Kathi Lipp (00:11) 

Hey friend, welcome to clutter free Academy where our goal is to help you take small doable steps every day to live with less clutter and more life and I am here with my my co-conspirator on all things clutter free. It is Tonya Kubo. Hey Tonya We are both in podcasts ? How do we want to say we’re both heavy laden with podcasts right now 

  

Tonya Kubo (00:28) 

Hey Kathi. 

  

Yes, we are deep, deep in creator mode. 

  

Kathi Lipp (00:41) 

Yes. ? you know, so most of my clutter free people are probably not your target audience for the podcast you’ve just launched. But you know what, if 3 % of them are, they’re going to want to find it. Just just do me a favor. Tell me, give us like the the elevator pitch of what your new podcast is about. 

  

Tonya Kubo (01:02) 

Yeah, so my new podcast, so it’s depending on our cluttery people, it actually could be perfect for them, because my podcast is for people who feel like they don’t fit in. So. 

  

Kathi Lipp (01:09) 

Okay. 

  

Well, okay, 

  

there we go. I hadn’t heard it described that way. Yeah. 

  

Tonya Kubo (01:17) 

Yeah, yeah, it’s not a business podcast. is. 

  

So Apple is categorizing it under relationships and so society and culture is the big label. And it’s just for people who feel like they don’t fit in, aren’t quite sure that they might be too weird for a polite company. And we just have a conversation every single week with somebody who has learned that. 

  

Kathi Lipp (01:28) 

Mm-hmm. 

  

Mm-hmm. Okay. 

  

Tonya Kubo (01:45) 

rather than trying to fit in, they’re just gonna own their weird and find other people just like them. And then we talk about what makes that work. 

  

Kathi Lipp (01:50) 

? 

  

And what’s the name of the podcast? Love it, love it, love it. 

  

Tonya Kubo (01:54) 

Find your freaks. And who 

  

gave me that title? That would be Kathi Lipp. That would be Kathi Lipp. 

  

Kathi Lipp (02:00) 

You know what? 

  

I love a good title. Not going to lie. Yeah, I did a whole speech around that for when you’re writing to an audience, you have to find your freaks because your book is not for everybody. It’s just not. And so with this podcast, we’ve had to find our freaks. So, guys, you are our freaks and we love you. And I just want you to know that’s the highest compliment we can give you, because who else is going to listen to an entire podcast episode? 

  

Tonya Kubo (02:09) 

Yeah? 

  

No! 

  

Mm-hmm. 

  

Kathi Lipp (02:28) 

food storage. Who? Our freaks! Because I love this stuff and can I just tell you Tonya you gave me the highest compliment I think anybody has ever given me. Because when I said Tonya what kind of food storage do you use? How did you answer me? 

  

Tonya Kubo (02:29) 

Our freaks. Our peeps. 

  

Whatever I see you use in your house. 

  

Kathi Lipp (02:50) 

Okay, can I tell you why I feel like that’s such a huge compliment because I do take these things too seriously like it I have realized in ? my late stage clutter ? the things that I am doing my clutter looks very different now in my late 50s than it did say in my 30s or 20s and Usually my clutter now 

  

Tonya Kubo (02:57) 

Hahaha 

  

Mm-hmm. 

  

Mm-hmm. 

  

Kathi Lipp (03:15) 

Is I buy something because I’ve researched it. I think it’s going to be great and come to find out it doesn’t quite work But it works enough that I don’t want to get rid of it But it works not enough for me not to go out and buy another thing and so then I have two things and I have to I have to fight my inner clutter girl and Say, you know what somebody this is going to be perfect for somebody else, but it’s not me 

  

Tonya Kubo (03:23) 

Mm-hmm. 

  

Mm-hmm. 

  

Hmm. 

  

Kathi Lipp (03:45) 

And so that is my story of storage containers. And here’s why I think it matters, ? especially pantry organization. have, okay, so I really believe that there are three different kinds of food storage. And there may be more, but in my house, there are three. There’s the long-term pantry storage. So what I consider long-term is not like years, but ? we in our house put, 

  

Tonya Kubo (03:45) 

Yeah. 

  

Mm-hmm. 

  

Kathi Lipp (04:15) 

cereal into a plastic container not because we’re trying to be as my niece would call it aesthetic ? no, it’s because we live in the middle of the country and every once the while the ins the outside tries to come inside and My goodness, yes, so we’ve done a much better job of that recently, but it just is better. We also can get 

  

Tonya Kubo (04:31) 

I was gonna say you have to keep out the critters! 

