Being organised can save time, money, waste and stress. Here are a few simple ideas to help you create a clean, organised workspace.

Organise your storage space. Store your spices in groups that are commonly used together. Use the same logic with other staples, such as canned items or flours and baking goods.

Create specialised work areas. Even if you have a tiny kitchen, carve out areas where you know you will take care of certain tasks. Set up a special spot and store all the things you use for that process close by. For example, if you bake, store all of your baking staples and tools near ample counter space so you have room to mix and roll your favourite biscuits.

Make sure you do things right. If you are measuring a dry ingredient and a sticky ingredient in the same cup, measure the dry ingredient first. If you need to add the sticky ingredient to the mixture first, place the measured dry ingredient in the pan that you will be cooking or serving in and just pour it from there into the mixing bowl. The dry-ingredient residue will not hurt the final product, and it saves you from washing an extra dish.

Hang a chalkboard or a small white board in your kitchen and use it. Get into the habit of writing down grocery lists, ingredients for recipes, what you are planning to cook or eat on which day and what leftovers are available in the refrigerator or freezer.

Check all the food in your refrigerator and freezer before each shopping trip. Check expiration dates and confirm what you need to restock. Toss anything that looks or smells questionable. Make a list of items that will spoil within the next few days, and make sure to use them in your meals before they spoil. Date everything that you put in your freezer; even butter, fruit juice, frozen meats, casseroles or frozen vegetables can go bad. Try to use the food that has been in the freezer the longest.

Plan your week. Look at your schedule and try to budget how much time you are going to have for dinner each night. Spend 15 minutes on the weekend and plan out each meal, find the recipes and make sure you have everything you will need.

Read your recipe through twice before starting to cook. After reading, take out all the ingredients and equipment. Then plan your attack: If you are going to need boiling water at some point, put it on the stove now. Preheat the oven if you are baking the dish, or heat up the skillet if you are frying. Look at where you have time to squeeze in other tasks. If you are simmering a dish for five minutes, plan on setting the table or tossing a salad during that time. Plan when you'll microwave your vegetables or bake the rolls and juggle the times so that everything is finished at the same time.

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