Tame the Tupperware
Updated: Dec 23, 2022
Finding freedom in our homes, lives and minds, one category at a time.
This week has been a doozy. From a car that won't start to managing a beloved's memory challenges to wonky hormones, there have been enough stressors that I currently feel like a deflated balloon (and am devouring a bag of barbecue pop chips).
I even threw my phone across the room and shattered the screen...even with daily meditation I'm certainly not Buddha.
But you know what? I can find the lid to my tupperware container when I want it. I can find the flathead screwdriver when I need it.
I can find my favorite cozy sweater to curl up in, and my cozy couch spot has my favorite books organized next to it...AND I can find the remote control!
I strive to get and stay organized so when life throws curveballs, I don't have added stress of trying to find my stuff.
That isn't to say everything is perfectly neat and tidy - I have piles and places I wish were neater - but because I spent one Saturday morning organizing my tupperware, and other moments keeping the system strong, finding a lid isn't going to be the thing that makes me flip MY lid.
There are thousands of categories to clear and organize in most homes, but tupperware is a common headache for most of my clients and just about everyone I know.
If tupperware doesn't bug you, but other things do, there may be steps here that can help...
Here's how I organize tupperware
This is my tupperware storage area:
Lids are on, similar sizes are together, the ones we use most often are in front and lids without containers are on the side.
It's simple and easy to put them away and find what we need.
I found the box around the house and have yet to find better container - I'll happily use it until something better comes along!
Simple steps to organize tupperware (and almost anything else)
PREPARE:
Set up a trash can, donate box(es) and recycling if your area takes this kind of plastic
Clear a large space nearby - the floor, large table, (cool) stove top or counter
Empty EVERYTHING from the tupperware space
Gather all tupperware from elsewhere in the house
Note all the tupperware being used in the fridge or elsewhere
CATEGORIZE
Group together:
Same size and shape containers
Same size and shape lids
All random sizes and shapes together somewhere else
Set it up like a yard sale for your Self.
CHOOSE YOUR FAVORITES
Clearly dilineate these (put in their own place or somehow separate them)
Ones you love and use a lot
Ones you use less often but need
Ones left over - ask yourself, "Do I need and want these? Do they earn their real estate and my time?"
MATCH the lids to their containers - snap them on to make sure they actually fit.
CLEAR out of the area everything except what you're keeping.
MAKE A HOME
Store with the lids on if possible
Keep like items together
Put most used ones in the most easy-to-put-away place
If they don't fit - are there some that can go? Or is there another place tupperware can be stored?
If it feels awkward, ask, "What do I need to make this easy for my Future Self?"
Keep tweaking them until you feel the "click point" as Marie Kondo says - when something in you says, "Yes!" This may not come right away - keep tweaking for weeks or months if needed.
KEEP IT UP
Any organized area is sacred.
Once you take the time to do this, don't let anything shatter your peaceful place!
Take time as you go through life to neaten it
Put things away - no more "just for now"
Tweak it as needed
Teach others in your house how to maintain it...and give consequences if they don't
Want the perfect container, drawer or space for your tupperware?
AFTER you know what you're keeping, measure, then do a google or Pinterest search until you find the right size.
Lids are not worth causing stress later
Notice that next to my box are lids missing their owners - they only live there until they get annoying, then they get tossed. If lids build up, I go around the house looking for the containers - if I don't find them, they get tossed.
I no longer let thoughts like, "I'll just put this here for now" rule me if it means it's going to stress me out later.
Every bit of clutter counts. Every lid and container, every space and bit of "I don't know what to do this with" adds up.
CONGRATULATE, CELEBRATE & ENJOY
Walk by and ooh and aah, share photos, do a toast to yourself, give yourself a high five from me...allow yourself to ENJOY every single space you organize.
This trains your brain that YES! This is worth it! I can do this! I am doing this! This feels good! We can do this again! (And again and again...)
You've got this. You're worth the time this takes. Think of how happy your Future You will be!
And, as always, know you're not alone - there are millions of people frustrated with their tupperware and other "stuff."
PLEASE connect with me or the TidyWild Community if you feel stuck and overwhelmed!
Happy organizing until we meet again!
XO,
Spring
