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Housekeeping

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Original poster

Kitchen Storage not in the kitchen

38 replies

KoalaChaos · 28/09/2023 17:34

So. If you shop around there are some great deals for some things. Currently on maternity leave so I have plenty of time with DS to go to multiple supermarkets for my shopping in order to get the best deals and offers.

I.e. right now asda is selling a cardboard sleeve of 3 heinz beans for £2.25, or a sleeve of 6 for £2.60. Seems like a no brainer for me and a significant saving. We get through about 6 tins of beans a month so it's not too bad. They have good dates on them as beans often do. I want to buy 3 x 6 packs. But I only realistically have room in my cupboard for 3 tins.

This happened in August too. Sainsbury's did 3 days where all heinz products were 50% off if you have a nectar card. So I restocked all of the ones we use weather the old one was out or not. We would open a new ketchup in no time anyway so why wait for it to run out if I can get it now for half the price?

The problem once again is storage. I don't have any more cupboards to spare! DH knew I'd done the heinz shop so when we finished the old bottle asked me where to find the new one I had bought but otherwise its just a guess on how well my brain was functioning when I put the shopping away or if we have it in at all.

I'm considering getting us a cupboard for in the dining room / living room for kitchen overflow items. The debate we are having is, how weird is this? To have food storage in a room that you normally don't find it in?

We obviously don't have a pantry / larder, we also don't have a garage or cellar which I think are also more obvious storage locations.

What do you do in your house when you want to stock up on something?

OP posts:
Chasingsquirrels · 28/09/2023 17:38

Ah, I was going to say that my overflow is in the garage.

Do you have any spare storage in a bedroom? Built in wardrobe, additional wardrobe or cupboard space, under-bed (lift up style) or ottoman.

An ottoman could work in the living room, additional seating plus storage.
Coffee table "chest" as storage.
Nice dresser in the dining room.

TheFlis · 28/09/2023 17:41

Not weird at all. We lived in a flat when I did some low level Brexit prepping and we had stuff stashed in any spare storage spots in the bedroom and living room as our kitchen was tiny. Currently we have our spare tins etc in the cupboard under the stairs.

IsThisNameTaken · 28/09/2023 17:46

Not weird at all, but the trick is remembering what you have and where it is!

BasiliskStare · 28/09/2023 17:49

@KoalaChaos If you have a dining room cupboard then non perishable items - absolutely fine to store them there - not weird at all. If you have a balcony then a cool box - not weird ( my friend calls it "nature's larder ) - Pop up ottoman in the sitting room for tins - not weird at all. I would move tins to dining / sitting areas and then more perishable things have more space in kitchen.

But no , not weird

Alphabet1spaghetti2 · 28/09/2023 17:52

Cupboard or space under the stairs, some shelving or just in some boxes.

sarsaparillatree · 28/09/2023 23:48

Have you got any outdoor space? My neighbours have a store for food in their shed. If you only have a little outside space how about one of the plastic storage boxes for garden stuff - preferably in a shady spot? https://www.argos.co.uk/browse/garden-and-diy/sheds-and-garden-storage/garden-storage-boxes-and-cupboards/c:29485/

pizzaHeart · 29/09/2023 00:01

Imo any suitable space you can spare will do.

Shadypaws23 · 29/09/2023 00:01

I have shelving in the spare room
Anything like toilet rolls, cleaning products, tins of food etc all end up there as overflow
The rest of the shelves hold bedding and towels

Ohyournotwearingadress · 29/09/2023 00:02

We have an old wardrobe in the integral garage and DH cut up some old planks and made shelves for it, two vertical either side with another bit to make the shelf etc and again on top of that and another atop of that. Really sturdy, and it all comes out should it need to be a wardrobe again.

so stuff that’s on offer a fair bit I just buy it, our coffee is £2 a jar cheaper on offer, when I get something out I look at the dates of all the same items and choose the newest first.

I also towards Christmas have another cupboard in the garage for Christmas chocolate and biscuit gifts/house food.

we live rurally so sometimes it’s easier to always have ‘mums shop’ on hand to ‘buy’ from.

YourSpleenIsDamp · 29/09/2023 01:45

I keep bags of potatoes and carrots in the understairs cupboard - the window in there is a bit wonky, so it's cold enough to be like a tiny larder.

LovelaceBiggWither · 29/09/2023 02:18

I have a storage cupboard in an outside under shelter area and another one in the downstairs workshop. You have to do what works. I only wish I had a dining room where I could put an attractive cupboard!