  

Kathi Lipp (04:42) 

Extreme temperature differentials and so it just makes sense so but also storing like your flour or your sugar or Your brown sugar those kind of things so we’ve got long-term pantry storage, and then we have fridge storage So I’m thinking like last night. I made a Cucumber salad in like an Italian dressing that tastes better after it sat overnight and so 

  

? That went into fridge storage Leftovers go into fridge storage now if it’s up to Roger it might go into a ziplock bag because deciding on on The storage even though it really is pretty well laid out is just too much for him So I tend to put be the person who puts away all of the leftovers, but I that’s really important What are you going to keep your leftovers in? Because you want to be able to eat your leftovers when you come back to them 

  

Tonya Kubo (05:41) 

Mm-hmm. 

  

Kathi Lipp (05:41) 

And then 

  

the third segment is food to go storage, which isn’t a huge category for the Lipp family. I’m guessing it might be a bigger category for the Kubo family. If you’re packing lunches. Now, where it is a category for us is we often bring food to neighbors or to my mom. And then ? also when we go to town, you know, we are usually driving for an hour and 15 minutes before we get somewhere. And Roger’s going to need a little snack. 

  

Tonya Kubo (05:52) 

Yeah. 

  

Yup. 

  

Kathi Lipp (06:11) 

? He’s just gonna need a little something to nosh on and of course I will join him in that. those are the categories we’re talking about. So ? I wanna talk about long-term pantry storage first. ? I really believe that getting the right storage, it helps you keep track of what you have. Now, is your storage see-through or is it opaque? 

  

Tonya Kubo (06:11) 

Yeah. 

  

Mm-hmm. 

  

? most of my storage is see-through. 

  

Kathi Lipp (06:40) 

Okay, I feel like that is a huge bonus, at least for us to say, this is actually what we have instead of opening it up and also. Yeah. 

  

Tonya Kubo (06:42) 

Mm-hmm. 

  

Yes, because like I have a flour 

  

bucket. So you know, because I have sourdough and I use a high gluten flour to feed my sourdough. So that is in an opaque round bucket. And then our backup rice is also in an opaque round bucket. And there is nothing worse than opening that up and thinking it’s like half to three fourths full and finding out, no, no, no, my friend, you are wrong. 

  

Kathi Lipp (06:58) 

Yes. 

  

Okay. 

  

How? 

  

Right. You’re not making sourdough tonight. What were you thinking? You thought you were going to have rice with that orange chicken? I think not. Yeah. No, I have to have everything see through. In fact, I this will be a totally different episode. But Roger just Roger makes very few decrees in our family. ? He makes very few like, but he said we will never and I mean never buy an opaque storage container again because we are 

  

Tonya Kubo (07:20) 

Mm-mm. Mm-mm. 

  

Mm-hmm 

  

Yeah. 

  

Kathi Lipp (07:43) 

currently going through our attic and cleaning things out and I agree it’s Have mercy. Okay. I also love a see-through container because it it avoids duplication you know what you have you can see what you have and then For me it makes meal planning quicker and more efficient because like I need to know are we running low on rice? 

  

Tonya Kubo (07:48) 

And every box is a mystery. 

  

Mm-hmm. 

  

Kathi Lipp (08:10) 

And if we are, we have rice probably three times a week, which may pale in comparison to the Kubo household, but very few others. And ? I need to know when we’re running low because it’s not go down to 7-Eleven. It’s it’s hitch up the mule team. 

  

Tonya Kubo (08:14) 

Mm-hmm. 

  

Yes. Well, 

  

and you know, we live within walking distance of a grocery store, but we have finally bitten the bullet and decided we are the buy rice 25 pounds at a time family. 

  

Kathi Lipp (08:38) 

? Costco does this for a reason. They love us and they want good things for us. Okay, I wanna talk some best practices. So ? I believe deeply for all storage containers, square and stackable. ? Because square takes up less space than round because it can fit together better. And then stackable, 

  

Tonya Kubo (08:42) 

Yes. 

  

Mm-hmm. 

  

Yes. 

  

Kathi Lipp (09:07) 

This is especially for like our fridge storage and things like that. There is nothing worse than having containers that don’t sit well together. I don’t know anybody’s house who has enough space for that. I really don’t. ? How do you label your containers? 

  

Tonya Kubo (09:10) 

Mm-hmm. 

  

Yeah. 

  

No. 

