Decluttering the kitchen is a great way to start the new year. Get a fresh start and keep that New Year's Resolution to stay organized.

Start with the pantry. Go through your spices, canned goods and boxed food. Get rid of anything outdated or that you haven't used in the last year. Spices don't last forever. Consider buying from a bulk spice section and only get a small amount at a time for maximum flavor impact.

Consider giving up small appliances you never use or only use once a year. Why hold on to a blender you only use once a year when you could probably make the same recipe in your food processor?

Next, take a look at your cabinets. Do you have extra dishes you never use? Your Christmas themed glassware may be cute, but if you're not even using them at Christmas time, why are you holding on to them?

How about extra casserole dishes and plasticware? How many casserole dishes can you possibly need to use at once? Get rid of the extras. Often we have 5 or 6 containers of the same size. It's just overkill. And how about those plastic storage containers? Most families just don't need 10 of the same size. Get your collection down to a manageable size and make sure you have the coordinating lids.

Let's talk about that junk drawer. Every house has one - that collection of stuff that you can't ever find because it's in the mess of a junk drawer. You can probably get rid of half of what's in there and not even miss it.

The next step is paring down your collection of cleaning supplies. Get rid of anything old. If you have multiple bottles of the same product, either combine them into one or use them and get rid of them. Consolidate anywhere you can.

Sort through your kitchen linens. Those dish towels are never going to look new again, and let's face it. Some of them are dingy, torn and just embarrassing to display. Pair down the collection and get rid of any you'd want to hide from company.

Finally, take a final look around the kitchen for anything that is broken, chipped or doesn't work. Any stacks of old magazines or newspapers need to go as well.

Go through these tips to declutter your kitchen and you'll improve your life too.