E told me that whether I know it or not my desire for organization is a gift. To see an area and figure out a way to make it acceptable to me is envisioned by her to be a gift. I never looked at it this way. It's just who I am and I go to lengths to accomplish an organizational goal.
The key here is to focus on one small area at a time. Looking at the big picture is so overwhelming that I don't think anyone could achieve a goal to revamp the whole thing at once.
She came up with a number of questions for me about organizing which I jotted down and will do a series on organizing. You must know at this point, I'm no expert. My need for order is what drives me. I kind of looked at it as a glitch - if I were being honest.
E has certainly been working on de cluttering her house for a few months. The amount of items that that have been donated or sent to the land fill -in her estimation - is astronomical. This has been very pleasing to her and her family. She is currently in the mode to fine tune her previous efforts.
.As she went on she brought to the surface the things that have been bothering her. We talked about storage containers first.
 |
| I love these Mason brand storage jars. I'll be adding to the collection. They match my canning foods nicely. |
Recently, I have discovered that - for me - just having containers is bothersome. Having them does not serve to reach my goals 100%. I had to rethink the way I have been looking at things for many years.
When we had a large family to spend our resources on, then I would save jars and containers from store bought foods. Doing this served it's purpose and was great on the budget. But, I don't have to do things like that anymore. This realization was very moving, meaning it got me to move forward. I'm still frugal, but the need to be frugal in all areas is no longer a concern. Neither is it a concern for E at this stage in her life.
The thing that opened my eyes was a birthday gift from my daughter of two quart Mason storage jars. I've been wanting these jars for some time, but refused to pay the price. Why? The twelve dollar asking price was not out of reach for me. I think it falls under old habits are hard to break. When the filled jars were placed in the pantry, my heart sang a hippy tune. At last! I finally figured it out. Consistent looking containers is the key to an organized pantry. Organizing life after that was so much easier. To be continued....
This video has quite a bit of wisdom in it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUOVYATHRgQ
A very good post and I look forward to reading more. I am in complete agreement on having consistent storage in my pantry. I did have a motley collection and when I moved here decided to completely replace them. Now my stacking containers take far less space to store exactly the same. My beady eye is noe getting ready to scan the rest of my home.
ReplyDeleteI welcome another organizing woman's point of view. Maybe it's not so much a glitch as a gift. I'm sure feeling better about this part of my personality these past couple of days. Thank you for your comment.
ReplyDeleteMostly houses or flats here have no separate pantry. Groceries are just stored in kitchen cupboards. Food stock like
ReplyDeletehome-made jams and conserves and also oil, vinegar, mineral-water and many other things are stored in our cellar
where the temperature is cool. Here is also the place for apples. Potatoes are stored in an extra cellar room. But modern
houses often have no more cool cellars.
Having a cool cellar is certainly an efficient way to store items - using no power to keep food from spoiling. This is where I would love to see a picture from you.
ReplyDeleteI'm assuming our refrigerators are larger because root cellars went away at the beginning of the 20th century in this country. It's nice to hear that they are still considered an essential in your country. (Until recently, that is.)
Would it be all right if I would give you my E-mail address this way and you could contact me or is this
Deletenot a good idea? My knowledge about internet is verý, very limited. However I would love to send you some pictures .
Yes, you can send it in a comment. I won't publish the comment on the blog. I'll send you my email. Look for a German last name and a first name that will begin with L. The first three letters of my email are rad.
Delete