  

Well, if they’re see-through, I usually can just see what they are. That’s part of the beauty of having transparent storage is you don’t have to label. ? You know, I love a good label maker because you taught me that and I don’t have great handwriting, so it’s just nice to use a label maker. But for some reason, my label maker seems to always end up at Mr. Kubo’s classroom. And so I frequently can’t use my label maker in my home. 

  

Kathi Lipp (09:31) 

Okay. 

  

Yeah, yes 

  

I don’t either. 

  

? 

  

Tonya Kubo (09:55) 

I get to use my label maker every summer because he remembers to bring it home at the end of the school year. But I don’t get it. 

  

Kathi Lipp (10:01) 

So you’ve got two, 

  

two and a half months to make all your labels for the year. my goodness. 

  

Tonya Kubo (10:04) 

I just keep my 

  

sticky notes with all the things I want to label and then come June 6th get to label stuff. 

  

Kathi Lipp (10:09) 

My goodness Label everything. my goodness 

  

now. I will say Yes, I think you can see most of the stuff, but I have to label things like flour Are apparently I collect rice I had no idea but I was looking at my rice collection I have about seven different kinds of rice and I want to make sure I’m using the right rice. I know I’m ridiculous you guys but I I 

  

Tonya Kubo (10:19) 

Mm-hmm. 

  

hahahaha 

  

Kathi Lipp (10:39) 

got a new labeler ? because my other one died and it’s called Kata symbol. I’m holding it up, yes, right there. And can you see that? 

  

Tonya Kubo (10:46) 

Let me see. want to see. Hold on. I have to move a thing. 

  

Ooh, it’s so nice and like compact. 

  

Kathi Lipp (10:53) 

Yes, 

  

it’s really nice and it is Bluetooth to your phone. So you type on your phone and it spits it out. ? it makes me very, happy. Very, very happy. So yes, I will. 

  

Tonya Kubo (11:08) 

I’m adding that to my list of things I want, but I will 

  

hide it. It’s small enough to hide. See, my other one’s not small enough to hide. This is small enough to hide. And then maybe it can actually be my label maker. 

  

Kathi Lipp (11:16) 

Uhhh 

  

I love 

  

that. I love a good plan for you, my friend. Okay. Now, um, I, so I believe in labeling and expiration dates and you know, some things I don’t worry so much. We go in through enough flour. We go through enough rice that we’re not going to worry about that. But if I am worried about it, I am going to put it on there, whether it’s an official label or maybe I’m just going to write it on there with like, um, blue painters tape or something like that, because I am not. 

  

Tonya Kubo (11:23) 

Hahaha 

  

Mm-hmm. 

  

Mm-hmm. 

  

Kathi Lipp (11:50) 

making my storage pretty for other people. mean, it this is we’re getting it done friends. And then my, my long term pantry storage, I like to categorize it together. Like I’m putting baking things together and I’m putting snack items together and canned goods and grains. Like I, and I know what area to go to in order to do that. And we’ve talked about this in some other episodes. They’re also 

  

Tonya Kubo (11:53) 

Yeah. 

  

Mm-hmm. 

  

Mm-hmm. 

  

Kathi Lipp (12:18) 

It’s great to have those containers, but it’s also good to have things like risers so that if you have smaller containers towards the back, you can see those. And then, of course, I will always mention these until the day I die, the pullout shelves. The pullout shelves, I will list all of this, you guys. And at the end of the episode, we’re going to talk about my favorite kind of storage. As you know, 

  

Tonya Kubo (12:23) 

Mm-hmm. 

  

Yes, yes. 

  

Mm-hmm. 

  

Kathi Lipp (12:44) 

I am the pied piper of storage that the Kubos will just follow along afterwards. But I feel like I’ve done the research and we’re gonna be able to do that. Okay, I wanna mention some things about just some tips for this. ? FIFO, we all know the acronym FIFO, first in, first out. So if you are… 

  

Tonya Kubo (12:46) 

Hahahaha 

  

Kathi Lipp (13:10) 

creating the storage and you have more than one container, make sure you’re using up your first container first and airtight. I think that’s the most important thing. ? What special considerations do you have for like temperature and stuff at your house? is, cause it gets pretty hot there, right? 

  

Tonya Kubo (13:28) 

It does. so our challenge, of course, so we don’t have a pantry. So we have like two cabinets and one cabinet gets really hot. It’s just that’s where the kitchen like sunshine comes through. And so that one is like I keep cold cereal there. I keep things that aren’t going to go bad faster if they get the sun beating down. 

