Friday, May 17, 2013

7 Days of Organizational Tips (Day 4)

 Day 4: Grab & Go

On day one we discussed "zones" well the refrigerator is a "zone" in my kitchen. I believe in 'the GRAB & GO' method. What is that you ask? Well some days we are in such a rush and we need something quick to eat and we grab a granola bar or a bag of chips. But in reality neither will fill you or satisfy your hunger. I have also found that I might buy items that are for a party or get together and when I go into the fridge to get that item it either magically disappeared or is half eaten because 'they didn't know' it wasn't for them to eat.

SOOOOO an intervention was needed on my fridge!


This is what it looked like:

Bad. I know!

Everything is jammed inside with no rhyme or reason! DRIVES ME CRAZY!


So lets begin! Clean out your entire fridge...I mean EVERYTHING!
I lay paper towel sheets down on each shelf. I find that this helps if there are any spills or messes. All I have to do is throw away the paper towel and place a new clean piece down. You can also use cling wrap or cabinet liner, depends all on what YOU want and what works for YOU!

Start to place items back in. My top shelf are all items that need to be the coldest. (Milk, creamer etc.) On the 2nd shelf is my yogurt and eggs.  First mini draw is where I keep shredded cheese and cans of rolls etc. Third shelf "snacks". Fourth shelf grated cheese, jarred garlic. First draw is fruit and 2nd draw is veggies. On the door: First shelf is wine, second is soda, third and fourth are condiments.
Lets go back to the "Grab & Go" method. This is a tip that I think is extremely valuable especially if you are like me and are always looking to stay in shape and eat healthy!

In my snack box is prepackaged snacks. After going grocery shopping I chop up all veggies and fruit and place them in the mini Ziploc bags. I also place string cheese and nuts *walnuts, almonds etc.* in the snack box as well. I love this tip because EVERYONE needs a quick "grab and go" snack and most of the time it is a bag of chips or cookies. So why not help yourself out and take an hour to prepackage items for you and your family?? Smart right?
Broccoli:


Peppers:


And of course LABEL the box. This will help you, the kids and the hubs know what they can touch and what not to take.


I was even thinking about labeling each shelf!


So now everyone knows where certain items go! Remember if you make it functional for yourself it will be easier to stick to being organized!

Homework:

1. Think about what would help you on an everyday basis. What do you continually repeat to your husband, wife or kids?
2. Once you figured that out set your timer for 30 minutes (Day 3) and conquer the problem. You need to make baby steps before mastering the key of organization. So start with everyday obstacles. Discuss with your family what changes you will be making and how this will help everyone be less stressed and more organized!!


That being said I wanted to give you an update on my bathroom cabinets. As I said on day 1 we discussed zones, check it out here: (Day 1). Well I decided to not only do my side of the bathroom but I also did our guest bathroom as well as my husbands side.  What do you think?


Guest Bathroom:


Before:

Useless space!


After:





My husbands side:

I forgot to take a before picture but I bet you could only guess how 'unorganized' it was!


After:




Stay tuned to tomorrow for tip 5!

It is as simple as 1-2-3!

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