by kathilipp | Mar 5, 2018 | Clutter Free, Recipes, tips and ideas |
1. The Use-it-Up Shelf
In my fridge I have a small shelf that has cheese that has been opened, butter sticks that are cut in half, salami that’s about to expire and salad toppings (shredded carrots, chopped celery, sliced cucumbers) that need to be eaten first. I have put a piece of tape on it that screams “Eat me first!”
The “Use It Up” shelf is a reminder that these things need to be eaten first so that we are not wasting food and money. Why eat cheese that will expire in three months when you have some that will expire in three weeks?
2. Tag Your Pantry
Use blue painter’s tape to mark anything that is going to expire in the next month. Make sure those boxes and cans are towards the front, so you can see what needs to be used up when you’re thinking about what to make for dinner.
3. Meal Plan
And speaking of what to make for dinner, deciding early in the week what you’re going to cook for the rest of the week is one of the best ways to make sure you use all the fresh ingredients you have in your fridge.
4. Store Smart
- Don’t store bananas and apples together (apples quicken the ripening of bananas).
- Store fresh herbs in a jar of water in the fridge.
- Trim asparagus ends and keep them in the fridge in a glass of water (just like you would with a bouquet of flowers) to help them last longer.
- Keep citrus good longer by putting it in a plastic bag in the fridge for up to three weeks.
5. Prep Food as Soon as You Get Home
It’s easy to be optimistic in the store; “Of course we will use all of these vegetables. I will lovingly make salads and veggie soup every night for my family.” But when the dinner crunch is looming, it’s so much easier to grab a frozen pizza and vow to make the salad tomorrow night – until tomorrow night comes….
One of the best decisions we’ve made is to prep our shop. When we get home from the store (or that evening) I will go through and wash and spin salad, grate carrots, slice veggies, hard boil some eggs, and generally prep as much food as I can for the coming days. We are about six times as likely to eat fresh food when it is prepped.
6. You have permission to eat all the veggies/fruit in a day.
My friend, Jenn, told me that her kids didn’t want to eat the fruits and veggies that she bought because they were afraid she was saving them for special recipes. Then there would be soft carrots and limp celery and all that money went to waste. Now Jenn tells her kids “Eat all of the fruits and vegetables in a day, it’s fine!” That way she makes sure they are not going to waste.
We now get some of our fruits and veggies from imperfectproduce.com (Use this link to get $10 off your first order! Our orders turn out to be about $15 every other week.) We love the freshness of all the produce we’ve received. (The reason they are imperfect is usually an unusual shape or size or too large of a crop.) We find ourselves eating up the fresh produce because we get to pick what’s in the box and know that we will use and love all of it.
7. Shop Your Pantry Before You Shop Your Store
We’ve all done it—arrived at the store and then thought to ourselves, “Do we have milk? I can’t remember. I’ll pick some up just in case…” And that “just in case” jug of milk is now the fifth gallon of milk in your fridge.
Before you go to the store, do a double take of what you actually have at your house so you’re not spending your valuable grocery dollars on stuff that you already have.
8. Use Your Freezer
I freeze just about everything except for salad. I am a freezer ninja! But here are a couple of ways I use my freezer that might not have occurred to you:
Soup Bag: I have a freezer bag that I use for any veggies that might be on this side of ripe: leftover salad fixings (sliced mushrooms, onions, celery, carrots, etc.) and then when the bag is full, I sauté everything in there and use it for the base of a veggie soup. It comes out different every time, but it is consistently delicious.
Berry Bag: I love fresh berries and eat a lot of them (on my morning oatmeal, whenever we have company over and I make Instant Pot Cheesecake,) but sometimes even I can’t go through the several types I can buy in a week (strawberry, blueberry, blackberry). So when they are starting to get ripe I’ll throw them into a bag in the freezer and use them to make smoothies or defrost them and make Warm Berry Compote . Both super easy and a great way to not waste a single, beautiful berry.
9. Fall in Love with Cooking Again
As I was writing this article early Saturday morning and thinking through the “Use it Up” principle, I started to feel the guilt of the apples sitting in our fruit bowl that needed to be used up. Since Saturday morning is the only time during the week I cook an actual breakfast (the rest of the week is YOYO – You’re On Your Own) I decided it was now or never. I found a great recipe for Sautéed Apples and put those on top of wheat pancakes for our breakfast. It was a major win.
There is really no better feeling in the world than to cook something from ingredients you already have (and would go to waste if you didn’t use them.)
It’s easy to get into a rut of making excuses for not cooking, but if cooking is something you once enjoyed, it’s time to fall in love with cooking again. Here are some ways to do just that:
- Read great books about people who love to cook. I’m currently listening to Coming to My Senses: The Making of a Counterculture Cook by Alice Waters but have enjoyed so many other books by people who love to cook (professionally and for the ones they love). Here is a list of books I’ve loved to listen to while I cook:
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver and Camille Kingsolver
The Dirty Life: A Memoir of Farming, Food, and Love Paperback by Kristin Kimball
My Life in France Paperback by Julia Child? and Alex Prud’homme
- Watch real cooking shows. Yes- it’s fun to see people make life-sized gingerbread houses with fully animatronic witches made out of 4,000 gumdrops. But if you want to get inspired to get into the kitchen, watch real people making real food. I love America’s Test Kitchen (PBS) and always want to run into the kitchen and create after seeing any of their chefs doing their thing.
3. Cook with people you love. This is my best tip. Make an event out of it and get in the kitchen with good food and lovely people.
