By PATTIE MIHALIK

newsgirl@comcast.netIt's only a medium-size cutting board but I can't find room for it as I walk through my kitchen trying to fit it into a cabinet. It doesn't fit anywhere that makes sense.I use the board every day so it has to be handy. If only I had a convenient location where it would fit.Once again I find myself thinking I need more room in my small kitchen. So I take an inventory of my limited space and try to figure out how to get more storage room.I've been poring through a book on creating more storage, trying to find something that would work for me.I chewed on the problem for weeks until the solution came to me. It's such a simple solution I should have done it a long time ago.My conclusion: I don't need to create more space. I just need to make better use of the space I already have.As the kids would say, Duh!When one or two people live in a house, even one with a small kitchen, they should be able to find room for their stuff.If not, the reason is clearly because they have too much stuff.So I ask myself, how many glasses do I need? With a dishwasher in the house, there is no reason to not to be able to fit our glasses in one small cupboard. Nor is there a reason why the utility drawer is overflowing.It becomes clear to me that I can do one of two things: I can spend money and get a few built-in features to add space and better accommodate my kitchen things. Or, I can pare down what I have.The answer is obvious: I need to make do with the space I already have.A long time ago I learned that the more space we have in a home, the more we will fill every available space.Even if I add more cupboards, the day will quickly come when I'm running out of space again.In my defense, I should note I only have one small kitchen cabinet for my pots and pans. As someone who loves to cook, I would probably have more pots and pans if I had room.But how much room do we really need?That's my question of the week.HGTV is running an interesting series on small homes. In some cases the homes are so small they look like a child's playhouse.How do people live like that?My husband says it's easy. Just don't have anything except the bare essentials. For nine years, he lived on a 34-foot sailboat. He tells me he cooked meals every day in his galley and he lived quite comfortably, he claims.When he moved to a home with 2,400 square feet, he was surprised to find every inch of space was filled."That's my proof," he says. "The more space we have, the more excess stuff we accumulate."Some adjusting was necessary when David the Minimalist married an enthusiastic cook who needs a well-stocked kitchen.We have plenty of conversations about want versus need. We both agree that we need to weed out excess stuff, even if we don't agree on what is excess and what is necessary.A woman who lives near me had a life-changing moment when she met a young mother without any household basics.Bonnie said she went to her own home and took inventory of all her excess stuff."My kitchen cupboards were jammed while that struggling mother had next to nothing. It was then that I decided to pare down what I have and donate the rest to the needy," said Bonnie.When others in the neighborhood heard what Bonnie was doing, they joined in. Before long Bonnie's garage was filled with everything her friends and neighbors donated.That was the start of what became Project Phoenix a place where people bring donations for the needy. In turn, anyone going through tough times can come in and take what they need free of charge.Bonnie started that project four years ago and it is still going strong, even if it operates on a shoestring.When a single mother came in to see if Project Phoenix had any beds for her family, she explained that after a fire she and her two daughters slept on the floor because they didn't have beds. Bonnie called around until she found someone willing to donate beds they weren't using.I'm amazed at how she finds time. She works full time as a nurse's aide and it's hard work. But Bonnie feels called to help the needy. Just think it all started with her overflowing kitchen cupboards.Every area should have a Bonnie a person who helps the poor while reminding the rest of us to stop stockpiling possessions.I used to relax at night by watching HGTV's "House Hunters." But I seldom watch anymore because I am bothered by the "nothing is big enough" trend.In a typical show this week, one newlywed couple buying their first house insisted they needed four bedrooms, even though they didn't have kids. They called a big, newly redone kitchen "a bit tight on space."Back to my original question: How much space is enough?We each have to form our own answer.