What Does Your Frugal Kitchen Look Like?
Turning away from the computer screen after viewing the pristine and clutter-free kitchen I had been admiring on a blog, I sighed. I like my kitchen best when everything is put away and my counters are clear. You know, the “museum look” where it appears that nobody lives here.
Surveying my counters I did an assessment of all my kitchen clutter. One crockpot held yogurt in process. The other was cooking ground meat to later be frozen for quick meal-time solutions. A basket was filled with apples, oranges, and bananas for healthy snacks. The rice cooker sat ready to serve me several days a week and the toaster oven often is an economical alternative to the oven.
Olive oil, coconut oil, salt, and pepper are close to the range for ease of use. Spatulas, wooden spoons, and other kitchen paraphernalia are kept in a crock close to the stove as well. Although wheat mill, blender, and popcorn popper live secure in cabinets, they often make a countertop appearance. Even though I strive to keep dishes washed as I go about my day, often the sink is full.
My lime green compost bucket does add a bit of pizzazz to my kitchen décor and I have gotten used to having my pantry door open to make it easier to get my baking and cooking supplies. Youngest Son, busy at work, has papers askew by his laptop, but I prefer his company to a clutter free corner. Add the clothes rack kept inside on rainy days and this kitchen is often anything but “ordered.”
Chuckling to myself, I recall a conversation heard years ago. A family member had commented on how his wife now dusts her new kitchen with great enthusiasm! Retired with expendable income, they chose to eat most of their meals out of the home. Her beautiful kitchen was clutter free, but rarely used. This may be my dream, but certainly is not my reality!
Again examining my assortment of kitchen tools, I remind myself that mine is a frugal kitchen. Cooking from scratch and seeking to make every penny count, I often have something in process. Certainly I seek to keep things clean and in order as I go about my day, but keeping perspective is important. Even though my frugal kitchen often looks “used,” the life being lived here is real.
What does your frugal kitchen look like?
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3 Responses to “What Does Your Frugal Kitchen Look Like?”
May 26th, 2011 at 7:01 am
Mine looks similar to yours. Give me a kitchen that’s really being used and lived in to a magazine kitchen. “Real” kitchens have their own kind of order and beauty.
May 26th, 2011 at 12:25 pm
I’m definitely in the “well-used” boat as well. Although it’s ironic b/c the kitchen is the one room that I keep fairly clean — but it also gets the messiest on a daily basis. No one likes dirt in their food!
May 27th, 2011 at 4:40 am
Thank you for that! Now I know why my kitchen is always a mess…. BECAUSE I USE IT!!!!!
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