Date: 20 January 2014. Spices.
In the continuing
Becoming Clutter-Free
series on clearing out your dirt dwelling and preparing for life afloat,
this week we begin to concentrate on spices and condiments. Examine your collection
and anything dusty you can safely assume is landfill material. Get rid of
it. Now, as we start the year begin keeping track of what it takes to make the
meals you love.
The reason you begin this list now
(on a 3x5 card or a piece of paper taped to the inside of your cupboard)
is because there are certain spices you might use just once or twice a
year. A list will help ensure you miss nothing critical. For
instance, spices like nutmeg I only use in my pumpkin pie or at
Christmas in the eggnog. Just because something is not an every day item
doesn't mean I want to forego having it aboard Seaweed.
Of course like me you will probably find a
separate storage spot for the seldom used spices -- a place not quite so handy as those you use
regularly. I know I wanted my spices:
In that regard I kept my eyes open
at the thrift stores for quite some time, looking for just the right
thing! Paying retail was not an option. As a budget cruiser the
thought of dropping $20 for a spice rack was abhorrent.
There are a lot more uses for my
available cash than money reserves allow so I keep a running list of wishes. See
the
3x5 Cards
article on shopping lists for the wanted (but not enough to pay retail) items aboard Seaweed.
Lists help keep me organized.
What I eventually found was a Tupperware plastic
cake container without a lid. Turning it on end, I cut out the middle and
then screwed the two ends to the inside of my locker under the sink.
Two spice shelves were created for 69 cents plus some stainless screws in
a space that otherwise would have been empty.