Getting Organized: Spice Edition

This is my spice "drawer". I tidied it up for this picture, so, you're welcome for that.

Somebody call Good Housekeeping, already, and book my cover shoot

As you can see, it is not beautiful. To anyone other than the head chef over here at Chez Guru (ps that would be me), it doesn't even look organized. It is, however, all the spices and seasonings that I own in my house all in one place, with no doubles of anything. That, dear reader, is a victory.

"Organized" does not always have to go hand in hand with "beautiful". That's a pinterest fuelled lie. And while there is absolutely nothing wrong with a beautiful spice drawer, unless it's something that is personally important to you, there's really no good reason to try and create one. I tried to have a beautiful system for spice storage, once. I had cute little jars with the names of weird spices printed on the lids. And then I'd use up a spice and buy more, and only half of it would fit in the cute little jar. Then the rest would get shunted to a cupboard or drawer, and when the little bottle ran out, I'd go out and buy another refill because I'd forget about the one I already had, wallowing away in the pits of despair (otherwise known as anywhere in the pantry that isn't eye level). Also, every time I found a new recipe that needed some new spice, I'd need another new matching cute jar to pour it into. Also, pouring spices into tiny jars is a major pain in the ass. Ever accidentally snorted the dust cloud that comes as a result of pouring out a bag of chili flakes? I have. It's terrible.

I'm reformed, now. I am at peace with the fact that I don't have a magazine quality organization system. What I have, instead, is a functional way to keep my spices organized.

I took some time, and I put all my spices, seasonings, little packets of soup mix, and boullions on the kitchen table. If it wasn't labelled and I couldn't figure out what it was, it went into the trash. I think it was probably nutmeg, but I haven't missed it, yet, and it's been at least a year soooo... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

Next, I found all my doubles (and triples) and consolidated them. All the cute little jars were dumped out back into the big bags with the "reserve spices" and I donated the spice rack. I think to my sister. Let me know how that's going for you, k, sis?

This was full to the top, AND I had at least three partially used or brand new smaller packages of the same spice.

If I had multiples that wouldn't all fit in one container, like the chili powder, I kept all the packages together with a ziplock, using up one full package at a time. If it was in a container or bag that could be sealed and labelled, I left it there. If it wasn't, I moved it to a mason jar or large enough, empty container I had on hand, and wrote whatever spice it was with a sharpie. Simple.

Then, I made some spice buying rules to ensure the system would be sustainable. Here they are for you:

1. Before you buy a spice, ensure that you do not already own that spice.

2. Include your spices in your meal plans, so that when you're making your ingredient lists, you're not forgetting your spices. (Otherwise, you end up with everything for tacos except for the taco seasoning, and you don't realize until you've done everything to prepare for taco dinner except season the meat. Not that I've ever done that or anything...) 3. When you buy a spice, put it away with all the other spices, and make sure that whatever container you store it in can be sealed, and has a label.

4. If you are buying a new spice for the first time for a new recipe you've never tried before, buy it from the bulk section.

Number 4 is probably the most important. Spices are not cheap, and often recipes are calling for some small amount like 1/4 teaspoon or something. At $5 or more per container, that's a big hit for a meal that may not be making it into your regular rotation. Instead, look for it in the bulk bins at your grocery store, or, if you can fit it into your schedule, take a trip to Bulk Barn.

Exhibit A: Ground Cloves. Why though? Anyone want these?

I, near the beginning of my cash only grocery journey, found a recipe that I wanted to try that called for a small amount of allspice, which I did not have. I found a tin, like the one above of ground cloves, at Superstore for $6 or something. I debated scrapping the whole recipe, but I'd already rounded up most of the other ingredients. I bit the bullet and put the little tin in my cart, but it continued to eat away at me as I thought about how much cash I had left to get us through to payday. I bought the tin, and went out to the car with my groceries, but I couldn't do it. The thought of spending $6 on allspice was actually making me feel sick to my stomach. I put the rest of my groceries in the car and went back in and returned the allspice.

Then, I went across the street to Bulk Barn, and put 1/4 teaspoon of allspice into a little bag. It cost me 11 cents. (Ten cents, actually, because I pay cash).

I don't even remember what recipe I made, but it did not make it past the first try. This has happened with more than just allspice and ground cloves (and aren't those two things kind of similar anyway? Do you even need both?). I also have a thing of powdered ginger? And dried mustard. I don't remember using any of them, but there they are: opened and unreturnable.

If you're not confident you're going to use all or most of the spice, it's probably worth a trip to the bulk section or bulk foods store to buy a teeny tiny amount until you know for sure you want to use it. I mean, $6 vs $0.11 is a big difference. Especially if you've committed to actually sticking to a specific grocery budget. You can actually get a lot of groceries for that $5.89 you didn't spend on allspice you're going to throw away in 4 years: a week's worth of apples, 2 blocks of the real good $7 butter when it goes on sale, a jug of milk, or a bag of shredded cheese, to name a few.

It takes almost no extra time, if there is a bulk section in your store. And if it's not, it might be worthwhile to try and add Bulk Barn or equivalent to your monthly schedule for new recipes you've bookmarked to try.

Edit to add:

It has been brought to my attention that people are not going to want to drive to another store, like Bulk Barn, for one 11 cent item. Fair enough. I never said I was a mileage guru, I'm just here for the grocery tips. The Superstore I go to has a Bulk Barn on the other side of the street, so it's an easy stop. Or maybe there is a Bulk Barn on your way to or from somewhere in your weekly schedule. If you have a plan, and know you're only popping in for an 11 cent item, it might only take you a minute.

Unless you have children, like me, then unpacking your kids from the car for one 11 cent item sounds like straight up hell. Which is why I try to go to the grocery store alone at least once every 2 weeks. Usually on a Friday or Saturday evening, after supper, because no one else is there, and all the bread is marked down. It's awesome, and I can zip into Bulk Barn or wherever without dealing with a single car seat.

Plus, if you have a plan, as discussed in the previous post, you know exactly when you need to hit the secondary stores, and can plan them into your schedule as a part of the week. You could have a Bulk Barn wishlist, and, once its worth your time to go in, go pick up all those spices or ingredients and then add the new meal to the meal plan and the rest of the groceries to the list.

(also if you don't have time to go to Bulk Barn, but you do have time to check out 3 different Winners locations, don't tell me you don't have time, okay? Okay.)