How should I organise my kitchen cupboard shelf?

[PamplemousseRouge]

Hi everyone!

I'm renting a flat at the moment with two other flatmates. I've got a cupboard shelf, a freezer shelf and fridge shelf to myself.

My housemates both share all of their food and all of their cupboard, fridge and freezer space. I've asked for a cupboard, fridge and freezer shelf as I prefer to buy and cook my own food.

I'm just wondering if I could ask for a couple more cupboard shelves, as I have quite a few things on my own shelf?

Or could it be possible to ruthlessly organise my shelf so that I can find everything when I need it without having to take everything out?

I've got quite a lot of things on my cupboard shelf:

A couple of small tins of mackerel fillets
A couple of tins of tomatoes
Stock (the little plastic tubs in the packet)
Four hard plastic storage containers for pasta/cereal/rice etc. (3 are full at the moment)
Giant couscous pack
2 small packs of rice
A pack of noodles
2 cereal packets
Bag of oranges
Bag of almonds
Peanuts and raisins bag

All of your cupboard organisational tips would be really welcome!

Please help, lovely Mumsnetters :)

[OrangeSquashTallGlass]

These are useful.

It's difficult to tell whether you should ask for more space without knowing how much the others are using. Ideally, as there are three of you, you should each get a third of the space.

[PamplemousseRouge]

Ooh thank you OrangeSquash! :) the shelf organise you've suggested looks great. I think it should just about fit.

Both of my flatmates cook and shop together, so they share all of the other cupboard space. There are three cupboards altogether for us to use.

[PamplemousseRouge]

Any more tips would be appreciated! :)

Fill this thread with your cupboard-decluttering wisdom :)

[2kids2dogsnosense]

I find these useful for keeping like things together, and also for accessing stuff if it's on a higher shelf.

direct.asda.com/Novo-Shelf-Organiser-Tall---Set-of-3/BUNKANOVOTALL16,default,pd.html?cgid=D26M08G08C10

These are form Asda, but lots of places have them, includingLakeland Plastics. Their's are dearer, but probably more sturdy (they are a less brittle plastic). You can get them in different sizes, some very narrow, others broader.

If there are three cupboards the kitchen, could you not ask for an entire cupboard for your own use? Or are the cupboards different sizes, in which case a shelf in each might be a possibility?

What about cleaning materials - do you prefer to keep your own separate, or is there a kitty for/up liquid etc?

[2kids2dogsnosense]

These also take 14oz cans e.g. baked beans tins toms
www.lakeland.co.uk/24246/Fridge-Binz-Drinks-Can-Organiser

www.lakeland.co.uk/23098/4-Tier-Over-Door-Storage-Rack

www.lakeland.co.uk/24415/Caddy-Stack-Storage-Caddy

Lakeland has some good stuff, but some fit os pricey, so it may be worth seeing if IKEA or one of the supermarkets have something similar at a lower price.

[PamplemousseRouge]

Thanks 2kids! These are going to be really useful for getting more cupboard space :)

The cupboards are different sizes, I think. The one where I have the shelf is quite wide. There's another cupboard that is more or less the same size, but the last of the three food cupboards is fairly narrow.

We bought our cleaning things together when we first moved in, and we keep them in the same place under the sink.