  

Kathi Lipp (13:37) 

Yeah, right. 

  

Mm-hmm. 

  

Right. 

  

Yeah, so something to consider friends if you live in a place where ? you’re getting those big bags of flour and things like that one, know, Tonya is right. Don’t be storing that in the hottest place ? because, know, It can change things. She’s storing stuff like cereal and things that is going to get eaten more rapidly. But also a good practice is to freeze 

  

that rice, freeze that flour at least overnight so that if there are any what we’ll call wee beasties in it, you’re gonna kill those off. 

  

Tonya Kubo (14:19) 

Mm-hmm. 

  

I was gonna say, 

  

that’s why I don’t want my flour where it gets hot is I don’t want the wee beasties to come out and play. 

  

Kathi Lipp (14:30) 

Yes, right. Yes, to grow. 

  

Yep, exactly. Okay, guys, we’re going to take a quick break and then we’re going to come back and we’re going to talk about fridge storage. So you’re not going to want to miss that. We’ll be right back. 

  

Okay friends, it’s time to get into your fridge. ? I love again a square container. I love a square container because I feel like that’s more stackable and clear. I think in the fridge, it’s super important that you have clear containers because only things that are known and seen will be eaten. Yeah. And also if something’s gone a little off, you want to make sure that you’re able to see that. 

  

Now, I stack my clean containers in a drawer and I’ve got, I’ll add a picture of that drawer so you can see how I’ve organized it, but I’ve also bought some organizers to, ? how do I wanna say this? Contain the lids. Lids are an important thing, right? So I’m going to show you my storage drawer, which feels very intimate. I don’t know why, it just does. But I’m. 

  

Tonya Kubo (15:35) 

Yeah, that’s hard. 

  

I was like, I’m not 

  

showing them my storage drawer, Kathi. 

  

Kathi Lipp (15:46) 

That’s okay, 

  

I will take the bullet for both of us. But I want you to see how I’ve stacked the lids in there too, to maybe give you some ideas. And I’ll put a link to the kind of drawer dividers and things that we use in there. Because I feel like for the first time in my adult life, it’s working. It’s taken 57 years, but we’re here. ? Yes. And it’s also important that things have a tight seal. 

  

Tonya Kubo (15:54) 

Mm-hmm. 

  

Mmm. ? 

  

Yay! 

  

Kathi Lipp (16:17) 

because you don’t ? want any odors getting out or coming in. So that’s really, really important. I also tend to have designations within my refrigerator of like the top shelf is leftovers and ready to eat items, middle shelf, dairy and frequently used item, bottom shelf, more like raw meat, that kind of stuff. And then I have a crisper drawer and a cheese drawer. I love my cheese drawer, not gonna lie. 

  

Tonya Kubo (16:17) 

Mm-hmm. 

  

Me too, 

  

I have a cheese drawer. It’s my favorite part of the fridge. 

  

Kathi Lipp (16:46) 

It’s it’s the best isn’t it if I 

  

it acknowledges our love and passion for cheese I love that so much the other thing that I’ve done in the past is have bins for similar items so a couple of things you might want to think about like if you’re gonna be creating a charcuterie tray just having a bin in the fridge that you can throw all that into and pull out or a Condiment bin if that you know depending every refrigerator is like a fingerprint 

  

Tonya Kubo (17:16) 

Mm-hmm. 

  

Kathi Lipp (17:16) 

It’s very 

  

different than somebody else’s fridge and how often and where you want to find stuff. I think that that’s very individual as well. 

  

Tonya Kubo (17:24) 

Yeah, well, and it also depends on life circumstances. Like when the girls were littler, so I’m thinking like when Abby was in preschool, Lily was in early elementary school, we had bins in the bottom shelf of the fridge that had the snacks that they could grab and go with whatever they needed, right? So like your like package string cheese, your little apple slices, like all of that. And then they had a lot of freedom at snack time because they knew which bin had what. 

  

Kathi Lipp (17:39) 

Mm-hmm. Right. 

  

Yeah. 

  

Yeah, ? I love that so much. 

  

Yes, I feel like every, I don’t know, five years, my refrigerator goes through a metamorphosis and things just have to be in different places than they’ve been before. I just have to, you have to make it your own. And I think part of making it your own, one customization, maybe some containers, like kids know, hey, here are the snacks you can have anytime. And here are the snacks you can have once an afternoon. 

  

Tonya Kubo (18:11) 

Mm-hmm. 

