The Affordable Way To Declutter Your Kitchen Without Spending A Fortune

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

We've long discussed the fact that the best overall tip for small kitchen organization is to take advantage of "space" that you aren't typically using in the first place. We love an over-the-sink cutting board, which can save serious real estate when countertops are at a premium. Likewise, Martha Stewart's pro suggestion of using a two-tiered lazy Susan in your kitchen cabinets maximizes vertical space that might otherwise be wasted.

Our current fixation is on the transformative power of magnets in your kitchen, and we don't mean the kitschy collection of tchotchkes holding up your kid's artwork on the fridge. Rather, we are talking about an ingenious, relatively cheap way to hold your spices, either with magnetic racks that you can affix to the side of your fridge or with special magnetic containers that fit on a corresponding strip on your wall. The purpose of these racks is twofold. Not only do they get your spices out of your cluttered kitchen cabinets or a bulky spice rack and stowed in otherwise unused space, but they also look really cool and can even beautify your kitchen — as long as you keep them tidy. Ina Garten's tip for kitchen decoration is to stick to functional items, and these methods of stashing spices on a budget definitely fit the bill.

The song "Maria" from "The Sound of Music" might as well have asked, "How do you solve a problem like spice jars?" They are numerous, they're often shaped differently, and you always need them, so you can't put them too far away. If you are simply stashing away the spice bottles that you buy at the store, you are not doing yourself any favors. Buying a set of matching bottles is a modest upfront investment, true, but it will pay dividends in a spice rack that is more organized. You can also have a collection that, when put in a magnetic organizational system, will look as nice as it feels when you need something for dinner and it is right within arm's reach.

For most home cooks, space is always at a premium, to the point where an estimated third of homeowners increase the footprint of their kitchens during a reno. If remodeling your kitchen is not in the budget, you need easy, reasonable solutions. You can declutter cabinets until you drive yourself crazy, but sometimes one needs to think smarter, not harder. Making use of unused space is the genius-level hack to organizing like a professional. Whether you utilize a magnetic rack on the side of your fridge or hang strips somewhere convenient — not directly over your stove, as the steam and heat from cooking could damage your spices — you will be using your thinking cap to solve a common problem in a way that is satisfying and efficient.