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This month's issue is dedicated to the busiest room in the
house, the kitchen. Ginger and I recently stayed with our mother
while our Dad was in the hospital. Our mother has Alzheimer's
Disease and does not cook anymore, but she followed us everytime we went
into the kitchen to cook. The first thing she did was fill a sink
with warm, soapy water. She has done this for as long as we
can remember. I'm sure it is something that she learned while
earning her Home Economics degree at our beloved University of GA.
We remembered that as our mother would cook, she would drop the utensils
and dishes she used and either wash them right then or let them
soak. When it came time to clean the kitchen, all she had to do was
rinse the items in the sink or put away the things that were already
washed. Read below for some more quick kitchen cleanup tips.
Jill
Kitchen Cleanup Tips While Cooking
1. Line a large bowl
or container with a grocery bag on the counter to toss
scraps or empty containers into as you work. This way your mess is
contained, and when you are finished you can just toss the bag in the
trash.
2. Tuck a towel into
your waistband or wear an apron while you cook. Then you always
have something handy to wipe up small spills as you go. This way
the small spills won't turn into sticky messes that you have to scrub
later.
3. Use the time while the water is boiling
or the oven is heating to do small things like wash and rinse
the things in the sink; load the dishwasher; wipe off the
counter tops; sweep the kitchen floor. You'll be glad you did later.
4. Line your baking and roasting pans with foil or
parchment paper to save scrubbing them later. To keep the lid clean,
slip a piece of foil or parchment between it and the pot's rim. Coat your
measuring cups and spoons with nonstick spray so sticky
ingredients slide right out and clean up is easy.
5. Run the dishwasher before bed. When loading
the dishwasher, place similar items together in the machine. This
will make it easier to put things away. If at all
possible, try to run the dishwasher and empty it every night before
bed. It is great to be able to start the day with an empty machine.
Remember emptying the dishwasher is a good chore for kids. (But, a hard
one to take back after they leave the house.)
Tips To Organize Your Refrigerator
Another good tip for keeping your kitchen clean while cooking
is to start with an organized refrigerator. This makes finding the
things you need easy as well as making it easy to put things away.
1. Toss out any food that is spoiled, past
the expiration date, or that nobody is ever going to eat.
Do the same thing in the freezer. Make this a weekly habit to do on
the day before trash day.
2. Clear the shelves one at a time and wipe with warm,
soapy water. Do the same thing for the inside doors and
drawers. Do this at least once a month or more depending on how
many people use the refrigerator, and the job won't be so bad.
3. Put like items together and designate areas for your
different categories. Put foods that are too perishable for the
door like milk, butter, eggs on the top shelf. (Do not store
milk, butter, sour cream, or anything perishable on the door)
Designate a shelf for leftovers and be sure to label and date them with a
grease pencil or masking tape and pen. Use the drawers
as marked. The meat drawer is usually where it is the coldest,
and the crisper drawers have a little more humidity to keep the
veggies and fruits crisp. Use the shelves on the doors for
jarred and bottled items such as condiments, wine, sodas or
inedible things that have to be refrigerated.
4. Use space saving items like a can rack or other containers
inside the refrigerator to coral like items. Rather than moving
everything around to see what is in the back, you can pull a
container out and find what you need. A container to store all of
your sandwich fixings will make lunch time easier. Use a small
plastic basket to throw all those extra packs of condiments you get from
the fast food places.
5. Clear the outside of your refrigerator.
Toss anything that is outdated. Put coupons into a coupon organizer.
Place recipes that you've collected and are going to us into a
recipe file. Mark your calendar with all of the date
reminders stuck to your refrigerator door. A product I
especially like is the Magnetic Magazine Pocket. (http://www.fridgedoor.com/mamapo.html)
You can hang this on the wall for your magnetic catch all. Let it
act as a gauge for how much you save. If it won't fit, then
something has to be taken off.
Strategies For Saving Money on Groceries
As gas prices are going up, so are the prices at the
grocery store. Below are some money-saving strategies for your
next trip to the grocery store.
1. Pick from the products on the top and bottom shelves at the grocery
store. The bigger sizes are usually found there and usually offer a
lower price per unit. The smaller sizes are placed at eye
level.
2. Buy the store brands instead of the leading name brands. They are
usually close to the name brand leader in quality but cost less. The
same manufacturer that makes the name brand often manufactures the house
brand.
3. Avoid buying prepared or prepackaged goods. You’ll pay for the
convenience of these items.
4. Clip or download coupons. Go to CouponCart.com or Cool-Savings (www.coolsavings.com)
for deals on popular items. Check with you grocery store to see
if they will accept store coupons from other grocery stores and shop
on double-coupon days if your grocer has them.
5. Join a warehouse club to get savings on certain items such
as condiments, coffee, cereal, bottled water, and
canned vegetables. Bulk retailers such as Sam's, BJ’s
Wholesale Club and Costco can be 20 to 50 percent cheaper than regular
grocery stores on certain products. You just need to make sure
that you do not get caught up in what seems like really cheap
prices. The supermarket has better deals on items like produce,
chips, and cookies. You will need to do some comparison shopping, and of
course, think of the storage in your home before purchasing in
bulk. Visit the websites of clubs like BJ’s (www.bjs.com), Costco (www.costco.com), and Sam’s Club (www.samsclub.com) to find the best
location and product mix for you and join online.
For more tips and information
be sure to visit us at www.livingorderly.com and www.theprofessionalorganizer.com.
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