How-To: Organize Your Small Spaces

*By John Voket, RISMedia Consumer Confidant
I come across a lot of advice on making your life and your home more organized. The latest addition to my “little black book” of organizational fanatics is Jennifer Hadfield whose own cool little website can be accessed at tatertotsandjello.com.

She recently reached out to the growing population of homeowners and renters who are scaling down into smaller or more efficient spaces, which often include very compact kitchen areas. Gone are the days of closet sized dry storage cabinets and walk-in pantries.

But Hadfield says you don’t need a spacious pantry to store everything you need, you just need some great ideas to downsize your kitchen storage smartly. The following are a few of her ideas:

1. Use drawer organizers to store more – Use kitchen drawers to store food using dividers that you can find at Ikea or other similar stores. More organized means you can fit more.
2. Use can organizers – Fit more into your small cabinet space with these clever can organizers.
3. Use glass jars on your counters for frequently used items – Keep often-used items in attractive glass jars on your counters for easy access.
4. Use space-saving containers – Group like items together in kitchen cupboards with easy access containers.
5. Try under-shelf baskets – Double your shelves and store twice as much in your cabinets with under-shelf baskets.
6. Turn a bookshelf into a pantry – Use all available shelves, even those in a hutch or bookshelf. This is a cute idea, like a cold cellar on the bottom shelf.
7. Make a morning coffee station – Mount a shelf above your counter to store items for a morning coffee station.

Hadfield has a number of ideas, expanded and detailed plans on how to implement each of the points she offered in this report, as well as a wealth of other DIY and crafty projects, so check her out at www.tatertotsandjello.com!

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