  

Kathi Lipp (18:25) 

And those are in two different containers. We’ve got the red and the yellow or the green and the red. There we go. And then, ? but also having those clear containers for leftovers helps me meal plan better. I know what’s there. I’m like, that’s right. I forgot I’ve got that potato salad leftover from when we did barbecue the other day. And now I’m going to be inspired to barbecue something else. 

  

Tonya Kubo (18:30) 

Yeah. 

  

Mm-hmm. 

  

Mm-hmm. 

  

Kathi Lipp (18:51) 

I also am a big believer in labeling those leftovers with the date. I just have blue painters tape. It’s nothing fancy. It’s not aesthetic, but it works. ? I know some people, I don’t do this, but some people keep a small dry erase board on the fridge door to track leftovers and expiration dates. That seems next level. But if you’re cooking, if you’re cooking for more than a few people, that might be really, really important. And 

  

Tonya Kubo (19:13) 

Yeah 

  

Kathi Lipp (19:20) 

As I’m spending, I’m trying to spend less money on groceries, that might become something, that might be something I aspire to one day. Is there a way that you clean out your fridge on a regular basis? 

  

Tonya Kubo (19:24) 

Mm-hmm. 

  

Well, for us, we make soup on the weekends, which is how we use up leftover meats and veggies and any veggies that are about to go bad. That’s our favorite thing. I have, again, because I have kids, I do the meal plan on the fridge. so I generally know if there’s rice in the fridge, the rice came from Tuesday night. If there’s potatoes, the potatoes were from Monday. I don’t need to actually mark the leftover container. 

  

Kathi Lipp (19:41) 

Love that. 

  

Mm-hmm. 

  

You’ve got an archeological dig going on that will really, really help. I love that. Okay. And then let’s go to our third segment, food to go storage. ? I, I love making sure that I have containers. One, I don’t know if this is an issue in your home, but I send containers and I say, go with God. Like if I don’t get those containers back, I’m not sending my 

  

Tonya Kubo (20:22) 

Hahaha! 

  

Kathi Lipp (20:28) 

$8 a pop clear good containers out ? What what kind of to-go containers are the Kubo’s using? 

  

Tonya Kubo (20:30) 

Hmm. 

  

Yeah, so Brian prefers to use like the gladware, you know, so that’s the it’s disposable, but it’s meant to go through multiple uses. Because like you said, if it doesn’t come back, especially with the girls lunches, it’s like, OK, if they leave it or what usually happens is it gets left in the backpack in the car over the weekend. Brian likes to just throw the whole container away. Just say, you know what? We have sacrificed this to the microbial gods. So. 

  

Kathi Lipp (20:46) 

Right. 

  

Yeah. 

  

Right, right. 

  

Right. 

  

Tonya Kubo (21:06) 

That’s his preference. I have always preferred the metal containers, but good golly, Kathi, they are such a beast to clean. And so I’ve just had to say, you know what? Forget it. 

  

Kathi Lipp (21:16) 

How are they, really? 

  

For this stage in my life, no. Yeah. ? I love these kind of containers because sometimes what I’ll do is I’ll just prep a bunch of meals and just stick them in there and I can bring them to our neighbor. We can eat them. They’re ready to go. ? I really do feel like they encourage healthier eating on the go. Like I’ll make our little snack packs in there or something like that. It’s better than going to Carl’s Jr. 

  

Tonya Kubo (21:23) 

No. 

  

Mm-hmm. 

  

Mm-hmm. 

  

Kathi Lipp (21:48) 

at least budget-wise, health-wise. And I like the multi-container. What do I want to say? Yes, I like that. Now, some people like to have a bunch of different containers. ? You know, you do what floats your boat. Now, when I’m bringing food to other people, I will sometimes do that because I don’t want to put like the dip. 

  

Tonya Kubo (21:58) 

Like multi-compartment. 

  

Mm-hmm. 

  

Kathi Lipp (22:16) 

Like if I’m making a yogurt dip, I don’t want to put that in the same ? container that a the hummus at like I don’t want them to have to heat things up. So I don’t want them to have to heat up the meat that kind of thing. So I like multi-purpose containers that are microwave safe, freezer safe, leak proof. We don’t normally heat stuff up in plastic, but I’m also not ? religious about it. ? But they do have to stack. 

  

Tonya Kubo (22:16) 

Mm-hmm. 

  

Yeah. 

  

Mm-hmm. 

  

Mm-hmm. 

