Hey friends, I’ve been wanting to share this post with you for awhile since I actually did the kitchen organizing back at the beginning of July. But they we left on holidays and I’m only now getting the chance to post it. Those of you who follow me on Instagram will have seen that I recently had to make some hard choices in my kitchen in order to free up some much needed space. That’s when I knew it was time to say goodbye to a much loved collection.
You see,10 years ago when I became a stay at home mom with my youngest I had no idea how to cook from scratch. I turned to Taste of Home magazines and loved how each of their recipes made me shine in the kitchen. I had multiple subscriptions and dropped everything to “read” them when they arrived in the mail. I used their recipes all the time in my weekly menu plan (how many of you have been around that long?). I stored them in a hutch in my kitchen/dining area and they took up a lot of space.
Here’s what that space looked like before.
It was time to say goodbye because now that I eat Paleo I never use them anymore. So there they sat, looking pretty but never seeing the light of day. I also now needed that space for other things. It wasn’t easy to let them go, it’s funny what we get attached to because of the significance they represent. I always wanted to be a stay at home mom and these cookbooks were a major part of that huge transition in my life.
I have a cupboard in my kitchen that looks large but is in fact really shallow at only 11 inches deep. It was feeling cluttered to me and was stuffed with serving dishes that I use often but not often enough to warrant space in prime real estate. Plus I’d gotten some new things for my birthday that I needed to make room for.
So my plan was to donate my Taste of Home magazines, free up a shelf in my dining room hutch for the serving dishes which would then free up space in my kitchen cabinet for items used more on a regular basis. Did you catch all that? I love a good organizational plan, whoot!
Time for some kitchen rearranging
Kitchen Cabinet Before (yikes!)
Kitchen Cabinet After (so much better!)
My sugar/flour bins were from Booster Juice
Divided caddies make life so much better.
Hutch Before
Hutch After
(The shoebox bins hold napkins, napkin rings and place card holders)
I kept just a few Taste of Home cookbooks as you can see 🙂
It felt so good to get this project done. I’m glad I made the hard choice to part with my cookbooks to free up space. However it wasn’t until I needed the space that I gave it any thought to be perfectly honest. So if you are finding yourself frustrated with a certain cluttered area of your home, take a walk around your space and ask yourself this ever important question:
What are my priorities for this space? What can I let go of so that my priorities are taken care of first?
And yes this may mean making some hard choices because remember this golden rule.
Regardless of what we love and use, clutter results when we keep more than we have the room to store!
I had gotten new pretty dishes for my birthday that were sitting on the floor waiting for a home. But what do I always say?
The floor is not a drawer!
I didn’t have the room to store my new things but I loved them and wanted them so something else had to give. I also loved my Taste of Home cookbooks BUT I didn’t use them so it was time to let them go.
Sometimes we have to prioritize the things we love to fit into the space we have available.
Living within the space we have right now, and not with the space we might have someday, makes all the difference to the amount of clutter overwhelming us in the present.
I could have boxed up those Taste of Home cookbooks and stuck them in a closet somewhere just to avoid making the hard decision but what would that have solved? Those cookbooks were from a different time of my life, no sense living in the past.
Surround yourself with the things that represent who you are today and what brings you joy right now.
I hope that helps you come to terms with something in your own home that you have been hesitant to let go off. I would love to hear what that is and what you will do about it. You can do hard things!!!
Need more organization inspiration? Check out my well curated Pinterest boards.
MelanieL says
Your spaces look great! I can’t imagine how hard that was for you, I can relate…what is it about magazines that does that to us?! Have a great week!
Danielle says
Great work! Where did you get your white hutches? I’ve been looking for something similar. 🙂
Laura Wittmann says
Hi Danielle, I searched for so long for an inexpensive hutch but I just couldn’t find what I wanted in my price range. These are actually two hutches put together (they were $119 each which was more in my price range) to make one unit from Canadian Tire here in Canada. I am so happy with the way they turned out!! The lower cabinets on the left hand side hold tablecloths and placemats.
Teri says
Love your organization tips! Any suggestions or reads on where to start to purge for an empty nester move? I’m feeling very overwhelmed!!
Katherine says
How did you find a home for your magazines? I have years of magazines on England. I hate to just throw them out as I know there are Anglophiles that would love them but I don’t know how to find these folks!
Laura Wittmann says
We have a local thrift store here Katherine that I was able to pass them along to.
Emily @ My Love for Words says
It looks great! We’re mainly paleo (except for our bad, slip up days), but I too have a lot of cookbooks and recipes that I no longer use. I need to just get rid of them already.
Laura Wittmann says
It’s so hard though, I know!
Donna says
Mine was Woman’s Day with their monthly meal plans but they’ve made it easy for me; they quit having them