Organizing Stuff.....

in Ladies of Hive2 years ago (edited)

Organizing is a must, especially if you have more stuff than the law should allow for just one person. 😂

For more than a year, off and on, I have been attempting to organize and re-organize my "STUFF". I lived in a larger house before moving here, so there was not room for everything here, but that was ok, because I don't NEED everything. It didn't matter before, because if I wanted to keep it, there was space for it.

Last fall I finally finished going through, putting away, throwing away, giving away things from what would normally be a spare bedroom. It was stacked over my head like a storage unit after I moved here. Over the last few years I went through it a few times, each time resolving more and more things, but it never quite got finished.

When I came home to work a couple of years ago spurred by covid, I needed to put my work desk and equipment in "the room". It happened so fast that there was no time to make a decent space or acquire a proper desk table, so my VP and one of the managers came to my house and brought my computer to help get it hooked up. Now normally after that, employees could hook up their own stuff, but I was the first person out and they were not sure what all it would take to make things work, so there I was, no warning, with the VP and Manger in my "storage room" I wasn't quite comfortable as you can only imagine, but I know them both very well (at work) so we all got a few laughs as they told where their work things were in their homes. Of course that made me feel much better. (NO !! ) ha ha

Anyway, since then I have worked off and on to resolve the rest of the stuff in this room and mostly finished that last fall. After that, it was my intent to slowly go through the rest of the house, drawers, closets, everything, to see if anything I kept before could be reduced, re-organize, consolidated and etc.... a second cut of sorts.

Just so you'll know, I am not trying to be a minimalist, just getting things down to the best it can be, for what I have and where I am now.

The next project I decided would be the closet in the computer room. I have a shelf unit in there and most things on it are semi organized, but I still want to go through every shelf and box and container and see if there is anything or a lot of things that will not make the "keep" cut. If I free up space there, I can move things from other places to the closet and become even MORE organized.... or that is the plan.

This almost looks organized, doesn't it? I think a third of it will GO.... but we will see.

The first thing I wanted to do was clear the whole top shelf of the shelving unit. Don't worry, I am not addressing the whole closet in this post, just the baking pans on top shelf.

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I already had these racks from back in my 30s, when I baked and decorated cakes for other people from my home. They are and were very handy, but for now and for these pans, not the most compact way to store them, especially since I rarely ever use them these days.

Let me interject here, I adore baking pans, so even though I just admitted I rarely use them now, there is no way I'm letting them go at this time. Even if I rarely use them, if I want to use one, it is already paid for and I already have it. I have a strong attachment to my pans.

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That made me laugh when I typed I had a strong attachment to my pans, but for real.... at some point I may need an intervention if I need to actually let them go.

😆

So ... I am using an idea that I thought up last year, when I had gone through my kitchen cabinets initially. I have a lower cabinet that is good for storage, but not convenient for getting anything in or out. The door to it opens to the side of my stove, but the shelves go far back into the corner beside the stove and are as deep as the depth of the stove. Of course any storage is good, but if you can't reach it without getting on your knees and crawling back there.... well... you see .... That is inconvenient enough if you are young, but if you are older and getting on your knees is a grand undertaking and getting back up, not possible in a dignified looking way, then you can understand all the more..... yeah... try not to picture it ....LOL !

(cupcake pans and mini muffin pans)

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So my idea was last year and now again, is to take photos of anything that is going into inconvenient or bundled storage, so that I can make a file on my computer that shows everything back there or in a large tote together, so if I want something later and am not sure where I put it, I won't have to go rummaging through cabinets and bins to look for it. I simply pull up my file, look at the photos to see if it is there and if not, I will look at the "next place file".

(jumbo muffin and mini fluted pans)

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Imma genius... right ??

😉

(2 large vintage bundt pans)

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I felt like a genius when I first thought it up when doing the kitchen cabinet. (but not so much like a genius when I wasn't sure how to spell genius ha ha)

(twisty mini loaf & madeliene pans)

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Do you think I have too many?

(secret note, this is not even CLOSE to the half of them)
(springform pan, removable bottom)

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Gotta luv a heart pan. ❤️

(small red bundt pan)

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But wait ! That's not all ! How about some mini loaf pans? If you notice that on lots of pans I have doubles. That is because when I use to bake in bulk, using a pan once, letting it cool, washing it, preparing it and then baking some more was simply out of the question !

