Good morning to all you lovely people, I hope you have all had a good week so far… Today I need to inform all British Gas users to beware especially if you use a smart meter. I did absolutely love using these meters, because that way you can control how much you put on at one time, Instead of paying quarterly by direct debit, as it works out so much more expensive than when you use a smart meter. But the one thing nobody tells you is what happens if you put some money on the meter, and it doesn’t actually go through properly, and nothing shows up on your smart meter, but the money has still been taken out of your bank account. To say I was angry was an understatement, and what made it worse is it happened over the weekend, and trying to contact the bank to stop the payment from going out was impossible you were sent around in circles with no one doing anything to help. Then when I got in touch with British Gas all you got was an A.I. who was no help whatsoever and couldn’t help me at all. Then when I rang on Monday, I eventually spoke to someone at British Gas, I told him what happened, and that I wanted my money back as my husband ended up putting some on, so I didn’t want anymore on, not at this time, which is why I requested my money back, but he stated, I’m sorry we don’t do that, I will give you a code to put on your meter. Let’s say I told him what I thought and that I wanted to put in a complaint about not getting my money back.
Do you feel so overwhelmed by your cluttered kitchen? Because I know I certainly do. This is a place that is at the heart of the home, it is where everyone gathers for family meals, and talks about their day and where you end up spending most of your time doing things like cooking, baking and entertaining. Do you want to create a kitchen that you feel proud of? If you are ready to make life easy by simplifying and creating a kitchen that you will love. Following this guide will show you how you too, can declutter your kitchen. It is always a good idea to devote a big chunk of your weekend or day (depending on, how big your kitchen is and how much needs to be decluttered). It will leave you with a spring in your step as the kitchen will feel refreshed like a whole new space. For you to get started, all you will need is a couple of boxes that will hold items you no longer use or want, give them to a new home by donating, and a large black trash bag or two for the things you throw away. Make sure you have a separate box for items that go elsewhere.
What Questions To Ask Yourself When Your Decluttering
Here are some questions you need to ask yourself, as your sorting through each item. It is best to act quickly, that way you are not taking hours over one thing. You need to be assertive, and decisive in your decisions, regarding what you keep, donate and bin. If you are unsure or feeling a bit stuck on what to do, these questions will help a great deal…
Do I need this? This is one that you shouldn’t have to think that long or take much time to decide. You either use this, or you don’t. There is NO question asking you ” Will I use this soon?”
Do I have more than one of these? How many wooden spoons does one person really need? Do you really need all five muffin tins? How many cookie cutters do you need? I suggest that you work out if you are going to use them regularly. If you don’t need it ditch it, you can always borrow from family, friends or neighbours for any one-time events. Choose your favourite ones that you want to keep, while any extras can be donated.
Am I going to use this? You want to ask yourself am I going to use this again, or is it just going to take up room at the back of my cupboard, drawers etc.
Would I buy this? Our tastes and styles change all the time, so this is a pretty essential question. Look around and ask yourself if you still love your style. Does it make the grade, of how you envision this space to be? Will it fit in by adding beauty to the space, or just adding to the clutter?
Will this make my life easier? There are probably some items that you don’t really need, but you may use regularly to help you simplify your life like a rice cooker, air fryer, etc. even though you could easily do them on the hob or in the oven, but if really helps to make your life a lot easier and run smoother. You can definitely splurge on some items, but just make sure that they are useful to you, and not sitting in the cupboard collecting dust. Ask yourself how important is it to keep this item and if it will make your life a lot better.
Countertops
Countertops are one of the things that tend to always look messy, as you always seem to accumulate clutter on the counters, which makes it much harder to do a wipe down and keep clean. To make it more efficient go through any letters lying around, important ones are put in a box file, while non-important ones are thrown away. Small appliances that are not in regular use, but you still use, store them away and get out when you need them. Minimise what you have on the countertop, it will not only look good but it will make your life so much easier to manage, keep clean and tidy.
Pantry
Sorting out the pantry should be done regularly. Make sure you check to see if anything is open, if you don’t see yourself using it for quite some time, throw it away, which also includes anything that is past its used-by date, and put it all into a trash bag. If you have stocked up on items that you no longer use or want or won’t be used in the timeframe, you can always put them in the donate box, ready for the food bank.
Fridge and Freezer
Go thoroughly threw both the fridge and freezer. Check to see if anything has expired, got freezer burns and any perishables that as been overlooked, now is the time to bin it. While tastes change all the time, you should make sure if there is anything you no longer like or want, then put it in the donate box that is to go to the food bank. Don’t forget to check the expiration dates on bottles, and cans too, as you never know what you might find.
