Have you ever considered that a dirty kitchen could be making you spend more money? Well, I’m here to tell you it’s true, it happens. Just ask the folks featured on the hoarding shows!
Want to know how to save money just by keeping your kitchen tidy? Read on.
Dirty Dishes Cause Debt
Piles of dirty dishes are disgusting. They can get gross and smelly, and most people want to avoid dealing with them. And what are you tempted to do when the dishes have piled up? Eat out, right?
Eating out is a huge expense. In 2009 when Matt and I committed to becoming debt free, we looked closely at how much we were spending. Eating out was costing us around $6,000 per year!!! Ouch. We realized we had to eliminate some of the excuses we were using to go to restaurants.
If dishes are washed and the sink is empty, you’ll feel more like you have time and space to cook.
Get those dirty dishes out of the sink!
The key is to have a system for clearing dishes before they get piled too high. Consider implementing one of the following systems in your kitchen:
- Fill one side of the sink with sudsy water and throw dirty dishes in while cooking. Finish washing after the meal.
- Solicit a prep cook/dishwasher to help you while you cook. Kids love to be kitchen assistants and can wash a few dishes during meal prep so the job isn’t so overwhelming after the meal.
- Utilize your dishwasher if you have one. Make an announcement to family members that the sink is off limits for dirty dishes. (Because as you know, an empty sink always tempts someone to dump a mound of dirty dishes and then vanish.) Always unload the dishwasher before beginning a new cooking project so you have the dishes you need for cooking, and an empty washer ready to be re-filled.
- Assign family members to dish duty on a rotating schedule so nobody is stuck with this task all the time.
- Offer an incentive to the first family member to volunteer for dish duty.
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