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So now, all the photos are taken for what will fit in one large bin.

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... so into the bin they go !

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Now they are in top of the closet and if I need something after a while and forget if something I want is in there, I don't have to pull the bin down just to check. No sense in doing something over your head like that unnecessarily, especially as you get older, but for convenience sake, at any age.

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I love this use of technology that wasn't heard of back in my younger days. Digital photographing of things is fun and useful. Once I make a file on my desktop under an "Organizing" file, I also copy the file to an external hard drive, just in case.

I hope you like my idea and maybe it could be useful for something you are doing.

I took today off of work thinking I might be busy making things for my Mom's birthday tomorrow, but someone else had some fun idea and wanted to do it, so now I just have a free day. I did picture going out to look for some flowers and other errands, but not sure what if anything will happen on that, since we are supposed to have thunderstorms off and on all day.

...but time will tell, as it always does.

Hope you have a happy day.

❤️ YOU !

Jacey

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Goodness me, but you have a wide range of awesome baking pans and organized it so well!
I also did some reorganizing recently and tossed a lot of stuff except my baking pans!

I certainly DO have a lot of different ones. You just never know what creative thing you might want to do !

I actually did give a few others to one of my nieces that likes to bake and 5 or six different bundt pans to one of my sisters who wanted them. That was last year though. Since I still had so many, that was pretty easy to do since I LOVE those people. 😃

You can never have enough cooking pans and when you need them it's nice to know you can grab them with relative ease.

My issue comes from having these relatively unused appliances sitting around. I was given an instant pot because I used to complain about an old rice maker being a real pain. The instant pot made it even more tough to use so I said forget all this nonsense.

I went back to finding a single pot with a lid just for rice. Now my timing is perfect and I can walk away instead of checking on those appliances every 2 seconds it seemed haha

You can call over Marie Kondo at some point but I think that process will be a painful one

You know, I like appliances, but somehow, if you can't leave them out on the counter, they are not as convenient and then, they take up too much space if you leave them out. I learned that when I was much younger and I suppose if I had ever had a huge kitchen, I might have changed, but since then, if I see a kitchen appliance that attracts me, I make myself think a long time on it so I can talk myself out of it ! I did buy a hand held immersible blender some years back though and although I don't use it frequently, it does come in very handy from time to time and takes up very little space in a drawer. Sometimes so things do work out.

I don't cook rice much, but to me, it is so easy to cook in a pot and mine always comes out good. I like to use jasmine rice and I always cook it in some sort of broth so it tastes like something instead of nothing....LOL Otherwise, it needs some gravy or something on it.

My baking pans are a mixture of my grandmothers, moms and mine. I adore the older ones, they just don't make them like they used to.

I like the way you have it organized and I am in the same boat with too many pans and unlike you, they are not nearly that organized. The pans are large and many, so they are a bit of a problem finding the room. They are kind of stacked in each other and it is a major dance to get the one I want.

The cookie cutters are another thing. OMG! I do feel like a hoarder with those. So many inherited ones and the pottery ones, well, you get the idea.

I might need to take a page out of your book and try to reorganize it in a way that will make it easier to find when the time comes to use it. I think yours looks good and the method to your madness seems like a sure deal to find what you are looking for.

Nicely done!

Hope you have a great start to your week!

!PIZZA
!LUV

I think I only have one pot that belonged to my Granny, but it is not for baking, it is actually the thick pot only from an old pressure cooker. Whenever I cook caramel icing, I use that pot because it is thick enough for the icing to cook up to the temperature needed without burning because the pot is too thin. Oh wait, I guess I do have a glass loaf pan that belonged to her too, but no fun baking pan.

Some places I have lived have had better storage space than this house, so I am forced to figure out how to make the best use of space possible.

Cookie cutters, I love them ! I did a post last fall I think about going through my cookie cutters and reducing the hoard from a large tote container to a smaller one. I don't really have any heirlooms on those, but the set of copper colored ones my Dad gave me 45+ years ago.... I would never let go of on purpose. That set includes most of the Christmas ones I still use.

