7 Simple Hacks To Organize Your Kitchen On a Budget - Thistlewood Farm
Looking for simple kitchen organizing hacks? Here are seven simple ideas to make life a little easier including the easiest plate rack idea.
Do you know what makes organizing so much fun?
Finding simple, easy ideas that someone else thought of to do it.
I’m that someone.
I love thinking up clever ideas to keep a place for everything….
….and everything in its place.
And the best part?
These are all ideas (with the exception of one) that you can organize in under an hour with things you may have around the house.
Yep.
All you need is a little bit of time and these tips to start organizing today.
Who’s with me?
Who’s ready to organize?
LET’S GO.
Kitchen organizing hack #1
Create faux built-in plate racks
This organizing hack and I go way back.
It all started in the farmhouse when I wanted built-in plate racks like I had seen in the magazines.
Except.
Except I wanted my children to go to college.
And then I found these tall (the key is the tallness) plate racks at the Container Store.
I painted them white and put them end to end inside the cabinets.
When you close the glass door, it looks like the racks are built-in.
(total aside: if you are looking for ideas to decorate your glass cabinets, I got you. Read this.)
Kitchen organizing hack #2
Keep silverware and serving pieces on display
I know this is so Caption Obvious kitchen organizing. But everyone forgets about it so this is my kitchen PSA.
Use your serving pieces and your silverware to decorate with.
I have my silverware out on the counter in the prettiest silverware basket.
All of my shelving is filled with platters and bowls and extra plates. If it’s out? You will use it so much more (and it gets washed more often).
Kitchen organizing hack #3
Use removable crates to organize cabinets
I found these low crates at a flea market and they are organizing gold.
They are an inexpensive alternative to those drawers that you add to the top of shelves.
Each crate has these stamped spoon handles (you can see how I made them here).
Before I added these crates, the hutch was a hot mess. Everything was a little jumbled and unorganized and it was so hard to get to the back of the shelf.
But now?
I just pull out the crates (similar to pulling out the drawer) and I can see everything on the shelf at a glance.
Kitchen organizing hack #4
Use the cabinet doors to organize your measuring cups and spoons
I’m cooking a little more with all of this weight loss.
And until recently my drawers looked like the picture above.
But then I found this kitchen hack.
The answer was so easy it was brilliant.
Why not use the back of a cabinet door to organize all my measuring spoons and cups?
No more searching for 1/4 cup.
No more digging through drawers to find my measuring spoons.
No more disorganization with all my kitchen measuring utensils.
You just add them to your cabinet door. You can see how I did it here.
Kitchen organizing hack #5
Roll your linens instead of folding them
The other day I couldn’t even close this drawer.
It was too full of messy, wrinkled, disorganized stuff for your table.
I tried everything. I tried kicking the drawer. I tried pushing all of that wrinkled, unorganized mess down with one hand and shutting the drawer with the other. I tried scooting everything to the back and shutting the front.
And then?
I came up with an idea that was so simple I wasn’t even sure it would work.
See how I organized this drawer here.
Kitchen organizing hack #6
Get rid of the boxes
I have a wall of cabinets on the backside of where the chalkboard is.
This is where we keep all the stuff.
One of my biggest challenges is ALL the boxes. We’d buy two of one of something and both of the boxes (or three of the boxes) would sit there and take up more space.
I kicked those boxes to the curb.
I used these plastic organizers to organize the contents of all those boxes.
You can see my entire pantry organizing journey here.
Kitchen organizing hack #7
Build this plate rack in under two hours
I saved my favorite for last.
This is one of the most commented-on projects in my house.
I had one of these in the farmhouse and added a recipe to it. Then when we moved into the house I grew up in, I knew I wanted another one, so my husband built this in under two hours.
The best part about this project?
It’s so much easier to make than it looks.
And it’s SUCH a great kitchen hack for all those oversized platters and an easy way to fill up a flat wall in your kitchen.
You can see how I made my plate rack here.
See?
That wasn’t hard.
I hope you enjoyed all the hacks and simple tips for your kitchen. Let me know if you have any questions about any of the projects.
And remember, organizing is fun.
Especially when you do it with friends. 🙂
PS Here are seven of my favorite home decor hacks, too.
Want to know how to decorate your home for free?
Click here to get my FIVE BEST secrets.
-->
Comments
Join the conversation
There must be a way to do plates in the dining room like your platters. Changing some out for seasons would be awesome! Maybe those hymnal holders.
I use labels on my plastic organizers and tape cooking directions on the pancake mixes and other foods cover them with water proof strapping tape so they will not be destroyed when washed. The containers you used are also safe from ants and mice. Coffee keeps much longer in the same type of container than the factory can. my labels are printed using my computer and are the left over labels from VRC tapes - perfect sizes. Small strip for contents and large square for cooking instructions.