A long time ago (twenty years?), I bought some cereal keepers, the ones that hold the clear bag of cereal so you can throw away the box and see what you have and how much. The kids don't really like them. In fact they've been storing their cereal boxes on the counter for years now. Oftentimes, the bottom tier of the lazy susan holds empty cereal keepers, while boxes of cereal sit on the counter.
I still have this and that bit of odd pasta to use up, but I think I will put the cereal keepers away for now and fill that second tier with the snacky food that sits on the counter (at our house, cereal is more of a snack than a breakfast food). The family will probably push back: if they can't see the food, how will they ever eat it? But they can get used to opening the cabinet door. They're a talented bunch.
A few years back, I put a square basket on the counter; we keep all the chips in there. It looks much better than having them pile around. The cereal boxes have always gotten piled next to the basket. If they're gone, I see some tidyness in my kitchen.
You know, the first day of July, my blog entry was something like, "Inventory everything!" But that hasn't been the key to getting my kitchen in order, some Herculean effort with amazing results. I've just picked away at it, a bit at a time, a little each day.
And now, instead of a dramatic declaration (I HAVE FIXED EVERYTHING!), I am finding a lifestyle that I want to maintain, even when July is over, a long-term plan for trimming waste from my budget as well as my shelves.
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