Organizing Revolution Challenge 2: The Kitchen

Challenge 2 for the Organizing Revolution is the kitchen.  I don't feel like there are a lot of big problems with the kitchen, but there are a few little things that need tweaking.  Here's something that has been working well for us though: Our weekly menu plan is on the marker board on the fridge, and the markers are in the pocket below.  I just cut it off of an old pair of jeans and added a few magnets. 

Under the sink, where all the cleaners are stored, is just kind of a mass of bottles.  Here's before...

And after.

Honestly, not much changed.  I got rid of a few bottles of old cleaners that we don't use, and moved the bathroom cleaner to the bathroom.  The rest just got straightened out.  I'd love to do some fancy shelves, or some sort of dividers or drawers, but I also don't want to spend money on those things, so neatly arranged bottles will work fine for now.  Maybe I need to look to Pinterest for some more inspiration for under here.

I promise, my kitchen organizing gets more exciting from here.  At least, I was excited.

The next problem spot was my utensil drawer.  It was just a mass of stuff, some used, and some buried.  The grocery bag was holding my cookie cutters, but there's obviously a better way.  Here's the lovely before shot:

And after shots!  I grabbed several utensils that I haven't used and added them to my donate pile.  My hand mixer may end up being donated or sold as well, since I got a KitchenAid for Christmas, but I want to see if I actually still use it or not.  I'm guessing I won't.  On the top layer, I added two dollar store baskets that I already had on hand.  On the right is baking supplies, and on the left is miscellaneous/everyday items.

Underneath those, I put the cookie cutters in a holiday tin (much prettier than a plastic bag!) and I have my frosting tips and bags as well.  My husband wanted to keep the large grilling utensils even though we don't have a grill, although we do plan to get one once it's warmer out.  This stuff doesn't get used as often, so it's fine on the bottom layer.

And finally, here is our pantry shelf.  This is technically in the dining room, but it falls into the "kitchen" category to me.  It's kind of organized by type, but it's been getting crowded and messy lately, so I figured I could spruce it up a bit for this challenge too.  Here's a before and after:

The top shelf is still a little cluttered, but that is the only shelf that neither of the kids can reach, so that's where all the liquids and canisters and certain open things go.

This box full of stuff is the "Use it or lose it" box.  Some of it expires soon, and some just has little random bits left.  This is stuff I want to either use in the next month, or get rid of it, so I put it out in the open so I'll remember it when I'm planning our meals.

And here's all the expired food I found.  Oops!  In my defense, a lot of this was donations to the Seminary food bank, and not food that I've bought myself, but it's still been taking up space on my shelf.  Not any more!