52 Places In 52 Weeks: Organizing Your Dishes
The one thing in our home that always seems to pile up is our dishes. We do not have a dishwasher and to be honest, I am perfectly fine with that (most of the time). I feel that house chores are a time to complete projects together with other family members, while also teaching responsibility. Though then the inevitable thought occurs: where did all of these come from?
You may have a dishwasher and you may not. Whatever your source is for washing them, you know they can cause clutter.
In fact, you might have to spend the next how many minutes, trying to fit them back where they belong.
What if you didn’t even have to worry about that?
Getting rid of unused and unnecessary dishes is just another step in living an organized life with less.
Here are a few questions to think about:
1. How many people are in your home? Make sure you have enough dishes for all, but just a FEW extra for guests.
2. What is the max number of guests you have had over? Keep the average amount.
3. Are any of your dishes chipped, broken, or stained (beyond repair?)
4. Are you embarrassed with any of the dishes you own? If you don’t dare to use them with guests, is there really any reason to keep them for yourself?
5. If you have dishes that you rarely use, pack them in a box and if you don’t use them in 6 months to a year, get rid of them: donate or recycle them.
Now it’s time to ORGANIZE them:
3. Ask:
- Do I use it? When was the last time?
- Do I have a duplicate?
- Do I have something else that will work?
- What is it’s purpose?
- It is worn out? (peeling, scratched, etc.)
- Is it deformed?
- Do I have a lid to correspond with the pot?
- Does it need to be fixed?
4. Donate the duplicates and those you no longer need
5. Store the pots and pans that you only use on occasion in another spot, if space is tight (such as large casserole dishes or large cooking pots).
6. Organize! You can organize by type of use – baking pans together, bowls together, and so forth. Find the best way that works for you, maximizing the space you have. You can also use a wire rack or hang them, if that works easiest for you.
7. Do not stack too high – one of the biggest hassles with pots and pans is stacking them so deep that they are a pain when you have to use the middle pan. Avoid burying your pots!
8. It may take a few tries to get the result you are happy with. The biggest thing is to not keep pots and pans for when you “might” use them someday – you probably won’t.
I used to have multiples of the same size pot and pan. I realized how much space they were taking up and I rarely used them both at the same time. What I do have is another pan that I can use just as easily – may be a little smaller or bigger, but it works. Living with less doesn’t mean just making do, but making the most out of what you have.
