How to store smart: our top tips for kitchen storage and organisation

These days the big weekly shop – or the even bigger fortnightly shop – is king, and rightly so. It saves us time, with fewer trips out to the supermarket, and money, by giving us the chance to meal plan in advance. But there is one thing it does not help us save – space. 

Whether you do your big shop online or in store, storing all that food at home can be a bit of a headache. Most of us don’t have a huge amount of space to play with in our kitchens, and if you’re not careful, the shopping deluge can quickly overwhelm our cupboards. 

So, how do you balance the benefit of a big shop with the need to avoid kitchen chaos? Storage, storage, storage. 

When it comes to clever kitchen storage, size doesn’t matter (too much). It’s not about the size of your space, it’s about how smart you are with the way you use it – and a few small changes can lead to maximum gains. 

Here are our top tips on how to optimise your kitchen and store smart. 

Declutter: Less is more

At Eager, we’re firm believers that less is more, and that goes for kitchen organisation too. Because the first step to smart storage is to strip everything back. 

It’s easy to get overrun with stuff you don’t really need. We all do it. But ask yourself, do you really need all those old takeaway menus currently occupying that drawer?

What about those files that have been piling up since your kitchen table became your WFH office?

And all that out of date stuff that’s been pushed to the back of cupboards and forgotten about needs to go, ASAP – trust us, you’ll be surprised at what you might find lurking at the back of the fridge. And not in a good way! 

Reorganise: Everything has its place

Once you’ve decided what stays and what goes, it’s time to get reorganising. And that doesn’t mean shoving the same old stuff back into the same old cupboards.

No. Think practically about what needs to go where, which items need to be kept close to hand (like coffee and teabags), and which ones you only reach for on the odd occasions (baking goods).

Of course the needs of every kitchen is different, so where things go is ultimately up to you, but making sure that everything has its right place is a surefire way to prevent a pile up.

Here are some great ways to reorganise like the best: 

Think beyond the cupboard – When it comes to storage, don’t stop at your existing cupboards and shelves. You can use jars and canisters to keep track of what you have (bonus points if they’re labelled!), and draw or cabinet inserts can be used to maximise space and ease of use around your kitchen. Meanwhile, keeping your fridge organised is really a whole separate article in itself – so it’s a good job we’ve written that, too. 

Put away out-of-season items – Festive kitchenware is a huge trend, and is a great, fun way to let our inner interior designer loose while celebrating different holidays across the year. But, once all those Christmas and Halloween-themed mugs, plates and other decorations have had their time, they don’t need to be kept on display, as this guide from Architectural Digest suggests. If you can find a better place for them to live year-round, then that’s an easy win when it comes to creating more kitchen space. 

Put appliances in their place – Let’s talk about niche appliances – you know the ones. When was the last time you used that waffle-maker? How about the ice-cream machine? Don’t get us wrong – we’re not saying you should just throw these away. Instead, think about where you keep them. If they’re in handy, easy-to-reach places, it might be time to have a rethink – they’re taking up valuable kitchen real estate that could, and should, be used for higher priority, daily items. 

To fridge or not to fridge – Speaking of valuable kitchen real estate, it’s time to talk about the fridge. It’s the heart of the kitchen, the first place we look when we’re after a snack or planning a meal, but the truth is that a lot of the things we think should go in the fridge, don’t actually need to be there. We’ve covered this already, but in short, this includes items like chocolate, butter, eggs, tomatoes and… juice. Yep. Every one of Eager’s delicious classic juices are packaged in airtight cartons, which means you can store your Eager juice anywhere, just pop a carton in the fridge to chill before serving.

No more kitchen overspill

Whether it’s high-priority versus occasional cupboard space, filling up the fridge shelves with the items that need it, or making good use of that weird extra bit under the stairs – if you’re clever with your storage space, then packing away the big shop will never daunt you again. 

To make room in the fridge, and never run out of juice again (well, in theory anyway), check out our easy subscription service.

Now off you go to bask in the glory of your perfectly organised kitchen.