JollyJellyCat · 29/09/2023 09:55

I keep less used cake tins, baking stuff, big pans in the dining room so all food can go in the kitchen. I only bake a few times a year and make soup for 20 once a year . . .

OnTheTuftedWilton · 01/10/2023 11:41

Use plastic underbed storage, have 5 under the bed, storing cans, rice, pasta, coffee etc. Also large cupboard in my office. See a good deal and buy plenty. Always keep a good stock of things though, been known to say we are running low on baked beans meaning less than 15 tins and there are only 2 of us 🤣🤣

OnTheTuftedWilton · 01/10/2023 11:43

JollyJellyCat · 29/09/2023 09:55

I keep less used cake tins, baking stuff, big pans in the dining room so all food can go in the kitchen. I only bake a few times a year and make soup for 20 once a year . . .

I like this idea but don't think it would free up enough space in our case

Fireisland · 01/10/2023 11:46

In our old flat we had a tiny galley kitchen with little storage but a bigger dining room next to it. We had a 4x4 kallax in the dining room for kitchen storage - some of the cubes we put doors on and kept whatever in there, and some were left open and had more "aesthetic" things displayed like pasta in jars, retro scales etc. It looked really nice.

TwigTheWonderKid · 01/10/2023 12:42

We have a pantry but also keep extra stuff on the top of our kitchen cupboards.

But how much money would you have to save on baked beans on special offer to recover the expense of buying a dedicated cupboard to store them in?

OnTheTuftedWilton · 01/10/2023 13:04

TwigTheWonderKid · 01/10/2023 12:42

We have a pantry but also keep extra stuff on the top of our kitchen cupboards.

But how much money would you have to save on baked beans on special offer to recover the expense of buying a dedicated cupboard to store them in?

The plastic boxes have been used for 10 or 15 years plus so definitely paid for themselves. Cupboard was repurposed. Also saves time as I shop in different stores for different things on an irregular basis. Works for me.

Dotcheck · 01/10/2023 13:08

Is there any space on a wall in the kitchen for more shelves or units?

Can you rethink the seating situation so it has storage in it? Ie a bench with lift up storage?

Have you gone through all your kitchen stuff to get rid of everything you don’t need?

Caspianberg · 01/10/2023 13:11

In Laws have a dresser with cupboards at bottom and shelves at top, kind of like these:
https://www.cotswoldco.com/dining-room-furniture/dressers/

Cupboards contain drinks, and snacks, hidden from view. Shelves have all the glasses bar odd water glass in kitchen. And things like glass cake dome, tea pot, etc. that take up space in kitchen but don’t get used daily.

Dressers | Kitchen & Dining Room Furniture | The Cotswold Company

Browse beautiful and built to last dressers to display all your favourite things. Available in colours and styles to suit all dining rooms and kitchens, and all guaranteed for 15 years.

https://www.cotswoldco.com/dining-room-furniture/dressers/

Oldraver · 01/10/2023 13:28

We have an overflow cupboard in the utility but also have an old bookcase we keep on the garage for extras

We just make sure any food items in the garage are in glass bottles or cans ..oh just realized DS's soya milk is in there as well

Oldraver · 01/10/2023 13:31

Oh and a while ago I had some plinth cupboards made to store cake/roasting tins and one for Tupperware, it's freed up some space

Kitchen Storage not in the kitchen
Kitchen Storage not in the kitchen
Oldraver · 01/10/2023 13:32

Bum posted same photo

Kitchen Storage not in the kitchen
geminiflanagan · 01/10/2023 13:36

I've seen some v clever storage where the kickboards under the kitchen cupboard are fitting with a little push thingy and a hinge, so you push them and it opens upwards and then people stash things underneath.

It would be ideal for tins and bottles - I would be wary of any other foods in packages in case it attracted mice or rats though!

TheLurpackYears · 01/10/2023 13:37

I used to bulk buy but decided that the room it took up in the home wasn't worth the value of having the space to use for other things. Or nothing.i feel uch better in myself if I'm not in a cluttered environment. A larger house with more storage would cost more than the money I've on multi buys.
I'm also self employed, so there is a easy to see value to whether I am making money from my time or not (almost always better money in doing extra time working).
How do the savings you make stack up against the fuel getting between supermarkets OP?

Winter42 · 01/10/2023 13:44

We used to have a big plastic tub in the loft.