The kitchen is usually the hub of the house. Meals, paper work, socializing, homework and our overall health.

The kitchen is so important and yet it’s often the place that causes frustration. The point is to enjoy spending time in the kitchen – making tools and supplies and paperwork easy to find and access and then put away is the key!

Here are some tips to help you organize your kitchen:

* Group like items – mixing bowls, serving platters, canned food, spices, and Tupperware

* Create more space – always look up! Install hooks to hang mugs or use risers to stack dishes to the full capacity of the shelf space.

* Hang it – ceiling or wall-mounted units are great for storing pots and pans. What to do with the lids? Use a lid holder that stores them vertically on the inside of a door

* Containerize – group like items, such as rice or pasta, and put them into a plastic basket inside the cupboard or upright in Tupperware containers that are clearly marked

* Easy Access – use a drawer organizer for utensil drawers

For meal planning or a chore chart, check out the Martha Stewart Dry-erase-Weekly-Vertical-Calendar