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Furniture Shopping at Estate Sales

Going to estate sales is like the modern day treasure hunt. You never know what you will find and almost always at a fraction of its worth. One important tip for the newbies is pay in cash. Lots of places do accept credit/debit cards but charge an additional fee (3% or more).

Here is a great article to help those furniture shopping at estate sales.

 

What You Need To Know: Furniture Shopping at Estate Sales

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How To Store Onions

Having onions (or any produce for that matter) go bad before you use them can make you cry. Fortunately, a few tips on proper storage will ensure your onions will have a nice long shelf life.

Keep it cool, dark and dry

You probably already know to store onions in a cool, dark, dry place. Moisture is one of the biggest reasons onions go bad. Hanging them in a mesh bag will help them breathe. Ideally, place one onion in the bag, then tie off the space with a twist tie. Insert another onion and repeat. This keeps the onions from touching each other and allows any moisture to evaporate. You can also use pantyhose if you don’t have a mesh bag.

A wire or woven basket in a pantry or lower cabinet is also a good choice. Although you will need to rotate the onions to ensure they stay dry if you plan to store them for long periods of time.

If you use onions a lot or tend to stock up on them at the farmers market, you may want to consider freezing them. Chop them as fine as you like and spread on a cookie sheet. Freeze for one hour, then transfer to a zipper bag or airtight jar and return to the freezer. That way all the pieces freeze separately and they can be poured out of the bag or jar as needed.

Freezing is also an option

You can also puree the onions and freeze them in ice cube trays. Once the cubes are frozen, they can be stored in a freezer bag or airtight jar.

Whatever you do, don’t do THIS

You may NOT know that you should never store onions in the refrigerator for an extended time as the cold will make them slightly soft.

Onions should also never be stored with potatoes as this accelerates the spoilage of them both.

Don’t use plastic bags either as they hamper air circulation, and make onions sprout and spoil faster.

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8 Fridge and Freezer Organization Tips

By establishing order in your refrigerator and freezer — spaces you access at least three times a day — you’ll enjoy a stress-free meal preparation experience. Plus, you won’t forget (or overlook) ingredients you already have on-hand — a major money-saver. Read on to learn the recipe for successful organization in your most often used kitchen appliance — the refrigerator!

  • The first step in organizing your fridge and freezer is to take inventory and discard out of date items or items you will not likely use.
  • Take advantage of adjustable shelves and drawers, found readily in most new appliances. Since many shoppers like to buy the same brands (with the same packaging) over and over again, taking time to set your shelves and drawers accordingly will save you time in the long run.
  • Organize food items by size. Doing so will create a function for each shelf and make it much easier to locate your small, hard to see items. Store items in jars or bottles in the refrigerator door and bagged items in the freezer door.
  • Look for organizers that maximize shelf space — for example, shelves or dispensers that can be added to existing shelves to maximize the vertical space.
  • Keep the most often used items in front for easy access the whole family will appreciate. You may also find that ready-made snacks are helpful to curb your cravings — fresh fruit or veggies that are pre-washed and ready to eat will suddenly seem more enticing!
  • Everybody has a small shelf that never seems quite big enough. Put it to use with leftover storage because containers that stack and are similar in shape will maximize the deep, narrow space. Don’t forget to label your items before storing them!
  • To combat odors keep an open box of baking soda in the back corner. Vanilla extract will also keep your fridge fresh. Soak a cotton ball or paper towel, put it on a paper plate and wait for it to dry before removing.
  • Clean out both your fridge and your freezer once a month. Make it part of your household cleaning routine. Doing so will make it easier to know what you have and what you still need, in addition to keeping the areas clean.

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The Perfect Pantry: How To Organize A Pantry

Is your pantry hungry for a makeover? The first step is to remove all of the items inside — set a staging area on a dining room table. Discard out-of-date items and donate non-perishable items that you won’t realistically use to a local food bank. Then, follow these pointers to put together your perfectly organized pantry!

Shelf Liners

Line all of your pantry shelves with a heavy-duty liner that will make clean-up of any spills much easier!

Shelf Organizers

You’ll find that you’ll save yourself a great deal of time (and even money) if everything is easily accessible. You don’t have to spend hours searching for that box of cornstarch you know you had somewhere and you won’t have to go out to buy a new box. A good idea is to group like items together in small bins and label the contents. Or, choose bins that you can see through for quick identification.

Canned goods can quickly get “lost” on deep pantry shelves. Stacking cans one in front of the other is just not practical! You will forget what you’ve got stored in the back because you can’t see it. Choose a tiered shelf organizer that provides you with a full view of your canned goods.

Canisters

Transfer pantry staples such as sugar, flour and rice into see-through canisters. Doing so will not only help preserve the freshness of these items, it will be easier to see when you’re running low on an item. Many canisters are stackable, so you can utilize all of the space between pantry shelves!

Floor Storage

The floor is a good place to store larger items such as bulk food storage containers or baskets of often-used items such as onions and potatoes. Utilize the full space between the floor and your lowest shelf by choosing stacking bins or baskets.

Door Storage

If you have a door in your pantry or kitchen area, don’t neglect that often wasted space. Our elfa Door & Wall Rack is designed to fit onto the back of a door. The system’s flexible baskets provide you with extra storage space for canned goods and other dry foods, cleaning supplies and even bottles of soda! The rack will ease the overcrowding in your cabinets and make it possible to have everything at your fingertips.

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Bathroom Space Saving Ideas

Organize the existing space

Start with the basics by taking advantage of the space that already exists. All bathrooms have common areas that can be expanded with simple organization products.

  • Behind doors and walls: Make use of the bathroom’s vertical space by installing overdoor racks and wall grids to hang extra towels or washcloths, jewelry, hair accessories or bathrobes. This will avoid countertop clutter.
  • Cabinets and drawers: For bathrooms with limited shelves or cabinet space, install a wall-mounted rack, or use a rolling cart or trays or baskets to hold personal toiletries. Using their own shower totes or organizers, family members can store their toiletries in their bedrooms and carry them to the bathroom when needed. Use drawer organizers, and assign one to each family member for storing personal toiletries and accessories.
  • Floor: Place laundry bags or clothes hampers in or near the bathroom so family members will put away dirty clothes instead of leaving them on the floor. Try pre-sorting whites and colors into color-coded laundry hampers to save time in the laundry room.

Add new space — without construction

Other organization products can create new storage areas within the bathroom. For example, the use of a shower caddy helps organize bathroom toiletries. Maximize unused space under the sink by adding sliding shelves or drawers that provide extra vertical storage space.

If space permits, look for a freestanding storage unit to hold towels and toiletries. And don’t forget the space over the toilet! Add wall-mounted shelves to instantly create more space.

Add time-savers

Save time in the bathroom by placing a fogless mirror in the shower so that men can shave while showering. Add a shower clock as a reminder to family members to limit the length of their showers.

Remember the kids

For families with younger children, bathtub caddies are great for holding and draining bath toys and toiletries. These caddies will save valuable cabinet space that is commonly used for storing bath items. Get a step stool for younger children so that they can reach the sink to wash and dry their hands or brush their teeth without assistance. Parents can concentrate on getting themselves ready, rather than on their children.