For those who save all their receipts, do you scan them? I scan some -- for items, say, $30 and up (not clothing) -- and attach them to my photo house inventory, when I think I need to. But many receipts use ink that is meant to fade after a while, even when you keep them in a box tucked away in a closet (I don't know why some stores do this, but it is not unintentional). I still have my computer receipts, receipts from housing projects (wood floors, carpeting), some other electronics items. But I just can't imagine saving so many, physically! (Altho I do admit looking at an old credit-card statement and not having the vaguest idea what a $50 purchase at Best Buy was for. It took me a while to remember it was a gift card for one of my nephews.) A few times, Amazon purchases came without receipts. Not Marketplace vendors, but direct-from-Amazon purchases. Annoying.

"I do not like the kitchen at all but I love the rest of the house"-that's normal I'd say I think I didn't like 80% of the house, but still loved the house:) I pretty much hated the kitchen(and I'm kinda easy going person kitchen-wise). Why? These were my points: -it was too open a plan that didn't suit me or the house (I think they made it more open) -it didn't work with the house at all, in terms of style, color, anything. They put it in there for resale, and I bet whatever they had before, dated as it was, would make me happier. That just seemed a waste. It was new, or almost new-well so what? It didn't work with the space. -I would waste a lot of money trying just to paint it for example since it was laminated. Yes, I know there are special primers but I'd spend money on something that wouldn't hold anyway, would spend on changing hardware and what not-and be still left with the kitchen that didn't suit nor me neither the house. So. If you can describe what you don't like more specifically-it'd be very helpful I think. Because some of the things can be redone or tweaked very easily, and it will give you a lot of immediate satisfaction. And to tweak other things is a waste of money and energy and it's better to wait until you can just tackle it all. If you walk us through your list of dislikes-it will become easier for us, and I believe, for you, to decide what to do when. Maybe you'll see you shouldn't bother at all at this point with tweaks but new paint if you dislike this one, tea towels you love, teapot that you love, and a plant will make you much happier while you waiting to redo it. Or maybe you'll see that small tweaks suggested in the thread are worth it, or are actually enough. Big points are: -does the kitchen function as your family needs it to? -does it correspond well with the rest of the house? in terms of architecture, style, layout -does it make you feel you want to be in there, and if no, what will be helpful? the first two are harder if the answer is "no"

