Well, ya all remember my kitchen is really small. So I have almost an extended kitchen into my dining room. I have a little spice cabinet in here on the wall, above where I have my crock pot on the top of the freezer. I just have little cooking stations here and there.
My big spice cabinet in the kitchen got damaged from the hole in the ceiling, the racoon, and you name it. The racoon falling from the ceiling didn't help out a bit. But I saved the water damaged spices to make my soap and to use for stuff ... not cooking, of course. Well, just the outside bottles were damaged, not the spices inside. I do try to keep my spices fresh and flowing.
Another thing I do in the fall and winter is to make a potpourri on the stove. Sometimes it gets really dry in the house about midwinter. So I get out my big antique coffee pot. It holds about 3 gallons of water. I let it simmer on the back of the stove to keep the moisture in the air. And in the water, I put the spices I am trying to use up. Also I put in orange peels, or lemon, lime, or grapefruit peels. With any of these citrus smells, the good spices to add would be cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger or cloves. Maybe add some vanilla extract?
Your spices get old like any other food and after a few years, I would try to use them up. Just put the old outdated spices in a place to use for soap or your steaming potpourri. Also you can spruce up a candle by sprinkling it with spices.
For you who need to buy spices to make a spice cabinet? I would start out by buying the spices I mentioned. Or just buy the apple pie spice or the pumpkin pie spice. Both of these spices are good in muffins or holiday breads of all kinds. They are cheap at the Dollar Stores and I think they are nice spices. I get a lot of mine in bulk at back to land stores. But I also get some of my spices at the Dollar Store. Just depends on how fast I need them. The Dollar Stores are more convenient.