This week will be phonehell week, my least favorite. Lord help me ! I'm going to need the patience of Jobe !

I guess I never call my heirlooms, but, they really are, aren't they? They have always been around, so I just think of them as part of the family... :)

I need to do the same with my cookie cutters. I do remember that post and it was such a fun one! The copper ones are some of my girl's favorites. I am surprised they don't take a sharpie and put their names on them. Kidding. :)

For the size of this house, the panty space got gypped. The shore house has one of those old walk-in pantries that can fit a barrel of lard in there. If I was to use lard. Modern houses lack storage space, that is what I think.

Phonehell week is never fun. Should I be sending you some liquid happiness in a bottle? People tend to be so rude to people on the other end of the phone. I think the company should send out a personal masseuse on phonehell week.

Ahhhhh. I like that idea. I am already relaxed.

This house was built in the 80's by a man that built trailers and stuff and he built himself a HUGE work building at the back of the property that may Uncle has full of his "stuff"..... so I can only guess that since the shop was built before the house, that he didn't see any need for additonal storage. Who really know, but the pantry is small here and there is no attached utility room on the outside like normal houses. I guess everything can't be perfect, but it certainly would be nice if it were ! Ugh...

I have started using a vacation day on Wednesdays on phone hell week. I hate to use them that way, but like I said before, it's for my mental health....LOL... anyway.... that doesn't help today ! It may kill me before I am able to give it up.

No. You are too laid back and happy to let it get to you. 💜

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Well @jacey.boldart , that is just TOO orgainized for me (ha ha ha... check the spelling of your title, gotta love it)
But seriously, that is an excellent idea, taking photos so you'll know where they are.
Every time I move and I have all the "black Spaghetti" of wires and connections to my keyboards, computers, printers etc etc... everyone tells me to take pics so I'll know what goes where when I go to reconnect.
Great idea on paper, not so much in practice.
I have one of those "corner-by-the-stove" cabinets, mine has a lazy Susan deally, which helps, but still I can NOT get down on my knees to get down into ANY of my under counter cabinets.
If I can't reach it by bending over, it don't get got.
Period.

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Oooops ! Funny that nobody else brought that to my attention ! I have corrected it... .I think. LOL

As I get older, it seems to my benefit to get things as organized as possible. The very last thing I want to spend any time on is hunting something I know is here. That drives me batty !

For my wires, I usually take masking tape and put a piece around each wire, leaving a "tab" where the two ends come together, then I write on the tape what it goes too. They seem so simple when taking them loose, but sometimes there is a span of time before they are hooked back up and it saves time on the re-hookup if I don't have to figure anything out.

That sounds like it would be a workable solution. Thanks for the suggestion @jacey.boldart

I am trying to be a minimalist hoarder lol. It is hard to get rid of something one might need.

Compared to a true minimalist, the amount I'm still keeping probably makes me look like a hoarder too, but, I don't care ! ha ha.....

I will try not to acquire back as much stuff though.... I'll try not.

And it's just reasonable that you won't let those pans go, I wouldn't too, lol! Glad you finally had them organised and kept safely. And your idea of keeping a record (photos) of them on your computer is awesome!

Some things simply MUST stay ! 😃

Thank you, I'm sure I am not the first to have thought of such a brilliant way to keep records of storage, but I had never seen anyone tell it, so for me, it seemed a new idea.

Thanks for stopping over !

That's right, especially those that we love and have memories attached to them😃
You were the first I read it from although it's possible that there are others who did it too hehe.

Whoa... you have so much, hahaha!!!
But, very much organized, @jacey.boldart
You can use them all.
I like the red bundt pan because it is heart shaped!

Tip of the iceberg Sister ! Tip of the iceberg....

I love the red pan too and wish the manufacturerers would have put a hole in the tab at the center of the top of the heart so I could hang it in my kitchen instead of store it away. I'm still kind of brain storming for some way to still hang it. At least I will know where to find it if a good idea comes up.

Ummm... put the hole on the pan yourself, @jacey.boldart !
Hehehe!
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I tried too with a metal punch gadget, but it was so thick that although it made a deep round dent, it would not go all the way through ! I gave up for a while, but would need something different than what I have here to make it work.

PIZZA!

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