Kitchen Organization in the Tiny Apartment

After I was married and moved out to Las Vegas, I came to the realization that I had no clue how to unpack and organize my kitchen. I called my mother immediately. She gave me wonderful advice that I applied to two different kitchens in less than six months (yay moving). The general idea is to place your kitchen items in cabinets near the area you will use them. Before we get into the organization details, let me share with you what all I have packed into my 147 square foot kitchen.

In my mind, the kitchen revolves around the oven and stove so that is where I start when organizing a kitchen. I usually put the pots and pans to the right since I am right handed, but any lower cabinet near your oven will work. I like to put the glassware either by the fridge or by the drying area; it was more convenient in this kitchen to put them above the drying area. That cabinet was also perfect for my bowls and coffee cups. I save the tall cabinets for J's things since I can't reach that high without standing on a chair.

I don't like to waste floor space with a trash can, so we store ours under the sink along with cleaning supplies. I have my nespresso machine out for easy morning access and the pods are stored in the shallow drawer right there. The large cabinet under the drawer is on the outer edge of the kitchen but near prep space and an outlet, so that is where I store my appliances. J and I can just reach into the cabinet and put the appliance directly where we will be using it without taking any steps.

You can see in the picture above that I have stored my flatware in the drawer under the drying area. This allows for convenient "putting up" (J makes fun of that phrase every time I say it). The flatware and glassware are also right next to my casual dishes. Mom says to store your dishes near where you are plating your meal, which means right next to the stove in this tiny kitchen. I have the casual dishes on the right near the drying area since we use those most often, and the formal dishes to the left. The cabinet above the stove is perfect for keeping my empty glass jars since it is a bit high for me to easily access every day.

I am lucky to have two skinny cabinets on either side of my oven. On side is for cutting boards, near my prep space, and the other is for cookie sheets and pizza stones. I keep my cast irons inside the oven.

My main prep area is to the left of the stove. I find it convenient to have my measuring cups, trivets, food storage, and baking stuff all on that side. I keep my kitchen aid out because it is too heavy for me to lift it from a lower cabinet. When I want to bake, I just pull it forward while in use and my baking stuff is right underneath where I need to work. This side of the kitchen has more storage space, so it catches all the random pieces (hence disaster zone).

Having colanders and mixing bowls either near your fridge or prep space makes it easier to get your cooking done quickly. After the meal, the prep space turns into the cleaning up space so I also keep my food storage on that side. And of course, oven mitts near the oven makes perfect sense.

 Here are some closeups of my counter space. I don't like carrying big bags of flour and sugar out of the pantry whenever I want to cook or bake, so I have three canisters (thanks, Melinda!) to keep those two items and rice near my prep space and stove. The knife block stays out, as does the bread basket and produce bowl. I haven't found a home for my dutch oven, mostly because it is so pretty I love to look at it. I will probably put it into the oven if I ever need more prep space, but so far it's placement hasn't gotten in my way.

I keep everything I need for stovetop cooking to the right of the oven (this is a good thing for right handed people). I keep my vinegars, cooking red wine, and olive oil in old wine bottles with pourers. These bottles are better sized for my hands than the containers these things come in. I have canisters for my wooden spoons and other cooking utensils. I also use my jelly container for garlic. It bothers J that the word doesn't match the contents, but I don't mind it. If I need more space, I can put up the second drying mat but usually I don't need to do that.

I do have a small pantry (not pictured) on the other side of the fridge, which allows all my cabinets to be used for kitchen stuff. The space may be small but I have found a way to make it work for my kitchen habits and belongings. I shifted things around slightly after the preliminary unpacking and organizing as I discovered my most common uses of the counters, and you should too. It really doesn't take that much time to totally swap two giant cabinets full of pots/pans/baking stuff. Trust me, I have done it. If you have an kitchen organization tips, share with us!

