Now that I’m in America with Dollar Tree a few minutes away, and dozens of YouTube videos on how to declutter, I have been busy. I decided that the first thing I wanted to organize was my pantry. My favorite Dollar Tree YouTubers recommended which storage tubs and baskets are best, so I made a quick trip up to Dollar Tree.
It’s no secret that the US economy is in turmoil and inflation is ridiculously high. This has meant that Dollar Tree in many states has become Dollar and a Quarter Tree; everything is up 25 cents. Still, $1.25 for storage is a bargain in my books.
I wanted the pretty muted pink or grey plastic storage tubs but my local Dollar Tree didn’t have them. I could choose from white, bright green, or bright blue. I chose six white square tubs, and four bright blue baskets. I thought it best to start small, work out what was most practical, and then go back and buy more storage once I had a plan.
I started by pulling out a few pantry shelves and sorting them into baking, pasta, spices, nuts, etc. I threw away anything a bit cagey looking and started filling the cubes and baskets. Once I’d made a good dent in it I put the filled baskets and cubes back into the pantry and had a look. It doesn’t look that good. I don’t have a walk-in-pantry so that could be the first problem, and things now just seem to be even harder to find. Maybe the cubes are too big or bulky for the pantry, and I may try some smaller ones. I’m not sure. I feel like it was a bit of a fail overall. Also, if I’m truthful, I didn’t really enjoy it at all. The YouTubers make it look fun and it wasn’t fun. It was boring and messy.
There’s a reason some of us are writers and some are YouTubers. I love YouTube. I watch travel vlogs like there’s no tomorrow. I love van-life vlogs and local eats. I can’t get enough. And I am even inspired to try renovating some furniture. But I think that I need to be realistic about what type of person I am. I like the idea of having a super organized, everything in a basket or storage cube type of house, but I’d prefer to do some research or write a chapter or two of my novel even more. Maybe this Dollar Tree YouTube lifestyle hasn’t been a dismal failure. Maybe it’s just helped me understand myself a bit better than before. And really, who cares if I have three or four containers of baking soda in my pantry that I can never find? Not me.
My Average Travels 