Getting organized is something we’re all always talking about. Especially at the start of a new year, we set goals & resolutions to get organized 1 room at a time.

It can be hard to get started & even harder to keep momentum but there’s only 1 thing you need to finally get & STAY organized. For good.

I’ll let you in on a little secret… that 1 thing is not

  • a checklist
  • a collection of matching baskets & bins
  • a label maker

It’s actually something more like a plan. Specifically, the 1 thing you need to get & stay organized is a system.

So how do you come up with a system? Let’s start with 1 of the trickiest rooms to organize in our home – the kitchen – I’ll show you how to make it easy easier by starting with a system.

Creating zones is the key to your kitchen organization system.

Work with the layout of your kitchen.  Pay attention to the location of cabinets and drawers -there is almost always a drawer or cabinet near the oven & stovetop, fridge, and sink – that’s usually by design. So work with it.

Have a look at the video below to see how I created zones in my own kitchen.

Don’t think that once you have a system in place, it has to stay that way. Most likely it will change, but they will be small changes instead of complete overhauls.

We’ve been in our current home for just over 3 years & I have made just about as many changes in the kitchen as years we’ve been here.



Most recently, I decided that I need more counter space when I bake, so the kitchen went through a little re-org. Since we already have a system in place, the change was as simple as shifting a few things around. I even gained some “extra” space because we weren’t using some of the cabinets & drawers as efficiently as we could have.

This is how things look now.

Get & Stay organized in the kitchen, Kitchen organization done right

I know what you’re thinking… “this doesn’t really show me anything Nikki. I want to see how things are organized in here.”

Of course you do! And I wouldn’t be a good decorator friend if I didn’t show you. Take a look at the video below to see exactly what changed & why.

More Tips to Get & Stay Organized in the Kitchen

At the start of this post, I said that checklists, pretty baskets/bins, & a label maker were not the answer to all your organizing problems. But they are all helpful tools & will help make the process fun.

I personally don’t use labels & checklists much – only if I have a huge job to tackle. But here are 3 “tools” I use a lot to stay organized in any room.

1. Baskets, bins, & boxes.

Baskets, bins, & boxes are definitely your friends in organization. You don’t have to spend a fortune on perfectly sized items for every single use. Shop your home for baskets you may not be using or that could be put to better use.

In fact, the baskets in my pantry are leftover from our littlest’s baby boy room.

Organized Pantry, kitchen organization

Clear containers are also a great choice. I use them in the pantry for things like cereal, pretzels, & crackers. I also use them in the fridge & freezer to group similar items that are small & might get lost otherwise.

Organized Freezer

2. Hooks.

As you saw in the video I use hooks for everything from hanging bulky utensils & small cookware, to power cords & chargers. I attach them to the inside of cabinets, the sides of consoles, & hang them from tension rods. They are great for storing odd items that would need special solutions otherwise.

Speaking of tension rods, they are the 3rd item on my list.

3. Tension Rods.

You probably weren’t expecting this one. but not only are tension rods great for hanging things from hooks, you can use them to “divide” large drawers & cabinets. In the video I showed 2 in my cookware drawer – 1 to keep a small pan with it’s top neatly tucked away & the other for trivets & another random small pan.

In the food storage cabinet, I have 2 tension rods placed about 2-3 inches apart to create an open “pocket” to store all the tops of the containers. This works perfectly in large cabinets that have a center support like this one.

I even use 1 under the sink to keep my spray bottles off the cabinet floor.

Here’s a little tip if you don’t usually do a sink full of dishes at a time. If your family tends to be a little heavy with the dish detergent, dilute some & put it in a spray bottle. Then when anyone needs to just wash a dish or 2, spray & wash it instead of trying to use just a drop from the bottle. Works like a charm for my family, AND our homemade dish soap lasts much longer.

I’m really great at organizing spaces for my clients so that they rarely have to change anything. But when it comes to my own spaces, I’m so indecisive about all the options & I sometimes suffer from analysis paralysis.

But since I started approaching my own home the way I do other’s – with a system in mind – it’s been so much easier to get & stay organized.

I hope I gave you a few more low cost kitchen storage ideas that you can easily try at home. If you do, I’d love to know how they work out for you. In the meantime, pin these ideas for later & share with your friends and family!

Until next time…

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