Regina, one of my faithful blog followers, sent me this picture of her DIY Lazy Susan. I thought it was incredibly clever and that you all would enjoy learning how she made it. (It’s simple and cheap!)
She bought all the supplies at Dollar Tree. For each Lazy Susan (there are three in the picture above) all you need are the following:
2 round metal cake pans
1 bag of marbles
Pour the marbles into one of the cake pans, and spread them out. You’ll only need enough to fill half the pan. Nest the other cake pan on top, and it should spin around perfectly. That’s it!
Regina uses her Lazy Susans to store baking supplies. (Looking for a handy way to organize your spices? Click here to check out my spice cabinet organization tutorial.)
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How clever and frugal! Thanks for sharing, Ellie.
Really cool!😄
I couldn't use that in my kitchen. I utilize the full space of my cabinets. You can see how much space is "wasted" when you put circles into a rectangle. All those outer edges and spaces between go unused. I could store what is pictured there in half that space, with the right organizer(s). There's also a lot of unused space above each item that could be utilized if the cabinet were split in half horizontally with a shelf or shelves. An expanding "choir steps" organizer would be better for small items, and would cost not much more, if at all. I've seen them in thrift stores for under a buck.
So yeah, nice, if you have space you can afford to waste. If every inch counts or you'd rather see the entire cabinet contents on display in one glance, then no.
Thank you Anon for your great suggestion. Actually we have more space than we know what to do with. The kitchen has so many cabinets that if they were flat surfaces they would become hot spots(Flybabies know what I'm talking about) Not to mention the pantry.(Now that So the lazy Susan works for us since I used to always knock things down from the shelf. Have a blessed week!
I knew I sent my reply before finishing my thought. I was going to "Now my walk-in pantry needs help!" '
Group like things together in your pantry (vegetables, fruits, soups, condiments, etc.). Don't just put cans and bottles in anywhere. Group things that are used for the same purpose, such as baking, together.
Write the expiration dates in large numbers on the fronts of each can or package. You can see what's oldest or needs to be used up first.
Divide shelf space by putting in half-high shelf organizers, under-the-shelf hanging bins, etc.
Corral small things and "floppy" things (mix packets, nut packages, pasta bags, dried beans) into bins, see-thru if possible. I use plastic shoe boxes without the lids.
Add a pull-out rolling cart on the floor for more storage.
Use items not necessarily meant for a pantry to add storage, such as shoe shelves and behind-the-door hanging racks.
If you have wire shelves, you can use large S-hooks to store bags of things (snacks, empty plastic bags, etc.). The S-hooks catch between the wires on the front of the shelves and go thru grocery sack handles or the handles of bags you'd sew. You can hang these up & out of your way.
If the pantry is dark, add motion-activated, battery-powered lights (Target has them), so you can step in there & have light, hands-free.
Thank you Anon! I appreciate your suggestions.
It has been said if you want to get some good ideas watch how a lazy person does some things. Same goes for watching what poor people do. Reasons cause people to be efficient. This is a good idea, thanks. Sometimes having more creates the problem of having so much clutter people just live off the top and edges anyway, while most of the stuff does not get reached, and, in a fridge or cupboards gets old and rots or goes stale.
Once someone gave me chili sauce spice mix in a square envelope package. When I was out of salt and low on food I put it onto potatoes with butter. It was tastey. Sometimes we never use up what we have until we are poor and getting creative with what is left!
Ever go to someone's place and look in the cupboards and think how am I supposed to politely find what I need in there? Seeing this would be better!
That's such a great idea! I love how its so simple too! 🙂
I'd be careful of this idea if you have small children. They may be fascinated with spinning those pans (causing a mishap), and the marbles could be choking hazards. I'm saying this because I was the kind of kid who had to take everything in the house apart to see how it worked! Or who would try anything once. "Hmmm…what can I stick in this socket?" The dangerous kind of kid…..