I would love to hear you ideas about how you’ve reduced food waste in your home.
by kathilipp | Feb 13, 2018 | Bible Study, Clutter Free |
Friends, I am so thrilled about tomorrow morning. We’re launching our second year of the Clutter Free Bible Study with a few hundred (maybe a couple thousand) friends over on our Facebook group. We’ll spend the next 40 days taking a deep dive into the spiritual side of Clutter. Going Clutter Free is a lot like peeling an onion, every layer removed reveals something hidden beneath. Together, we’re going to figure out the emotions that lurk below the surface of our attachment to our stuff. I want YOU to come join us. Wonder if you’re ready to take on the challenge?
Here’s what last year’s participants have to say about their experiences:
“I have learned so much through this process about the ways clutter affects not only my house buy my body and my mental health too. I am learning to let go of stuff that before had a hold on my life I didn’t even realize. I am so grateful to be on this journey with all of you!” ~ Robin
“On Christmas Eve 2013, my youngest son wanted to host a tea party for his grandparents but our house was such a disaster that they were forbidden from coming inside and we had a picnic in the back yard instead. After doing Clutter Free in 2015, this year they’re allowed ANYwhere in my house! What a difference a year makes!” ~ Tabitha
“I discovered fears I didn’t know I had – fears of poverty, scarcity and of losing control. I learned to trust God to provide what I needed when I needed it.” ~ Tonya
You can get more details about the study here. This year the Online Group kicks off on Februray 14 and runs until March 28. If you sign up before February 14, you’ll get a great deal for the online study access for just $14.99 (normally $25) by using code CFBSFEB18. Talk about a Valentine’s gift to yourself.
Plus, join us in the nicest corner of the internet – the Clutter Free Academy Facebook group, absolutely free. Join others who are finding freedom and sharing their #onesmallwin moments as they tackle clutter and find ways to be all that God has designed them to be. You can do it and we’d love to help.
by kathilipp | Feb 13, 2018 | Clutter Free, Clutter Free Podcast, Podcast, tips and ideas |
Erin MacPherson is back in an episode you don’t want to miss. With so many natural disasters and unplanned emergencies happening this past year in our country, it’s easy to see why a little preparedness will go a long way. Kathi and Erin discuss how and what to put together to make sure you are prepared for those unexpected moments. And of course, how do we do it without collecting clutter.
Erin MacPherson lives in Austin, Texas with her husband Cameron, her sons Joey and Will and her daughter Kate. She is the author of “The Christian Mama’s Guide Series“, a staff writer for Dun & Bradstreet and a freelancer for publications like Thriving Family Magazine, MOPS MomSense, FamilyLife Magazine, Daily Guideposts and BEMag. She blogs about her life, her kids and her faith at ChristianMamasGuide.com.
by kathilipp | Feb 1, 2018 | Clutter Free |
About this time last year, I thought I was a Clutter Free queen. My house wasn’t what I would call “Pinterest Perfect,” but it worked for our family and we didn’t mind drop-in visitors. Then I was asked to lead the Lenten Clutter Free Bible Study through a private members-only Facebook group. The study walks participants through what Jesus has to say about our stuff. It digs deep. Many of us find our Clutter Free journey like peeling back layers of an onion – there is always more that lies beneath. I went into the bible study thinking I would get a handle on some cluttered corners in our home. Instead, I spent six weeks decluttering my head and heart.
I discovered fears I didn’t know I had – fears of poverty, scarcity and of losing control. Fears that my husband would consider me spoiled or wasteful. No matter how often I decluttered my pantry, it would inevitably reach a point where it was bursting at the seams yet again. Why? Because I was terrified that something would happen, and we’d have no money for food. I would stockpile food, even food we didn’t like, without realizing it. I had clothes that were neither my taste nor my style cluttering my closet because I feared letting them go. If someone offered to give me something, I felt obligated to say yes. Who was I to think I was too good for someone else’s generosity – even if it was the product of their own decluttering?
By the end of the six-week study, other than the closet, my house didn’t look much different. I, on the other hand, had changed completely. I learned to trust God to provide what I needed when I needed it. I was able to joyfully release the canned sardines that had been sitting in the pantry for years, as well as the ill-fitting clothing from my closet. I also learned to trust God to provide for my stuff. I stopped worrying about what could or would happen to the things I released. I no longer fret over which charity is most deserving of my donations or feel obligated to sell belongings to recoup costs. I just focus on releasing that which no longer brings me joy, and I trust God to sort it out according to His plan.
The study changed our online group as well. It didn’t take long for us to realize that the work of Clutter Free was bigger than just six weeks. We needed a 24/7 year-round support system for those continuing their Clutter Free journey and for those who were just beginning. Now known as Clutter Free Academy, our group is a thriving community of 3,800 members who all grapple with Clutter in our heads, hearts and homes. We say we’re the kindest corner of the internet because we are all about support and encouragement without judgment or shame.
Are you ready to find out what Jesus says about your stuff? We’re walking through the Clutter Free Bible Study once again. Launching on February 14, the study includes videos, resource downloads and the 24/7 year-round support of the Clutter Free Academy Facebook group. Join as we dig deeper together to explore why we acquire what we don’t need, keep hold of stuff we don’t use or love, and how all of that makes us feel.
To be a part of the study club, get access to our online videos and booklet for just $14.99 (regularly $25!) between now and February 14, 2018 with coupon code: CFBSFEB18. Click here for lifetime access to the study and join our private Facebook group for daily encouragement from Kathi and Tonya for Lent this year.
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Tonya Kubo is the illustrious, fearless leader of Kathi Lipp’s Clutter-Free Academy Facebook group. She and her husband, Brian, are raising two spirited girls in the agricultural heart of California. She writes about fighting the demons of comparison, clutter and compulsion on www.tonyakubo.com.
Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTonyaKubo/
