Alright, let’s get right into this one. Today’s mess, I mean, project, started because my kitchen became a nightmare zone. Stuff was everywhere – spices hiding, cups buried, couldn’t find the darn spatula to save my life. Total chaos. Needed something, fast.
The “Before” Disaster Zone
First step? I just stood there staring at the mess. Like, seriously overwhelmed. Drawers overflowing, cabinets crammed full of things I forgot I owned. Reaching for the olive oil felt like an archaeological dig. Knew I couldn’t just shove stuff around again. Needed a real system, and quick.
Felt that familiar frustration bubble up. Okay, deep breath. Time to pull things out. I mean everything. Emptied every single cabinet and drawer onto the countertops and kitchen table. Honestly, it looked even worse. Mountains of pots, pans, mismatched lids, boxes of pasta, half-empty jars… pure visual chaos. No kidding, found spices from like three moves ago. Who needs expired cumin?
Sorting the Soup (Literally)
Started sorting like a madman. This was the grunt work. Made piles:
- Keep & Use: The good stuff. The daily coffee mug, olive oil, my favorite pan.
- Keep But Don’t Use Daily: The fancy serving platter, grandma’s heavy gravy boat, the ice cream maker I swear I’ll use someday. These needed a smarter spot, not prime cabinet real estate.
- Trash/Recycle: Empty jars, expired stuff, that cracked measuring cup. Ruthless. Felt kinda good chucking it.
- Donate/Get Rid Of: Those extra mugs from that conference, duplicate can openers, mismatched Tupperware lids with no hope. Gone.
Trying Out the “Yerlin” Hacks
This is where those “expert tricks” came in. Saw a video about “zoning”. Sounds fancy, right? It just means putting stuff near where you use it. Blew my mind, honestly. Simple.
Put all the coffee/tea stuff together right above the coffee maker. Sugar, filters, mugs. Duh. Why wasn’t it like that before? Moved plates and bowls closer to the dishwasher instead of across the kitchen. Small change, big sigh of relief.
Then tried another tip: get stuff off the counters. Easier said than done. Ended up installing a cheap metal rack on the inside of a cabinet door. Boom. All those spice jars? Now in clear view, not buried. Used clear containers for pasta and cereal – can see instantly how much I have.
Labeled things? Okay, maybe got a bit carried away with the label maker. Even labeled the drawer with the potato peeler. Might be overkill, but hey, I know where it is now!
The “After”… Mostly
Took most of a Saturday afternoon. Sweaty? Yep. Frustrated halfway through? Absolutely. But looking around now? Feels cleaner. Functioning better.
Success? Well… it’s definitely better. Can I find the spaghetti sauce pan fast? Heck yes. Coffee setup is smooth. Are there still areas needing tweaking? Oh yeah, definitely. That “Keep But Don’t Use Daily” pile is still sitting on the table looking sad. Need a better home for that.
Still a work in progress. But progress is the point, right? Feels good making practical changes you can actually see and use right away. That’s the “fast results” bit.
