In an effort to get our house so organized that my devoted husband will know exactly where to find stuff, I decided to take ‘nesting’ to the next level.

Operation ‘De-clutter’ had begun. Starting with the room that pretty much contains the most tools and daily ingredients – the kitchen.

Kitchen cabinets can become cluttered easily, making it impossible to find what you need when you need it. I believe an organized kitchen can simplify your life. And it looks pretty.

First, remove everything from all of your cabinets. Spread the items out on the counters and a table, if necessary. If you see anything that you simply never use or items that are so old that you could sell them on eBay as antiques, donate (not the stuff past expiration date, of course) or trash them. Also, since your cabinets are now empty, this would be a great time to give them a thorough cleaning. Just sayin’.

Next, separate the items you use frequently from the items that you do not use very often. For me, that means baking supplies go to the top shelf (I am really not into baking).

Of course, having a few practical shelf organizers handy is critical to accomplish your mission. I went to Bed, Bath and Beyond for the following items:

Under Sink Organizer, $15

Medium Cabinet Shelf, $5

10″ Cabinet Organizer, $6

Non-Skid Turntable, $8

The black boxes are photo storage bins from Target ($5 each).

After: Items are easy to reach. And it looks neat.

Spice rack.

Breakfast items on a turntable make it easy to reach even the jars in the back.

Last, separate the frequently used items into groups: pots and pans, mixing bowls, dinnerware, serving pieces, etc. Put these items away in the most logical location depending upon their use:

• Place pots and pans in a cabinet near the stove.
• Place dinnerware in a cabinet near the table or entrance to the dining room.

You get the idea. Remember to put heavier items in lower cabinets or on the lowest shelf of upper cabinets. The key is to make the most efficient use of your kitchen storage.

Now, that we got the organization down, I can move on to beautifying my kitchen: a vintage wall clock, a few cute prints and a very few (!) pretty, colorful items to keep on the countertop. On that note, I have rearranged my countertop items to make room for this lovely sunshine yellow breadbox (found at Target but no longer available).

Breadbox from Target.

Vintage-looking wall clock from Target.

Off to the next room/space in our house – the linen closet. Stay tuned for part two of project ‘De-clutter’.