Sorting out kitchen

Queenie

Tip: (for those items you decide you *will* be throwing out)

~ Pans and casserole dishes can make great plant tubs in the garden.
~ woks or similar can be recycled as "baskets" when making hm foodie gift baskets
~ jars - don't throw them away! - now is marmalade season and summer will be jam season.
~ do let us know which charity shop you've taken them to so we can go have a rummage (one man's trash is another man's treasure )

It's really difficult to tell another person which items are essentials and which aren't. For example, I wouldn't be without my BM, but thriftlady would! (she prefers hand made). A GF wouldn't be of any use to me whatsoever, yet others wouldnt' be without theirs. An electric steamer to me is just another counter eater ... I much prefer my stovetop steamer.

Make a list of all the items you have; go through the list and ask yourself how often you have used them in the past 12mths and also, how often you *think* you will use them in the next 12mths. Put the one's you believe to be dispensable into a box and then put it in your loft/shed/whatever ... if by OS'ing you suddenly think "omg, I needed that afterall" it's still there and you haven't lost out. If, this time next year, you haven't touched that box of stuff ... charity shop/freecycle/boot fair them

vivw_2

[QUOTE=QueenieMake_a_list_of_all_the_items_you_have;_go_through_the_list_and_ask_yourself_how_often_you_have_used_them_in_the_past_12mths_and_also,_how_often_you_*think*_you_will_use_them_in_the_next_12mths.____Put_the_one's_you_believe_to_be_dispensable_into_a_box_and_then_put_it_in_your_loft/shed/whatever_..._if_by_OS'ing_you_suddenly_think_"omg,_I_needed_that_afterall"_it's_still_there_and_you_haven't_lost_out.____If,_this_time_next_year,_you_haven't_touched_that_box_of_stuff_..._charity_shop/freecycle/boot_fair_them_;)_:D[/QUOTE]


think thats brilliant advice....why didn't I think of that?

Flymouse

Queenie wrote:

Tip: (for those items you decide you *will* be throwing out)

~ Pans and casserole dishes can make great plant tubs in the garden.
~ woks or similar can be recycled as "baskets" when making hm foodie gift baskets
~ jars - don't throw them away! - now is marmalade season and summer will be jam season.
~ do let us know which charity shop you've taken them to so we can go have a rummage (one man's trash is another man's treasure )

It's really difficult to tell another person which items are essentials and which aren't. For example, I wouldn't be without my BM, but thriftlady would! (she prefers hand made). A GF wouldn't be of any use to me whatsoever, yet others wouldnt' be without theirs. An electric steamer to me is just another counter eater ... I much prefer my stovetop steamer.

Make a list of all the items you have; go through the list and ask yourself how often you have used them in the past 12mths and also, how often you *think* you will use them in the next 12mths. Put the one's you believe to be dispensable into a box and then put it in your loft/shed/whatever ... if by OS'ing you suddenly think "omg, I needed that afterall" it's still there and you haven't lost out. If, this time next year, you haven't touched that box of stuff ... charity shop/freecycle/boot fair them

Couldnt agree more Queenie! I've got several houseplants in old casserole dishes.
There are so many gadgets you can buy these days, just flick thru the kitchen section in the Argos catalogue -it's scary! I couldnt manage without my simple little electric jug blender for soups but I sold a super complicated kenwood chef with dozens of gadgets I knew I wouldnt need. Apart from the microwave & a coffee maker which i've had about 14 years I dont really have any gadgets. For steaming veg I just use one of those expanding metal sieve things to fit inside the pan. I HAVE thought about getting a breadmaker as so many people swear by them but I just dont have the room in my kitchen. I know these things are supposed to make life easier but a kitchen without any workspace certainly wouldnt - all these gadgets & gizmos have to be taken apart & cleaned & then reassembled after use. I would just say keep it simple & only keep/buy what you know you will use. If like me you dont like throwing stuff away like Queenie suggests try & utilise it in another way, or you could have a car boot if the stuff is decent. (I'm afraid my mother has old baking trays & saucepans about 30 yrs old at the back of her cupboards that can only be described as riffy - she doesn't know it yet but I've decided I'm going in there with my marigolds & a bin liner ...)

V.Lucky

Must be great minds think alike. Just after Christmas I sorted out all my cupboards sent odd glasses etc to the charity shop, sister had my George as we never used it, two woks and a large frying pan that was so heavy that I couldn't lift it one handed also went.

Wouldn't be without my steamer (used almost daily to cook food), slow cooker, stick blender and lovely new swivel potato peeler (under a quid) from Ikea!!!!!!!!!

vivw_2

I have a contact who works for the local women's refuge and they are always on the look out for household items....when I've finished sorting they will definitely go there.

When they resettle the women, they oftn have nothing so are grateful for any items

lizzyb1812

Viv - did exactly that the other weekend

Still decluttering and there will be more to freecycle, but am also thinning out stocks of glasses, plates, dishes, cups etc. These will definitely be needed to make up for breakages in the future but for now they are going into baskets on top of the kitchen cupboards to make the cupboards much less cluttered

lizzyb

blue-kat

I'd recommended some sort of rack to organise baking trays as they are big space eaters.

I've seen kitchen designs on tv with a gadget zone, some sort of vertical cupboard with roll top door and couple of power points. the idea being you roll up the door, select your elec gadget, plug in. saves rummaging in cupboards, they are to hand but easily put away.

I keep an elec can opener on the counter, it's so much easier. I had one before but gave it away to save space and regretted it bitterly, wasted £££ on manual tin openers I couldn't use. so don't be too ambitious about what you dispose of, maybe try doing without for few weeks 1st on trial basis?

sammy_kaye18

Id say my main things i use in my kitchen are (besides cooker)

slow cooker
george foreman
occassional microwave
small hand blender for soups

everything else for cake/pastry making i do by hand so i dont need hundreds of gadgets everywhere.

Plus toasties in the george froeman are lush - we did cheese and ham for son and bf and a cheese and onion one fo rme the other day and they were gorgeous!!

supposably you can do veg in them but ihavent tried that yet!!

tanith

My OH continually buys me gadgety type things for the kitchen that never get used , they stay in the boxes they came in.. his latest gift was a slicer, come, chopper, come every damn thing that has so many pieces to wash and sort through... he got it out the day it came and slice some lovely 'chips' but they were thin and he likes thick chips so it has stayed in the box since that day and soon when he forgets about it I will either give it to a family member or freecycle it:rotfl:

EDIT: for 3 wks now I have had to hold him back in Tesco from purchasing the half price vege steamer , as I am perfectly happy steaming my veggies in the microwave so really what is the point of buying another electrical gadget to do the same thing......

Queenie

Grab yourself a cuppa because you'll need a bit of time to go through this particular thread, but I'm pretty sure there were some storage ideas within it somewhere. Also, various ideas of how to use items for something other than their intended purpose - might be worth reading before you throw anything away or donate elsewhere

Double Duty