How can I tell how much memory I have free'd up?

And it's not been said (I hope) but after doing all the steps, updating, and unplugging...my phone was at the "hour glass" screen for about 15 minutes. I thought I broke it, then it finally turned on and all is well. So for the newbies (such as myself), give it at least 15-20 minutes after the process before getting worried.