  

Kathi Lipp (22:46) 

Like 

  

if they don’t stack, it’s not happening. I’m pitching them. They’re out the door. And I love like the bento box kind of that makes me super, super happy. The other thing I haven’t had much experience with and I wonder if you have is reusable bags. I mean, I know we all know about, you know, washing out a Ziploc, but have you used any of like the beeswax or any of that kind of stuff? 

  

Tonya Kubo (23:10) 

Kathi, if it exists, I have used it. Yes, I did. I did the beeswax fabric ? sandwich wraps for a while. I’ve done reusable. Yeah, we’ve done the reusable, like resealable bags. We’ve done all of it. And, you know, it’s like everything works to some extent if it works for your family. Right. So the beeswax stuff. 

  

Kathi Lipp (23:12) 

I know, you’re an experimenter, yes. 

  

Right, right. Sometimes you just have to try. 

  

Tonya Kubo (23:37) 

Yeah, and this, like the beeswax to wrap a sandwich isn’t bad, but they don’t last forever. So you do have to replace them. And then when they stop being sticky, you just have to be prepared that there are consequences to that action. 

  

Kathi Lipp (23:44) 

Mm-hmm. 

  

Mmm. 

  

Yeah, I will say one thing. We’re gonna get into our next segment and tell you, I’m gonna tell you some of the things I recommend. But can I tell you, this is a category where my millennial-ish kids love when I buy them something. They love a food container. They love a beeswax. Like, it’s the practical thing that they may already have. 

  

Tonya Kubo (24:09) 

Mm-hmm. 

  

Mm-hmm. 

  

Kathi Lipp (24:21) 

but it’s in a different format. And if you’re trying to think of something, because they don’t want to be using the Ziploc bags, they don’t want to do any of that stuff. But also those glass containers are pretty heavy to take to school or work. 

  

Tonya Kubo (24:26) 

Mm-hmm. 

  

Yeah, well, that’s the problem, right? Is glass and metal are heavier. ? nowadays, especially like for school age kids, you used to be able to just put your lunch like by the door of the classroom. Now they expect the lunch to be in the backpack all day. So it’s a lot for the kid to carry on their back. But what I was going to say is if you don’t have compartmentalized containers, if you don’t have the bento box, know, the silicone cupcake holders, like cupcake wrappers. 

  

Kathi Lipp (24:47) 

? interesting. Yeah. 

  

Yeah, great idea. 

  

Tonya Kubo (25:01) 

Those are something that 

  

I use when I do, I tell Abby that I’m taking, I’m sending her with mini charcuterie. ? I used to call them like mom lunchables, but it’s whatever word it takes, but you can put the stuff in those and then they can pull it out if they need to heat something up. 

  

Kathi Lipp (25:08) 

Mm-hmm. 

  

Yes. Right. 

  

I love it. And is she is she a lunchbox accessory bringer homer? 

  

Tonya Kubo (25:26) 

? no. No. That would be nice though. One day. 

  

Kathi Lipp (25:28) 

Okay, okay. Yeah, 

  

you know, some days. ? Okay, where are you storing all this stuff in your tiny petite kitchen? 

  

Tonya Kubo (25:38) 

Yeah, so we just have one cabinet that has two shelves that’s devoted to kind of all of this stuff and the bakeware. 

  

Kathi Lipp (25:46) 

Yeah So guys my number one recommendation for this is The stuff you’re not using donate it or throw it away Like you’re never going to use it more. You’re gonna buy stuff to replace What you if you lose what you love, but I I kept things for way too long I also have Something like I said when i’m giving things to other people. It’s the I don’t care if it comes home 

  

Tonya Kubo (25:54) 

Mm-hmm. 

  

Mm-hmm. 

  

Kathi Lipp (26:15) 

And 

  

so one of the things I’ve done for that is ? I’ve bought some lower cost ones and we’ll talk about that in our next segment. Okay, Tonya, we’re gonna take a quick break. We’re gonna come back and I’m gonna tell you my favorite food storage brands and why I love them. This is my own mini version of Wirecutter. These are the things I love and I have tested and I can’t wait to talk to you about them. So guys, we’ll be right back. 

  

Okay guys, we are back and I’m gonna tell you these are the things that have earned a place in my clutter free home and I’m just gonna tell you my favorite brands will link them in the show notes So if you want to check them out on Amazon or other places you’re able to do that So my favorite why can’t you the right container matters? These things are not cheap. Let’s be really honest. ? I I love a good container 

  

Tonya Kubo (27:18) 

True. 