Sale Alert: Nespresso Machines for 40% Off

For those of you who don't know, Briana and I are obsessed with our Nespresso machines.  My aunt (aka Briana's mom) introduced me to them when I was down for a visit and Briana got one as a wedding gift.  I came a little bit later to the game and didn't purchase one until this past fall.  Nespresso machines aren't your average coffee pot and they are a bit different from other pod-based systems like the Keurig.  The Nespresso pods come in a variety of strengths which is great for entertaining.  I have one girlfriend who gets a shot of espresso added to her Venti iced Starbucks coffee and then drinks it...black.  Clearly, we are not cut from the same cloth as I prefer a high milk to coffee ratio with a ton of cinnamon tossed in.  HOWEVER, because I have the Nespresso, when she comes over for coffee I can give her a Nespresso with a 8 or 9 intensity while I drink my much more mellow 3 or 4 intensity espresso.  I know this is Briana's favorite feature, because people can choose how intense they like their caffeine (I barely like to know that I'm getting hit with mine, I can tell you that!) and she has a big family with lots of different tastes.  You can also pick how much water you use to brew your drink (small amount, larger amount, or even make a custom setting).  Mr. 3 doesn't drink coffee so it's a lot easier to make myself the one cup I drink everyday rather than brewing up a pot of coffee that goes to waste.  I can also make fancy pants drinks with the milk frother that Mr. 3 got me for Christmas like lattes (hot and cold) and cappuccinos.

That said, Nespresso machines are a bit of an investment and range from $150-$700 depending on the model you choose.  That's why I'm happy to report that Williams-Sonoma Outlets are offering 40% off this weekend on all Nespresso Machines!

Nespresso rarely go on sale more than 20%, so this is a great opportunity.  For those of you who aren't located near an outlet, call up the outlet and ask them to ship you one (shipping fees are based on the dollar amount of the purchase - so, the more you buy, the higher the fee).  I bought my Nespresso when Williams-Sonoma outlets were offering 30% off from the Nashville location.  You may also be able buy one that comes bundled with a milk frother (which also rarely go on sale).  

If you want to save even more moo-lah, ask if they have any refurbished machines.  Refurbished products from well-regarded companies are a great way to get what you want at a drastically reduced price (refurbished products are supposed to be restored to factory-line quality and may have only been originally returned for small defects which are corrected at the factory before hitting the shelves again).  I actually wanted a Nespresso Citiz in a cream color which was discontinued and the only place I could locate it was at the Williams-Sonoma outlet.  They had one at the regular price and a refurbished one that was discounted. I decided to go with the refurbished product since Nespresso has such a great reputation and save some money.  I've had absolutely no problems and I'm super happy I got the color I wanted!  Purchasing the refurbished product, at the 30% off price, including all shipping (about $20) and tax, got me the $250 Nespresso Citiz for $165, which saved me about $40-$50 over the non-refurbished Nespresso (shipping would have been much higher).  I should note that this machine will also probably wind up saving me money in the long run...my Starbucks habit has drastically decreased to maybe twice a month (unless it's Pumpkin Spice Latte season, where I can't control myself...but that should be a given).

Briana and I definitely recommend the Nespresso to anyone to upgrade their coffee machine, brides filling out their registries, or those of you who love to entertain.  This is one of those items that we believe it is worth the investment because there is such a big happiness pay off!

*This is not a sponsored post and we aren't receiving any Nespresso or Williams-Sonoma swag (sadly).  All opinions are our own...we simply love love love our Nespresso!  

Cleaning Products: Chemicals Vs Vinegar, Baking Soda

It seems everywhere you turn on the internet, someone is advocating natural cleaning supplies, from those hippie blogs to Martha Stewart. Two of the main suggestions is to use vinegar or baking soda. Here are my thoughts after months of testing:

White Vinegar

I'm all for the power of white vinegar. It is great for cleaning the fridge and kitchen counters (food safe) and it makes a great fabric softener in the laundry. It even helps keep my white bed linens white. I have even simmered it to deodorize my apartment after a hidden orange went bad. White vinegar is awesome in so many ways.

However, it is not awesome for cleaning white bathrooms. I have tried scrubbing the shower tiles, grout, and caulk with a mixture of vinegar and water, and then just vinegar. The vinegar worked fine on the tile; the soap scum came off easily. The grout was ok, but it never achieved that sparkling clean look Martha says you need. The caulk, however, was terrible. I could never get the mildew spots to go away by using vinegar.

Baking Soda

Baking soda really works for me when there is a really grimy spot. I put a little bit of baking soda on my scrubbing toothbrush and attack. The baking soda is great for adding a bit more power to your scrub. I found it to be a particularly effective method for cleaning around the sink faucet where things build up.

Baking soda did not improve the mildew spots on the tub caulking. I scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed, and finally gave up. Perhaps this is a Florida issue; these less harsh cleaning methods may work in less humid climates where Martha lives. I succumbed to the chemical cleaning products

Conclusion

Buy tilex and possibly scrubbing bubbles. You can use the natural solutions like vinegar and baking soda in your kitchen where the grime is less serious, but you will want the chemicals when it comes to the bathroom or any other high humidity space. After spraying my tub and shower down with tilex just once, the mildew spots disappeared. I didn't have to scrub. All I did was spray and walk away, which amusing myself with rhymes apparently.

