Creating Joy While Staying Home: In the Kitchen

by Brooke Forry

Before quarantine, there were a few things that annoyed me or felt inefficient about our home, but life got in the way and I either ignored them or just never got around to addressing them.

Fast forward to almost 5 months of being home nearly 24/7 and we’ve had LOTS of time for those inefficiencies and annoyances to stare us in the face!

The number one space that started to endlessly irk me was our small kitchen. Suddenly four people were eating three meals plus several snacks (SO MANY SNACKS) a day at home, which is approximately… one thousand meals per week, give or take. Needless to say, the little annoyances became much bigger inconveniences as we spent more and more time cooking. Even though I generally enjoy cooking and baking, the kitchen was not a place that felt very joyful to me, so it was time to make a few updates.

Making a few small changes can make a big impact when it comes to enjoying a space that previously had some pain points. Here are a few easy ways and inexpensive items to make your kitchen a little more efficient and the time you spend there a little more pleasant (especially during a pandemic):

invest in cookware storage:

It took nearly nine years of living in our house and a pandemic for me to finally bite the bullet and spend $39 on a cookware organizer. I can’t believe how long it took me, because it has made a world of difference. No more awkwardly stacked cookware in the cabinet; no more cursing under my breath every time I need the pan that happens to be on the bottom of the stack. This thing fits perfectly in our deep cabinet, saves space, saves my sanity, and is 100% kitchen JOY.

replace worn out pots & pans:

The Calphalon pots and pans my husband I received as wedding gifts 12 years ago are slowly showing more wear (and in some instances aren’t safe to cook with anymore). This summer we have slowly been replacing our most-used pieces with ceramic coated pots and pans — and fortunately, this does not need to break the bank! These saucepans from Target have amazing reviews, and were just $15 for the 1.5 quart and $20 for the 3 quart size. So far, we are loving them.

get quality food storage containers:

Over the last few years I’ve been weeding out plastic storage containers in favor of glass. These Pyrex/Snapware containers are my favorite: they are square, so they are a better use of space in a tight fridge and the air-tight, leak-proof lids snap on. (The lids are plastic so I remove them before microwaving anything.) The 4 cup size is usually the perfect fit for leftovers, and they stack really well!

YouCopia StoreMore Expandable Cookware Rack | Made By Design Ceramic Coated Aluminum Covered Saucepan | Snapware Medium Square Container (This post is not sponsored by Target and these are not affiliate links… we just shop at Target a lot ;)

restock spices and baking essentials:

Spend 10 minutes or so taking stock of your favorite cooking and baking recipes, then double-check your spice rack and baking items: is your baking soda expired? Are you running low on crushed red pepper? Be sure you have everything you need to cook your favorites on a whim, and add whatever you don’t have to your grocery list. It’s a great idea to do this a few times a year so you never run out of those little essentials that can make or break a meal!

make yourself a tea or coffee bar:

It took years of making myself a morning cup of tea to realize that everything I needed was stored in a different place. Mug, tea, sugar, spoon: four different locations in my kitchen. Using what you have (like an empty jar to hold a week’s worth of spoons), make yourself a simple little tea or coffee “bar” with all the essentials for a quick cuppa in one place. No more opening 5 cabinets or drawers to make one cup of coffee!

create a master grocery list:

There is nothing more frustrating than getting home from the grocery store and realizing you forgot something. Magnify this frustration x100 when it’s a pandemic and you’re trying to limit your trips to the grocery store as much as possible. After being frustrated with a list app that wasn’t always syncing properly between my phone and my husband’s, I created a master grocery list that we could post on our fridge. My husband and I spent a little time making a list of the items we typically need on any given occasion, and organized the order of the list based on the layout of our grocery store. The list lives on our fridge at all times, so we can add items we need throughout the week. (If I’m not home when I think of something we need, I make a note in my Balance Bound Planner, then check the item off the master list once I’m back home.) Not only do we forget less items because the list is in plain view on the refrigerator when we’re in the kitchen, but it has made our shopping trips so much more efficient: now we never have to backtrack to another aisle because we forgot something the first time we went down it. Apps are great sometimes, but when it comes to groceries, good ol’ pen to paper has been the most fool-proof option for us.

If you’d like to create your own master grocery list, we’ve created a free printable template to get you started. Just enter your name and email address below.

After you submit your info, a link will appear for you to download an editable Word file. Go ahead and add your most commonly purchased items, edit the order of the sections based on the layout of your grocery store, save it to your computer and print off a few for your upcoming grocery trips. (I print 10 at a time and keep them within reach in the kitchen so I am ready to go with a fresh list each week.)

Enjoy, and don’t forget to tag us @balanceboundplanner if you share on social media so we can see how you’re using your master grocery list!