One Small Thing You Can Do This Weekend to Get a Less-Cluttered Kitchen

Shifrah Combiths
Shifrah Combiths
With five children, Shifrah is learning a thing or two about how to keep a fairly organized and pretty clean house with a grateful heart in a way that leaves plenty of time for the people who matter most. Shifrah grew up in San Francisco, but has come to appreciate smaller town life in Tallahassee, Florida, which she now calls home. She's been writing professionally for twenty years and she loves lifestyle photography, memory keeping, gardening, reading, and going to the beach with her husband and children.
updated Nov 7, 2019
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Credit: Lana Kenney

The moment I feel a tinge of cooler temperatures I suddenly (somewhat like a squirrel gathering acorns) begin to collect cold-weather drink supplies. Chai latte concentrate and vanilla tea find their way into my shopping cart alongside mums and Thanksgiving decorations.

But when I get home to sock my finds in the tea basket above my fridge, I find that no amount of Tetris will make the new boxes fit. And I feel guilty for buying new exciting flavors when I still have last year’s stash of Good Earth and chamomile. 

Pulling out mugs is another problem. I have favorites I reach for, ones that bring to mind treasured epochs, but they’re all mixed in with chipped or not-special mugs that do nothing but make it hard to get to the ones that would comfort me almost as much as the warm tea I want to drink from them. 

This weekend, I’m going to prepare to make my hot-drink experience the relaxing treat it’s meant to be. You with me?

Credit: Nasozi Kakembo

This weekend: Go through your mugs and teas. 

By paring down both your tea (and other hot drink collection) as well as your selection of mugs, each time you go to grab something warm to drink, making it happen will become part of, rather than a hindrance to, your cold-weather wind-down ritual. 

Here are some tips:

  • Pull out all of your mugs and all of your hot drink items. (Think: tea, cocoa, mulling spices, syrups, and concentrates.)
  • Make three piles: keep, toss, donate.
  • Keep in mind that chipped mugs are bad feng shui. Even if you don’t believe they’ll bring bad luck, it takes energy to avoid the crack so you don’t cut your lip. Not relaxing. 
  • I won’t use a certain well-worn phrase, but for real, keep only the mugs that make you happy. 
  • Keep only the tea (and other consumables) that you and those in your household are looking forward to drinking this season. Give away or donate the rest so someone else can enjoy it. Note that, though it may have diminished flavor profiles, expired tea is safe to drink.
  • Consider a tea organizer to keep your whittled-down collection of favorite teas both handy and in order. 
  • If you’re looking for a new way to store or display your collection, check out these mug display ideas. 

This post originally ran on Apartment Therapy. See it there: One Small Step You Can Take This Weekend Towards a Less-Cluttered Kitchen

Filed in:
Beverages
Tea