1. Did you know that November 15 is National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day? If you haven’t done it in a while, prepping for the holidays and guests is the perfect time! By tossing items you no longer want/need, you’re creating SPACE. In addition, by using this as an opportunity to take inventory of times you need to restock and adding them to your shopping list, you’ll save yourself TIME by not having to make several trips to the market for forgotten items. Basic cleaning/organizing steps include:
- Empty each shelf
- completely wipe down the inside (including door shelves)
- remove/wash all drawers
- toss items that are old/moldy/expired and/or that you simply won’t use
- take inventory of what you need and immediately add it/them to your shopping list
- return what’s left to the fridge which is now a pleasure to use because it smells and looks so great! 🙂
While you’re at it, don’t forget to clean out your freezer as well!
2. Supermarket Online Ordering & PickUp Services: For those of you who have never tried it, you really should… it’s a huge TIME saver! I’ve conducted a test of buying the exact same items both ways: the conventional method of shopping in person at my local market vs. ordering online and picking it up. It’s amazing how much it saves me in both time and aggravation. I will tell you, however, that I never order meats or produce online. I’m very particular about both. I’d rather spend a few extra minutes of my time going in the store and picking out the produce myself…feeling it, squeezing it and smelling it, etc. rather than pick up an order and be disappointed. Give it a try if you haven’t yet. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised!
3. Do you have one of those kitchen cabinets that when you open it, a barrage of empty Plastic Containers fall out all over the place? They’re all different shapes and sizes so they don’t easily nest. And what about those covers… does it take you forever to find the matching cover? If so, it’s time to do a major re-haul of your containers. Below are just a few of the criteria they must meet in order to take up valuable real estate in my kitchen. If they don’t, they are either recycled/donated/tossed, etc. thereby freeing up valuable SPACE.
- they must neatly stack/nest
- they must have matching lids
- the quantity must fully utilize the vertical space available in my cabinets when stacked
- I must LOVE the quality of the container
4. In a perfect world, we’d all bring our reusable canvas bags with us every single time we go shopping but in reality, it doesn’t happen. As a result, I have a lot of clients who struggle with what to do with the Plastic Bags they get when they shop at markets/retail stores. Many of them shove them into kitchen drawers or cabinets until they reuse them for another purpose. But until that time, they take up valuable SPACE that can be used for another purpose. So what do I do? I fold them into compact triangles and store them in a cloth bag that hangs inside my food pantry so they take up less storage space. In fact I have 2: one for small bags and one for large bags so the size I need is always… at my fingertips! 🙂
Quote:
“Time is at once the most valuable and the most perishable of all our possessions.” ~John Randolph~
Brenda Tringali, Organizing & Productivity Specialist
At Your Fingertips Organizing
Serving Greater Myrtle Beach, SC or “virtually” anywhere (via phone/video)
Cell/Text: 603.490.6062
Email: Brenda@AtYourFingertipsOrganizing.com
Web: www.AtYourFingertipsOrganizing.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AtYourFingertipsOrganizing/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendatringali/
Brenda Tringali is the owner of At Your Fingertips Organizing. She provides Life/Workplace/Residential Organizing & Productivity services to clients in the Myrtle Beach, SC area & “virtually” anywhere via video, phone, etc. Drawing from her 30 years of Human Resources/Staffing experience, she also helps clients with HR/Staffing/Job Search needs as well. Brenda is an active member of NAPO (National Association of Productivity and Organizing professionals). She is also Chair of the NAPOCares Committee which highlights the community outreach efforts of NAPO members, NAPO Chapters, and NAPO Business Partners as they reach out to share the three “T’s” of Social Responsibility: their Time, Treasures, and Talents.