I’ve seen some people misunderstand and knock the minimalist movement as though it’s another passing fad, but for us, there was a time (before simplifying and minimizing were trendy) that we didn’t have a choice but to learn to be a minimalist family! This was especially true of the kitchen area, where it was most critical for us to be “kitchen minimalists”.
For six years our family of 5, then 6, and then 7 squeezed into less than 1000 square feet. Through that time the kitchen was the main hubbub of the house. Laundry had to be partially done in the kitchen, bills were paid in the kitchen, and any projects that needed to be done were accomplished….you guessed it, in the kitchen! Oh yes, and there was cooking that still needed to happen-of course in the kitchen! But that’s not all, we also homeschooled in the kitchen until one day we realized we needed a school room/office more than a living room and we eliminated our living room.
Those years of being a homeschooling family and running a home based business out of such a small space meant minimalism wasn’t an option for us. It was a necessity. Although it was very difficult, and living like that definitely impacted productivity, I will say that living that way for so long did have a way of teaching us how much EXCESS we (and most people) had/have and didn’t/don’t need!
Eventually we were blessed with a home addition, and following that I had a nice big kitchen. But I still used minimalism tricks I picked up during those small space living years. Some out of habit, and some because they made sense, they were simply solid kitchen minimalist tips and tricks! It turned out to be a good thing too because last year we relocated our family, and our new home has a rather small kitchen! Since I was already a minimalist it made the transition from big to small kitchen a breeze for the most part.
Here’s a list of some of the solid and AMAZING kitchen minimalist tricks I’ve learned that I love and use to this day!
Toaster
Let’s talk about the toaster. Do you really need it? Did you know the broiler works just as well? And since it does more then two pieces at a time it makes a smarter choice for a family-just make sure the butter is soft and that you have a couple butterer’s standing by so the toast can get buttered before it get’s cold.
Mixers
You only need one-I recommend the Kitchen Aid. So many people have electric hand beaters, manual hand beaters, a bread mixer, and kitchen aid mixer. You just need the kitchen aid!
Food Processing
Do you need a blender and a food processor? Chances are, no.
Coffee Grinders and Blenders
Do you need both? Or will the blender work better since it grinds the whole bag of coffee beans instead of a half a cup at a time? I would give the blender a try, see if it’s powerful enough for the beans. If so you don’t need the coffee grinder!
Decorative Dishes
Get dishes that double as décor. Stone ware, especially stoneware with lids make such a smart option because they have triple use. One as décor, two as durable dishes to cook in, and third as a replacement for plastic containers because you can store food in the fridge in them.
Utensils
Most people have quadruple what they need and use!
Dozens Of Dishes
You may be able to pair them down! Most people have way more then they ever use or need!
Cups
Get non matching cups-one for each family member. Put the rest up high to take out for guests. This way you’ll be taking up less cup space in the cupboard, and you’ll have less dishes to do.
So my last two declutter rounds I didn’t find a whole lot that I didn’t need anymore since this is something I’m always trying to stay on top of. Here’s what I did find that I had excess of; 3 extra pie plates, 3 small casserole dishes (a family our size has no need of small casserole dishes anymore). I also ditched the coffee grinder because our blender does the job. I let the yogurt maker and our crockpot go because the Instapot takes the place of both, I also got rid of some excess utensils.
Some people are afraid to start minimizing because they are afraid they’ll toss something that they later need. If this is your worry, let me tell you that through my years of becoming minimalist there is only 1 or two things (out of dozens of garbage bags full of stuff and trips to the Goodwill) that I later regretted getting rid of. If you are reluctant to start minimizing because you’re afraid of getting rid of something you’ll need, try it out anyways and instead of taking your stuff to donate right away put it in storage somewhere out of the way for a few months first. After 5 or 6 months if you didn’t need something you pitched you probably won’t.
Another thing to consider is this; stuff takes time. Time cleaning and time moving around. So the less stuff you have the more time your likely to have!
The kitchen wasn’t the easiest room to minimize. It took awhile-I worked on it over the course of a week. It also took some thought. But the return made it all SO worth it! I know minimizing the kitchen has saved me hours and tons of frustration over time!