holder.
7. Pantry Organizer
This plastic storage bin includes a convenient handle and only costs $2.99. What’s not to like?
8. Oval Canisters
Made of food-safe glass with airtight seals and metal clasps, these food storage jars come in three sizes and preserve your grains, cereal, pasta while adding eye-pleasing interest to your pantry. The oval design takes up less lateral space on your shelves. They also look great on an open shelf or countertop.
9. Pantry Storage Bin – Clear Plastic
8 x 8 inches of storage in a clear plastic body means you can see your stored food items – plus you can grab them using the built-in carrying handles. This compact storage bin is perfect for lunch accessories and keeps little food items from toppling on the shelves of your pantry or kitchen cabinet.
*freedomRail pantry organizing photo courtesy of Organized Living.
4 Easy Steps to Prepare for Tax Season
March 31, 2017
Tax season is upon us, and most of us have been digging through piles of paperwork to find everything needed to file the annual tax return. Whether you’ve already filed or waiting to the last minute, it’s never too later to think of next year.
We’ll leave filing taxes to the professionals, but when it comes to organizing your various documents you’ve come to the right place. Keeping an extensive filing system is necessary when it comes to sorting your bills, keeping track of important policy information, and keeping extensive insurance records.
The first step to getting organized is gathering all the necessary supplies.
For this project you will need:
1. A large file cabinet
2. Hanging file folders
3. Manila file folders
3. Labels
4. Pen or marker
Step 1. Label your hanging file folders for main categories such as automobile, healthcare, and banking information. An example of top level categories is listed below to get you started.
Top Level Categories:
1. Auto
2. Banking
3. Bills or Loans
4. Healthcare
5. Housing
6. Insurance
7. Legal
8. Retirement
9. Valuables
Step 2. Label the manila file folders for subsequent categories. For example: if you have accounts to 3 different banks you will want a separate file folder for each bank
Step 3. Spread your sub-category file folders on the floor or dining room table and slowly start filing the relevant paperwork into the proper file folder. This may take some time depending on the stack of papers that need to be organized.
Step 4. Once you have all your paperwork neatly sorted into the correct folder, place your file folders into the top category hanging files and store within you new filing cabinet.
To discourage hoarding documents for too long, files should be pruned once per year.
How long to keep records:
Tax records: 7 years
Credit card receipts: 4 years
House documents: forever
Important Documents:
Please remember that some documents should be stored in a fireproof safe or safety deposit box for safekeeping. Examples of these documents are below.
- Legal documents
- Birth certificates
- Marriage certificates
- Automobiles titles
- Property deeds
- Financial investments
- Copies of drivers licence
Sorting massive amounts of paperwork is a daunting prospect, but with a solid plan, the correct supplies, and some good tunes, you can create a well-organized filing system in an afternoon. You’ll thank us in the event of an IRS audit!