What Does Dirty Dishes have to Do with Debt

After reading that title you might be thinking, what is she talking about. Dirty dishes don’t have anything to do with debt.

But they do, if they are stopping you from using your kitchen to the fullest for saving money. Eating out is so costly, compared to purchasing the same items at the store.

For our family of four to go out to dinner, it can easily cost $35 or more for a meal.

That is almost half of our budgeted amount for groceries for the week. If my kitchen is cluttered with dirty dishes, stuff on the counter and is generally unorganized, I won’t be very motivated to cook and we will end up eating out more often.

Which costs so much more than having a clean kitchen, that I love to cook in. Here’s a few things I do to keep my kitchen clean and ready for me to cook in.

Kitchen Clutter

When your kitchen is cluttered, you can’t get to what you need. In turn you get discouraged by the difficulty of getting dinner made and it seems just so much easier to eat out.

When the kitchen is organized and clutter free, the task of cooking is so much easier. There’s no digging for pots. You don’t have to wash a pan to use it. Everything is ready and waiting.

If you have a messy kitchen, take a little time each day to clear and organize one drawer or cupboard. Soon your kitchen will be clean, clutter free and organized. It will be an inviting place for you to be.

Need a few more ideas for organizing the kitchen? Read/listen to this article!

Keep Counters Clear

Cooking takes room.

The more clutter your counters are the less room you have to work, the more frustrating cooking becomes. It’s really true.

When the counters are clear of unneeded items you have the room you need to work.

The space to make a great meal for your family, stress free.

Before you even start to cook, be sure to clear the counters of items that shouldn’t be on the counters. Get any books, papers, dirty dishes, and other items cleared out.

It will make for a much more enjoyable cooking experience.

Keep the Kitchen Sink Clean

You’re ready to cook and there it is, the sink. It’s full of dirty dishes.

Some of those dishes you need to cook with. The more you think about the work that needs to be done, before you can even get started with cooking, the more discouraging it can be.

Make a habit after each meal to have the whole family clear the table and do the dishes. Place them in the dishwasher and then start it when you go to bed.

You’ll wake up to a clean kitchen and clean dishes in the dishwasher too. It’s a great feeling.

By having everyone help with after dinner clean up, the task is done more quickly. The kitchen is ready to go the for the next meal needing to be made.

A clean kitchen sink is so much more inviting than a sink full of dirty dishes.

Those are my tips to help you keep the kitchen clean and ready to cook in, so you can cook more at home and eat out less. All while saving you money too.

What is something that discourages you from cooking at home?

See all the posts in this series,