  

Kathi Lipp (27:23) 

But when I went to go order my long-term pantry storage containers, I said, yeah, I’ll be doing that in three months once I saved up, because that’s how not cheap they were. But I’m glad I invested, because they look better, they seal better, and all of that. ? I want something that’s durable, stackable, and versatile. ? I also like to be able to wash those out in my… 

  

Tonya Kubo (27:35) 

Mm-hmm. 

  

Kathi Lipp (27:53) 

dishwasher and so I will tell you you have to turn your heater off and I am not guaranteeing that any of these things are going to be ? Dishwasher safe for you, but I’ve come to a place where I’m using hot water in my dishwasher But turning the heater element off so that it’s not melting things because I have melted and I didn’t cry but I did feel tears forming in my eyes 

  

Tonya Kubo (28:14) 

Hmm. 

  

Yeah. 

  

Kathi Lipp (28:22) 

So let me tell you my three favorites. So this is for the long-term pantry storage I love the OXO good grips pop containers. Do you know what I’m talking about Tonya? I 

  

Tonya Kubo (28:35) 

Of course I have them because I tried them out at your house and so I have them at my house now. This is 

  

going to be a very short segment for us, Kathi, because you’re going be like, hey, Tonya, have you heard of these? I’m like, yes, actually I have. I own them. 

  

Kathi Lipp (28:45) 

Okay, the 

  

the third one may be a surprise for you the third one Okay, so because I don’t know that I’ve ever shared those with you. Yeah guys, you’ve probably seen these they’re clear containers I have them in both my ? I have them in white and in like stainless steel they look great and They are durable in the dishwasher again with the heater element off 

  

Tonya Kubo (28:49) 

Okay. 

  

Kathi Lipp (29:15) 

and they keep things fresh. And I don’t have a ton of storage. Maybe other people might think, you have a ton of storage, Kathi. For me, it doesn’t feel like a ton of storage. So I need to use that storage space as smartly as possible. And these are all squares or rectangles, and they are great. And you like them as well, right? I know you have them, you like them. You’re not feeling like you wanna try something different. 

  

Tonya Kubo (29:36) 

Yep, I do, I do. 

  

No, but I will say that, you know, because they do that vacuum kind of seal thing, but you can’t overfill your container. So we’ve had some issues with the cinnamon toast crunch not being willing to seal, which just means everybody eats cinnamon toast crunch for dinner. Really is what happens. We have to make the space. 

  

Kathi Lipp (29:46) 

Yes. Yes. 

  

It’s so true. Yes. 

  

Yes, I love that. I love that plan. It’s a use it up plan. And I label those again with my little labeler. I love them. Okay, my fridge storage are the Rubbermaid Brilliance food storage containers. So these are clear on top clear on the sides. And they have like gray handles, they have a gasket all the way around. So when you press it down, it seals and then they have ? 

  

Handles on both sides that click down and I have dropped those on the floor Not a problem. They do not leak. They do not let odors in or out. So Love me some of those ? Do you have those as well Tonya? 

  

Tonya Kubo (30:45) 

I do. ? My Kubo girls though are hard on things. So they have managed to like get the sides those like tabs. They can break those off. And so you do have to be careful. But I find like that wasn’t a problem on the ones that I used exclusively. I’m just gonna say. Not that I blame people. I’m just saying I did not have that challenge. 

  

Kathi Lipp (30:50) 

? 

  

? yeah. 

  

Mmm, yeah. 

  

They have different dexterity than people our age. And you know what? Here’s the thing is I get older, I’m going to get back into a dropping stage. So, you know, everything that is new goes around again. I love these. Again, neither of these I’m talking about are cheap. I’m just admitting it, guys. But I’ve also not wanted to rebuy, rebuy, rebuy, rebuy. And I feel like they’re such an investment because they keep the food longer. And so I’m not throwing food away. 

  

Tonya Kubo (31:10) 

Hahaha 

  

Yeah. 

  

Mm-hmm. 

  

Kathi Lipp (31:36) 

And so I use these for Roger’s chips for crackers all sorts of things. They keep things that I like a crunch and you know when your cinnamon toast crunch doesn’t have a crunch anymore It’s not as enjoyable. I’m not gonna lie Okay, so my favorite thing that I do for on the go storage. It’s a ? A brand called bent go so it’s like bento but been good. you’ve used it before Tonya 

  

Tonya Kubo (31:50) 

Mm-hmm. 

