You have a small kitchen and feel that it’s impossible to fit everything? Do you avoid cooking because it’s difficult in a small and cluttered space? Would you like to save money without sacrificing the quality of what you eat and drink? Here are 10 great ways to save space and money in small or tiny kitchen.
1. Throw away things you don’t use or love
The first advice by Japanese super organised Marie Kondo is to take everything out of your kitchen and put it on the floor. Then kiss goodbye to anything you haven’t used in the past year. Secondly look at all your items again and remove items that don’t give you joy. Seriously, you won’t miss them!
Thirdly put everything back in order using some of the tips below.
2. Get more shelf space in your small kitchen
Open shelves are super efficient for glasses, cups, bowls, plates and other things that you use every day. Put shelves all the way to the ceiling wherever there is space. This way you can also keep all work spaces in your kitchen empty. It’s better in terms of cleaning, less clutter and more effective.
3. Get rid of bottled water and flavoured drinks
The average bottled water consuming household in Europe uses 1.5 liters of water per day, That’s 730 bottles per year for a household of 2 or 280 euro per year. It’s also 14 bottles of plastic waste per week that takes up space until it’s recycled. Bottles are even worse in a tiny kitchen.
Replace bottled water with a faucet water filter. If you are a bottled water drinker then this is one of the best ways to save money and space. A TAPP Water filter will cost as little as €60 per year and doesn’t take up any space in the kitchen.
4. Get your small kitchen organised
One of the best ways to save space in a small kitchen is to put everything in containers / boxes. This includes everything from spices, soya and oils to pasta, rice and canned food. If you have multiple boxes of things like zippered storage bags, remove them from their boxes and transfer them all to one container to save space.
5. Over-the-sink-shelf / cutting board for tiny kitchens
Create extra counter space — and keep everything nice and dry — by buying an over-the-sink shelf or cutting board. This one by Ikea is affordable and space efficient.
The cutting board can be stored on top of the stove when not in use.
6. Under bench storage
A built-in bench seat makes sense in a small kitchen because it can hug the corner of the room. The recess beneath can be used for oversized pans or dry goods. This is also a space to sit down and relax while waiting for your food to cook.
7. Don’t buy new food until you’ve emptied the fridge (and cabinets).
This is simple but yet so brilliant.
Most of us have a tendency to have to throw out old vegetables, cheese, ham, open cans, dry food and other items because we forget to eat them. Force yourself to finish what you have by having a strict rule that no new food can be purchased until the fridge, freezer and cabinets are practically empty. Your wallet will thank you and so will the planet.
8. Go Meatless at home
I’m not a vegan or vegetarian but a couple of years ago we decided to stop cooking meat at home. This has saved a lot of money as meat is usually one of the more expensive ingredients in daily cooking. As a bonus you are also helping reduce your carbon footprint.
9. The most efficient way to brew coffee
Drink a lot of coffee? The cost quickly adds up for all those bags. The average household spends about 1000 euro per year on coffee or 80 euro per month. But there’s an easy trick to save money. Instead of using a Nespresso, drip coffee maker or espresso maker switch to a French coffee press and a grinder. In combination they will reduce the average cost per cup by 30%. As a bonus it takes less space in your tiny kitchen.
And if you followed tip nr 3 then filter the water first of course.
10. Home Recycling Systems for small kitchens
Trash cans on the floor take up space and make it difficult to clean. If your kitchen allows it then installing a smart recycling with space for normal waste, plastic and paper is a smart solution. We love the design of this particular one installed on the door that comes in several different versions with as many containers as you need.
There you go. 11 tips to save money and space in small kitchens. If you have more tips then please add them below. We will approve comments with links as long as they are serious.