Did you plan storage before or after finalizing the cabinet order? Believe it or not, most of my storage plans were made after my cabinet order was finalized. I did plan for the tray storage, extra shelves so I didn't have to stack different items together, spice pullouts flanking the cooktop (long story about that), trash pullout, Pet Center, and pots & pans. Most other items, fortunately, fit where they were needed/used so I could easily place them. Having almost all drawers helped immensely! Most of the other planning that you see in the Storage FAQ I did after the cabinet order was placed. My storage plans were incredibly useful when I was planning where to put everything while I was waiting for the cabinets to arrive. Note that everything didn't go as planned...I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease around that time and ended up having to make space for extra sets of some items like pots & pans, measuring cups/spoons, knives, prep tools, mixing bowl, etc. (Yes, that is necessary for many, if not most of us, with Celiac Disease...so please don't pop in here and say it isn't necessary --- I discovered it really is necessary!) . What sort of criteria did you use for what made the cut to get in the "good" cabinets? Primary criterion: How often was an item used. If it was used fairly often, it went in a "good" cabinet (i.e., at point of use and in a useful cabinet). . What did you do that you are thrilled with? Drawers, drawers, drawers! Trash pullout - 2 bins. It's so easy now to toss things into the trash and recycle bins b/c they're both right there! No more running out to the garage with recyclables! -- The dogs no longer get into the trash (They learned how to open the previous stand-alone trash cans -- including the one that required you to step on a pedal to open!) -- Bins are a perfect size -- big enough not to have to take the trash out all the time but small enough that trash doesn't stay inside long enough to start smelling. The bins take 13-gallon "tall kitchen" bags. -- No more "basketball throws" when throwing things out (my DH is big into that sort of thing and, of course, passed it on to both kids!) Tray storage, including a shelf for long platter storage Extra shelves for each upper cabinet Knife in-drawer tray (https://www.amazon.com/Wusthof-Drawer-7-Slot-Knife-Storage/dp/B000066SYQ/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8) Mine has two rows of slots -- one for short knives and one for long knives. I got rid of all those various knives you get in sets that you never use and now just have the ones I really need and use all the time: 20cm chef's knife, 9cm paring knife, bread knife, & "tomato" knife. 3 drawers under the cooktop -- two deep for pots & pans (gluten cooking) and a shallower top drawer for knives, prep & cooking utensils, etc. It's nice having utensils right where I need them. Utensil organizers everywhere! Sliverware, prep/cooking utensils, junk drawer, miscellaneous tools, electronics, etc. I think every top drawer in my Kitchen has at least one organizer in it, except the pot holder drawer. Pet Center cabinet for dog food, treats, meds, leashes, collars, etc., as well as flashlights & batteries in the top shelf. It's a corner cabinet turned 90-degrees to face outside the Kitchen. It also happens to be very close to where we feed the dogs. -- AnnKH...I'm not opposed to voiding a corner, but only if there's plenty of storage elsewhere and you gain overall functionality. . What do you wish you'd thought of earlier that you didn't realize until you'd used the new kitchen for a while? Location of my trash pullout. I wish I had put it in the Prep Zone, not in the Cleanup Zone -- this is my biggest regret in my Kitchen. 6" filler pullouts flanking my cooktop. Originally, they were supposed to be 9" cabinets for cutting boards, pizza stones, and other heavy items I did not want to store above the counter. However, with the measurement debacle, I lost about a foot of space on my Prep Zone/Cooking Zone wall. It cost me 6" of aisle width b/w my peninsula seating and DR table and 6" of cabinet space -- 3" of which were taken from each 9" cabinet. My KD wanted to just make them filler, but I resisted (I had also lost space in my Pantry & on my Cleanup Zone wall, lost my Message Center, and had to close up my FR entrance by 2' to fix issues caused by the many, many measuring mistakes by my KD. Oh, and I lost almost 10" b/w the end of my peninsula and refrigerator.) The 6" filler pullouts were my way of reducing my loss of so much cabinet space. They're OK for the items I put on the top shelves, but I'm not a fan of having to lean down to access the bottom shelves. Also, since the shelves are not adjustable, I was unable to fit oils in them. [BTW...I insisted my KD's company pay for them and pay for the Message Center niche in one of my Pantry walls to make up for all the planned and mutually-approved functionality I lost due to my KD's mistakes.] Would I do them again? Probably not unless I was going to be stuck with filler. If I could do it over, I would combine the two 6" filler pullouts, take 6" off my 30"W MW drawer cabinet, and put in an 18" trash pullout next to my prep sink. Oh well -- live and learn! . What else do you advise for someone who hasn't done it yet? Everything in the Storage FAQ! :-) If you're really unsure, order all drawers as it's amazing what you can do with drawers! Storage FAQ: How do I plan for storage? Types of Storage? What to Store Where? ++++ Editorial edits...I really miss the "Preview" functionality we had before Houzz took over!

And put some serious storage on the back of the door for the stuff you use all the time (whether it's pantry stuff or cleaning stuff, or perhaps both, depending on what will fit). For mops and brooms, to keep them from flopping on the door when you open it, use the new Command broom holders and put one at the bottom too--I did that w/ my back-of-the-door Swiffer, and it was BRILLIANT (if I do say so myself). There are other options for pantry type things, but I'd vote to stay away from things like shoe pockets or even those Elfa baskets, and go for something deeper and sturdier. More like this: (In fact, look at that--is has a pull-out unit at the bottom--I bet that's an option for you!)