Inside this edition: Are 5 tips to maximize your storage in a small kitchen by utilizing other spaces in the home.
Hey y’all. It’s me again your girl Rainey looking out for YOU – my tribe – the Rainey Bunch. I live in a single-family home which was built in the 1940’s. It’s a cape cod design which I like but when we bought our home we had a limited budget and it was just the two of us. The kitchen at the time was just fine for two, as you can tell we were not forward thinkers. There was limited storage and today it is still limited, but we make it work. We cannot afford a dream kitchen and many of us can’t, but it does not mean we have to limit ourselves in the ways we utilize the space that we do have. It also means that we do not have to limit ourselves to the kitchen. Below I have outlined some ways you too can maximize your storage in a small kitchen.
Update Your Space
We were not able to make our kitchen bigger, but we did update the cabinets and made better use of the space we had. There was a space in our kitchen that was used for a small kitchen table. We redefined that space for a long narrow table with open storage below for baking dishes and mixing bowls and three drawers above for seldom used utensils, table settings and the unofficial junk drawer with no junk. I also now use that long table top for my Instant Pot.
Removing the eat in kitchen table opened up the space making the tiny kitchen feel a little more open. We also put in a small two door pantry which we got from Ikea many years ago. That gave us storage high above for small appliances and food storage lower for immediate use. What we found is that we did not necessarily need more space, but we needed to make better use of the space we already had.
Organize Your Pantry
The small pantry we added to the kitchen had to be organized and functional. Things need to be easy to find and accessible. With the exception of two shelves in the pantry all the other shelves have the ability to pull out, so I don’t have to pull out items in the front to get to items in the back. Whenever possible we use glass jars to hold items such as pasta, flour, rice, etc.. Even though you know what goes in those containers it is always a good idea to label those containers. I also use clear containers to hold different types of cereal, and beans. Keep the items that you use most frequently at eye and waist level, to save on frequent bending.
Speaking of saving your back, you may also want to decide where and how you categorize the items in your pantry. Do you want to keep all the baking supplies in one section, canned goods on another shelf, or tea and coffee making supplies on another. I am not a drinker of either, but I dedicated a section for those things when my mother-in-law used to visit, so she would never have to guess where those things were. Some may suggest storing small appliances on lower shelves so you are not lifting those items over your head. For us that did not make sense, but it is something to keep in mind.
Secondary Pantry
If you have a safe and vermin free space I recommend having a secondary pantry. Luckily we have a basement that meets that criteria. We have been shoppers at big-box stores since our son was born. There is a lot of value in shopping in bulk for certain items but that’s for a different post. To maximize on the space we have in our home we got simple open wooden shelving from Ikea. You don’t have to get yours from Ikea, there are numerous options out there such as Home Depot, the Container store, or Wayfair, so do your research. The kitchen pantry is for items we use frequently. The secondary pantry is for the items that cannot fit, and we replenish the pantry upstairs as needed especially canned goods and cereal.
Deep Freezer
As I mentioned earlier I shop at big-box stores. When we realized the value in purchasing of in bulk especially meat and fish, and the time savings in having frozen pre-made meals a deep freezer in our basement was the obvious next step in food organization for us. The freezer in our standard sized refrigerator could never hold the bulk food we wanted to buy.
Granted my food choices are not your food choices, but even if you don’t eat pre-packaged meals it does not mean that you cannot make meals and freeze them for your convenience. Fresh vegetables are best, but frozen are just as good. I find them very efficient since the fresh usually spoils before I can use it with the exception of potatoes and onions. Deep freezers are not as expensive as one may think. If you are limited on space the upright model is the way to go.
21st Century Solution
With a small kitchen you can’t afford to buy things you don’t need. My final solution I wish to share is an application for your phone to help with inventory and waste. It is called My Kitchen: Expiry Dates, Shopping List, Pantry. It is available in the Google Play Store for Android devices. You can track what is in your pantry by scanning the barcodes on the items and record the number you have in stock and their expiration dates. You can create a document and print it, or a spreadsheet to keep track, but to date this is the one I find most efficient, so I don’t have to call the kids to go check the basement when I am in the store. I will have to update if this app is available in an iOS format.
Final Thoughts
Our homes come in different shapes and sizes, and we all do not have the perfect HGTV big reveal kitchen. Sometimes we just have to work with what we have, or look for ways to improve it with a manageable budget. When life gives you lemons you make lemonade. When you buy a house with a small kitchen you learn how to maximize and find alternative storage solutions.