Pantry Overhaul

Okay, so we have only been in our home for about two months now and although the visible spaces in our home are super tidy, I am embarrassed how messy some of our closets and cupboards already are (I take the blame). Does anyone else have a space in their home where things that don’t quite have their own space get stored? Looking at you, checkbooks, koozies, and extra wedding invitations. That place for me was the pantry.I like to be thoughtful with what is displayed in our home because I don’t like crowded walls or countertops. With that being said, the pictures I am posting of our pantry before the overhaul are a little embarrassing because it was so not tidy like it used to be when I first stocked it!

Fine, it wasn’t really that bad, but it was starting to stress me out a bit every time I went to grab something from the pantry so it was time to make a change. Since I have plenty of extra time to take on a project and I LOVE organizing, I was excited to get started! I also plan on organizing our closet and our master bathroom cabinets, too. Here’s what I did to revamp our pantry:

Plan

I am a very impulsive buyer and can get a little ahead of myself when it comes to projects like this, but with this project I really wanted to think it through and do some research so I could get the most for my money. I grouped and wrote down different items in the pantry and decided what kind of container I wanted to place them in. I knew I wanted things like baking powder, corn starch, and rice in jars, but wanted to stay clear (lol) of glass jars because of the price. I found plastic jars on Amazon that were available in 6 oz., 12 oz., 18., and 36 oz., so I bought a pack of each and wrote down what I would pour in each one. I was very off on my planning because a bag of flour and sugar and boxes of Bisquick and oats will NOT fit in a 36 oz., container! I ordered 3 78 oz. glass canisters for the oats, Bisquick, and flour. So, do NOT follow my exact notes, but DO plan for what you need based on what you have.

Buy

Not every storage item I used is shown above, but can be seen in following pictures.The plastic jars are available in four different sizes – I bought all four sizes. They are being used for things such as bread crumbs, salt, and pepper mill mix. You can find them here.The glass canisters are probably my favorite part of the whole transformation! Find them here.I knew I needed a large basket for vacuum supplies (tallest basket) but I did not have an intended use for the other two baskets – I just knew I would find a use for them! Originally I wanted a basket for paper towels and one for cleaning supplies, but the paper towels look fine sitting out on the top shelf of the pantry and most of our cleaning supplies are already stored under the sink. Of course the little basket is for dog bones! These baskets were purchased at Home Goods.Not pictured are small white bins that were supposed to hold items such as cake decorating supplies, crackers, etc. I was wrong about their size and ended up using them for other items in the pantry. I happened to already have white metal bins from At Home that I was able to use for the cake decorating supplies, crackers, etc.

Empty Out

I actually thought about skipping this part, but I am glad I didn’t because it is just satisfying to start with a clean slate and watch the progress!

How does all this stuff even fit in one little room??

Label

I love writing, so I was really looking forward to the labeling part! Some labels didn’t get used because well, things don’t always go as planned. I actually labeled everything before I emptied the pantry because I did this project in two days and I didn’t want my kitchen a mess for that long.

Fill Up Containers

The best part about filling the new containers was throwing away the old ones! Goodbye, torn boxes.

Organize Items

I tried to group similar items together such as appliances, pasta/sauces, baking supplies, etc. The basket above holds all my travel mug/cups and the other basket I bought holds plastic sacks.

The Finished Product

Who knew organizing food could wear you out so much? I hope this post helps inspire you to organize a part of your home so you can enjoy it even more! With a glass of wine, too, of course!
Paige