The ideas about organizing kitchen cabinets are great! My kitchen
is so neat, now, I can hardly believe it's mine, and the compliments
from my family are still coming. Can I organize my refrigerator using
containers, too?
Certainly. And when we're dealing with the refrigerator, containers
give you an added bonus. Because they catch all the drips and spills,
you'll save many a clean-up job.
Use any strong washable containers or plastic baskets that fit your
needs and maximize the use of your shelves. Look around in the stores
until you find the right ones. You may find it helpful to actually
measure the width, depth and height of your shelves and keep the information
with you when you're out shopping. The dividends are worth the investment
in time.
Here are some ideas to get you started.
Place all your lebens, yogurts etc. in one or two containers (straight-sided
ones, please). If any lebens crack or break, all you'll have to do
is wash one small container instead of an entire shelf. Also, keep
all dairy to one side and all meat dishes on the other. Milk bags
can also fit in a separate rectangular basket, under the lebens. This
will also contain any leaky bags. Do the same
for spreads: parve and dairy separately. At mealtime, or when you
make sandwiches for the family, you can bring the whole assortment
to the table in one trip. And when you need the space, you'll be able
to move all the little bottles and jars in one motion. One
client who has a refrigerator with glass shelves instead of wire ones,
went even further. She bought a set of inexpensive trays to cover
all the shelves completely. She says it's much easier to wash a smooth
plastic tray than to deal with a glass shelf with its seams and crevices.
And, again, these can pull out in one easy motion.
She also uses several in her no-frost freezer. They catch the breadcrumbs
before they get into the air holes in the front and also catch any
drips from food put in to freeze.
More Ideas for the Freezer
Empty several trays of ice cubes into a container. You'll save space
and if your family uses a lot of ice cubes, your trays will be available
to make still more. If you leave one or two frozen cubes in the tray,
the rest will freeze much more quickly, besides.
When you make sheet cakes, you can cut them into individual portions
and store them in a covered container. The white shoebox size is about
right for most sheetcake recipes. You may wish to label the fronts
with masking tape or white labels if you're freezing several types
of cake at once.
Use a large plastic basket to keep odds and ends of bread, pitas etc.
in one place. You'll know exactly what you have left and what needs
replenishing.
Another basket can hold all your convenience foods together - soy
shnitzels, franks, frozen falafel balls etc. One glance, and your
meal planning is greatly simplified. Another one can hold bulk items
which you freeze, like grains, sifted flour, spices etc.
Put your imagination to work and combine any foods that are similar
or used together. You'll appreciate the convenience.
Plan Your Change of Season Clothing
Readers - it's not too early to start checking out what you have in
the way of clothes for Pesach and the Spring. It's much easier to
do it now, before the costume-shalach monos-Pesach cleaning
rush begins.
Now's the time to check out which clothes still fit from last year,
who gets which hand-me-downs, what needs hems up or down and what
needs a freshening up.
Then make a list of everything you need to buy for every single member
of the family. Include whatever dresses, suits, wigs or shoes you
may need. Also write down accessories such as socks, hair ribbons,
belts, Shabbos shirts, ties etc.
As soon as your favorite stores get in their new stock, do your shopping.
You'll have the pleasure of relatively quiet stores, and the best
selection. All the sizes will still be there or can be reordered.
You'll be able to afford the luxury of shopping around instead of
taking the first thing that's passable just to get out of the crowds
and back to your Pesach work.
Try everything on, don't estimate. Fix everything as early as you
can. You can even adjust hems on new and not-new clothes. The children
probably will not grow drastically in the 6-7 weeks until Pesach.
Comes the last minute before Pesach - clothes for the family will
be one job you have behind you.
And another tip from our readers:
Several experienced homemakers remind us that NOW is the time to check
your kitchen cabinets for the chometz food that takes a while
to use up. Plan your meals to include these foods so that you won't
find yourselve two weeks before Pesach with a three month's supply
of grains, soup mixes, pasta or whatever...
Chaya Roizy works as a Home Management Consultant and is available
to answer questions evenings between 9-10.