  

Mm-hmm. 

  

Yeah, for lunch containers for the girls. 

  

Kathi Lipp (32:06) 

I love their stuff. I love it. 

  

Tonya Kubo (32:08) 

Yeah, it’s really, 

  

really nice, except that I not going to lie, I threw an adult size temper tantrum when they didn’t come home for summer break last year. Because they’re they’re like a little too pricey for me to want to replace twice a year. 

  

Kathi Lipp (32:17) 

I don’t blame you. Okay. 

  

Yeah, okay. So the ones I bought and let me know if these are the same. It’s a 20 20 pack now when they say a 20 pack what they mean Is the bottom of the container and the top so you’re getting 10 units? and so So if you’re expecting 20 of these it’s not going to happen guys, but so 10 units for $14, excuse me 

  

Tonya Kubo (32:40) 

Mm-hmm. 

  

Kathi Lipp (32:52) 

It comes out to be about a $1.40 apiece, I think. 

  

Tonya Kubo (32:55) 

? that’s 

  

a really good deal. What we got was they were specific for school lunches. And so it was the bottom, the top, was some accessories for like dipping sauces and then like a, a tote and a drink. 

  

Kathi Lipp (33:00) 

Okay. 

  

Okay, so 

  

here’s what I’m imagining because mine you would not want these in a backpack if it had like spaghetti or Something a little bit wet in it. So I I think bento makes a lot of different things So you probably have the foo foo shishi ones and these I got I actually got these at Sam’s Club ? in a pack some of them were just one compartment some of them were two compartments and 

  

Tonya Kubo (33:14) 

Mm-hmm. 

  

Mm-hmm. 

  

Mm-hmm. 

  

Kathi Lipp (33:37) 

? Than three compartments and ? and Tonya Tonya hold up what you’ve got there I know you were trying to you were trying to be sneaky 

  

Tonya Kubo (33:43) 

Oh, well, I was like, hold on. was trying to 

  

show you something and then it was like big pop over ad that just keeps happening on my thing. But there we go. Yes, it says claim your $10 off. I would really like it if it would let me exit. OK, well, there you go. So that little like $46 one. 

  

Kathi Lipp (33:53) 

Okay. 

  

But you found a discount. 

  

Nice. 

  

Okay. ? nice! Okay. 

  

Tonya Kubo (34:12) 

is what we had. 

  

Kathi Lipp (34:12) 

Okay. And so 

  

this is from the actual company. So we will put the Amazon link and the Bintco ? link in there as well. Cause we love to save a little cash. love that. Yeah. This is perfect for meal prep, lunches, snacks, you guys, if you’re taking food to work or, you know, sending it off to a friend, something like that. I think that these would be great. ? If you know somebody who has had a baby and you’re bringing dinner. 

  

Tonya Kubo (34:24) 

I love saving cash. 

  

Mm-hmm. 

  

Kathi Lipp (34:42) 

And to do ? a few of these for family members so everybody can have their own. Beautiful, beautiful. And we also use them for like, we’ll do a snack-cuterie. So like here’s a few crackers, here’s some ? grapes or orange slices, that kind of thing. It makes us really happy. Snackle box, I’ve seen that before. It’s so cute. Choosing the right container really does help simplify this. 

  

Tonya Kubo (34:55) 

Mm-hmm. 

  

We call that a snackle box. 

  

Kathi Lipp (35:12) 

You’re not spending and guys, okay This is gonna be my last thing and now I know some of you are gonna write me and say Kathi must be nice to have all the money. I get it Sometimes we are able to buy ourselves out of solution But can I tell you one of the best things I’ve ever done was get rid of all my random Tupperware rubber made Bing-bob-boom ? Because it was frustrating me so much and I just went all in 

  

Tonya Kubo (35:39) 

Mm-hmm. 

  

Kathi Lipp (35:41) 

on this Rubbermaid Brilliance. It made all the difference in the world. I am not constantly hunting for the right ? lid to the right thing. It just works. ? I hope this episode’s given you some practical tips, inspiration to organize your food storage. Guys, if you’ve enjoyed today’s episode, please subscribe wherever you love to listen to podcasts or share it with a friend who could use a little help in the kitchen. 

  

Don’t forget to tune in next time. We want you to be able to organize your spaces without feeling overwhelmed. That is our goal here. Thanks so much for hanging out with us. You’ve been listening to Clutter-Free Academy. I’m Kathi Lipp. Now, go create the clutter-free life you’ve always wanted to live.