The caulk is now back to white, as is the grout, thanks to the easy to apply tilex. Scrubbing bubbles makes cleaning the tub much faster than vinegar or baking soda. Since I despise cleaning AND mildew, I will be sticking with my bathroom chemicals.

no mildew! thanks, tilex! go back to the kitchen, vinegar and baking soda!

Do any of y'all use less harsh methods of cleaning? Let us know what works for you! And no, I won't be sharing a picture of my mildew spots; while this is real life here at Posh Purpose, there are certain limits to what we deem appropriate photographic evidence.

We're Lovin: Gap Printed Pointy Flats

I love the smoking loafer trend that is going on right now, but I'm not quite sure it is a shoe style that will enjoy more than a few years of popularity.  I've had my eyes on a few different pairs, but most of them have been on the pricier side ($150+) and I've been holding off on any purchases.  Then I saw these babies:

Printed Pointy Flats
$39.95
Image Source: Gap

I love love love the print on these flats! The cut across the top suggests smoking loafer, but I think these might be a bit more flattering on us short girls because of the pointed toe which helps to visually elongate your legs.  At $40, these are definitely doable for a shoe that might just be a short lived trend.  I plan on looking for a coupon code, taking advantage of any free shipping offers, shopping through Ebates, and adding these to my shoe collection very shortly so that I can wear them this spring.  I'm hoping I can get these for at least 20% off and get two years of wear out of them.  They will be super cute with capris, pants, and even casual skirts.  If you like the shape, but aren't crazy about the print, Gap has five other prints to choose from.

Anybody else looking forward to spring and summer wardrobe?  I'm about tired of wearing the same sweaters aaaalll the time.

Wedding Season

I noticed that our guide to men's wedding band metals that J wrote for us back in 2011 has jumped to our most popular post this week. At first I was surprised; since changing the sidebar to display the most visited posts each week rather than all time, normally we only see more current posts. (You can check this out for yourself by looking at the sidebar for Popular Posts, under our instagram feed.) Although once Melinda and I discussed it, we decided J's post popularity made sense. After all, we just got done with engagement season and are now quickly approaching wedding season.

Posh Purpose is not a wedding blog by any means, but we did start it back when Melinda and I were planning our weddings. If you go back to our 2011 posts, you can see the effects of wedding brain on the topics we chose to write about. We think it might be helpful to readers if we write about wedding related topics that those not planning weddings could benefit from as well.

Current post ideas:
Qualities your photographer should have - important for anyone wanting professional photographs
Tips for buying shower and wedding gifts - Melinda is the expert on high value gifts with a budget
Favorite DIY projects, like my glitter vases - great for anyone decorating for an event

If there is anything you would like to see on the blog, let us know! And now for a round up of our favorite wedding posts from the past:

J's guide to wedding band metals from an engineer's perspective. He explains the properties of all the common metals (platinum, silver, palladium, tungsten carbide, titanium, stainless steel) except gold. J also talks about the pros and cons of each metal when it comes to jewelry you or your husband will wear every day. If you and your fiancé are considering your wedding band options, you will find this guide extremely helpful.

Melinda discusses why she paid for a lot of wedding expenses with a credit card. A great benefit to this approach is all those credit card rewards, but it only counts if you pay the balance every month. Read the full post for more info.

Melinda also wrote a great post about what she learned from writing all those thank you notes. She is an expert thank you note writer and everyone - not just brides - would benefit from reading her tips. I know I did!

I created a template with google docs for keeping track of your guest list. We had invited over 250 guests to my wedding so I used a spreadsheet with multiple pages to keep all the addresses and RSVPs (among many other things) organized. The template is totally free and is meant to be downloaded and altered according to each bride's needs.

Melinda's post about the differences between engraving and thermography might be the most informative. When we were researching wedding invitations, we couldn't find any thorough comparison of the two types of lettering. So for our own benefit, Melinda wrote one herself. Of course, we both ended up going with letterpress for our wedding invitations but we made the decision fully informed thanks to Melinda's tireless research.

I wrote a mathematician's guide to diamonds because while every online article talked about the four C's, none of the articles actually explained what this meant in life's most important term: sparkliness! A diamond's sparkle comes from the way it reflects light, which is really just math. I explain each C and also tell how it will affect the way the diamond looks while wearing it.