This $1.50 Dollar Tree Find Is Life-Changing (I'm Glad I Bought It)

If you had come to my house a few weeks ago, I would have made you look away as I opened the Tupperware cupboard. I buy quality, matching sets, use Mason jars liberally, and try my best to discard anything with a missing top or bottom, but the lid situation inevitably becomes a disaster.

For the last year, I kept all of my lids in a plastic container; it was jumbled, but contained. I'd still have to take the container out and search for the lid I needed, which would occasionally lead to a tidal wave of lids falling out. 

When I saw Dollar Tree's Essentials Wire Dish Drying Racks, a thought struck me: What if I stored my lids in this? It was a success. Since then, I've purchased a few more for other types of cookware that needed organizational attention, such as my baking pans, pot lids, and more.

Why I Love Dollar Tree's Essentials White Wire Dish Drying Racks

If you have a small kitchen, this one is for you! I'm sure they work well as drying racks, but I'm much more excited about the organizational capabilities. The wire slots help keep things upright and separate, making it easy to see what's there at a glance and grab a single item, like my favorite baking sheet or muffin tin. They're also lightweight, easy to move around, clean-looking, and affordable at $1.50 apiece, making them accessible to anyone who wants to experiment with them. This "dish rack" turned out to be one of the most useful organizers in my kitchen.

How I'm Using These Dish Drying Racks

• Food Storage Container Lids: This is the idea that started the spiral! The little ones still live in a container, but everything else stands upright in the rack, all neatly organized by size.
• Pot and Pan Lids: Pot and pan lids were another one of my storage nemesis. Now, they all have a spot. And as a bonus, I don't worry about disturbing the neighbors with my clanging every time I cook.
• Baking Pans: I no longer have to shuffle through a hefty stack of pans, which makes it easy to support my love for baking. Now, they're stacked like books in a library, so I can easily pull out what I need when I need it.
• Cutting Boards: I don't use mine this way (yet?), but it would be perfect for keeping cutting boards upright to dry between uses instead of leaning them against each other on my counter.
• Mail and Paperwork: This one surprised me. I bought a fancy gold rack last year for about $20 to sort bills and school papers. Apparently, this was a big mistake because I can now see that the Dollar Tree rack does the same thing. With a quick coat of spray paint, you'd barely know the difference.

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