Small Kitchen Appliances
Although small kitchen appliances are handy, they do take up a lot of room, if it’s no longer in use, you don’t want it anymore, or it could be done by another appliance, you can either donate or sell it. Make sure all your appliances work if not put them in the trash bag, there’s no reason to store something if it’s broken as it just clutters your cupboards up.
Cookbooks
Gather all your cookbooks, and go through them checking to see if you need them all. If there are only one or two recipes that you want, consider writing those ones out and putting them in a binder or you could even put them them in a recipe folder on a USB stick, rather than keeping the whole book. Ask yourself if there are any cookbooks you no longer want and then put them in the donate box. Are you someone who likes to collect recipe magazines, I suggest that you tear out the pages that you would like to keep and insert them in the binder.
Bakeware
Look out for anything that has acquired rust, scratches, and looks old, as well as anything that has gotten damaged, or broken, then now is the time to bin it. If they are unused or you have doubled up on, like baking and cookie sheets, cake and muffin tins, pie dishes, mixing bowls etc. then find a new home by donating or selling.
Junk Drawer
No matter who you are, everyone always seems to accumulate their own version of a junk drawer where you literally shove everything in, from takeout menus to old batteries, make sure you only keep what is necessary and what you actually want to keep. Throw away all takeout menus as you can easily look them up online. Get rid of any old or extra phone chargers, old batteries and anything else that you don’t need etc.
Spices
Sort through your spices, chances are you have never used a lot of them. Throw any away that you don’t use or have lost their flavour too and are out of date. Keep the ones that you are going to use frequently.
Kitchen Gadgets
Having a kitchen gadget can look and sound so inviting, but how many times do you really use them, the answer to that is very seldom. the novelty will wear off and you are left with something you have barely used. Donate all the gadgets you no longer use, as you have something else that does multiple things, so you have no use for it. There’s no reason for you to save it for someday, as that day will never come around, just keep what you need.
Medicine
Some people tend to store their medication in the kitchen, as it is easier to access if you are one of these people, make sure you store them in a cool dry place. Go through all your medications and any that is unopened, out of date, or no longer in use, return it back to the pharmacy for disposal. Make sure your medications are always up-to-date and always know what each one is for.
Tableware
Make sure all of your tableware is in good condition and that the glasses, coffee mugs, plates, bowls etc, are not chipped, cracked, or broken, in any way, otherwise you need to bin them. Try not to Stack mugs and glasses on top of each other, as it screams you have too many occupying a single space. You should have enough that will last you and your family throughout the day, any more than that needs to go. Keep your favourites to the side, while any extra or mismatched, you can either have them on show or donate them The same applies to the rest of the tableware like plates and bowls etc, as there’s no point in cluttering up your cupboards with excess clutter.
Under The Sink
Take a look through your cleaning supplies and see if there’s anything you don’t want, and get rid of any ones you no longer have use for. If you have multiple bottles of the same product, combine them together. Sometimes we like to try new products to see if they are better than what we already use, and have acquired so many bottles that are not wanted or needed anymore, now is the time to throw them away, and just keep what you are going to use regularly. If you have any cleaning product that is just about empty, put it to the front so that it is used up first. Never have more than you need, otherwise, it is just clutter.
Cookware and Utensils
If you have too many wooden spoons and cooking utensils, only keep what you really need, Sort through all of your saucepans, trays etc. We do tend to accumulate them when we go out and buy a new one, and instead, of getting rid of the old ones, it just gets pushed to the back of the cupboard. Get rid of any that have gone rusty, discoloured or looking a bit drab, it tells you they are no longer any good. Don’t hang on to multiple items, donate them providing they are in good condition otherwise, bin them.
Food Storage Containers
Go through all your food containers and match them with their lids, any that don’t match up, throw them away. Donate any unwanted containers, that you no longer have the need or use for.
Tea Towels
It is always good to go through your tea towels and discard any that are looking a bit worn, ripped, or discoloured. Make sure that the remaining towels are in good condition, and they are still what you want, need, or are going to use, otherwise, donate the ones you know longer have any use for.
I hope that this post helps you on your way to decluttering your kitchen, and makes it look like somewhere you are happy to spend time in, a place you would be happy to show off, and won’t give you a headache with the amount of clutter that you had before. It will feel like a new kitchen, so refreshing.
Thank you for visiting my blog and taking the time to read my post. Enjoy the rest of your week, and I will see you back here next time. Have an awesome week.
Arias Writing Journal 