Monday, April 1, 2013

Beautifully Organized Pantry

Happy April Fools Day! What kind of fun things have you done/had done to you today?

I wish I was one of those cool bloggers who had a fun April Fools prank planned, but honestly with Easter so early this year, I completely forgot. Oh well, next year, on with the post!


An organized pantry really helps save money and time in the kitchen. I can’t believe I put this off for so long since moving here.

DSC08428-2

Things were just thrown in and didn’t have a whole lot rhyme or reason.

DSC08420

So I started by taking EVERYTHING out, cleaning the shelves, and going through the food that was in there.
DSC08424

I threw away a bunch. Look at expiration dates and try to think about how long you’ve had it. If you can’t remember – in other words it’s been there FOREVER- you’ll probably never use it and should just get rid of it.

Really, how did we get sooo many condiments?!?! We don’t even eat out that much. I thinned it out and threw most out.
DSC08422

I started organizing foods into groups – baking, pasta, snacks, etc.

I love these bins from Dollar Tree. I went to several different locations to find enough – apparently everyone else loved them too!

DSC08423

Then shelf by shelf stuff went back in. The trays and cooler went up top because some little boy liked to pull them out all the time so they would end up somewhere around the house.

Snacks also went up high so the same little boy couldn't see them every time I opened the pantry and beg for them. lol

DSC08426

Every jar and almost all the bins got labels (chalkboard labels) and I was really specific so I don’t over look something and buy duplicates of anything. My mother-in-law was here while I was doing this and she looked at me like I was crazy, but I NEED organization!  lol

The far bin says “chocolate, white chocolate chips, caramel bites, and chopped nuts.” I felt like I needed to be pretty specific because that’s how my mind works. If I’m at the grocery store and I’ve labeled this way, I can probably picture if I have/need something better – if I didn’t look ahead of time.

DSC08430

DSC08428

DSC08429

DSC08431

DSC08433

Food and water storage items at the bottom. My broom and mop tucked in the side.

DSC08434
More food storage. My husband insisted on 7up for ‘tummy emergencies’ :D

Then my reusable bags have their spot too.
DSC08435

And there you go…a beautifully organized pantry with lots and lots of labels. Love it!!


Be sure to follow along for more organizational and spring cleaning tips! I have a bunch coming your way.

54 comments:

  1. This looks great! I love an organized pantry. I recently did mine so I appreciate how much work it is!! I would love for you to link this up to our new linky party, Give Me The Goods Monday! I am hosting with 4 other bloggers, 1 party but your links will show up on all 5 blogs!
    http://www.somuchbetterwithage.com/2013/03/give-me-goods-party-1.html
    Jamie @ somuchbetterwithage.com

    PS: I'm your newest follower

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Jamie! I dropped by and linked up, thanks for the invite! And thank you for following along, welcome!

      Delete
  2. Way to go, Alex!! My pantry is so tiny that as soon as I organize it, I have to find something and mess it all up again! I dream of a pantry like yours!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awe, thanks Kathleen. The pantry in our apartment was itty bitty and drove me nuts for that same reason too. The bins work wonders, maybe they would help? Thanks for dropping by!

      Delete
  3. This makes me think it's time to tackle mine...it's probably my least organized space in the house...So glad you shared with us at the Give Me The Goods Link Party!
    www.dimplesandpigtales.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pantries can be so hard, especially when you can just close the door and forget about it. haha. Good luck with yours, thanks for stopping by!!

      Delete
  4. Love it! Don't you just feel so good after a project like this?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It feels sooo much better!! I can find everything and don't forget stuff at the store. Now I just need to get my husband to understand my organizing system. Haha. Thanks for stopping by!!

      Delete
  5. It looks fabulous! I have been working on mine one shelf at a time, so overwhelming. You just gave me the motivation to finish :) Thanks for linking up.
    XO
    Kristin

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So glad I could motivate you, it really is so overwhelming. But once it's done, it feels great and *hopefully* stays nice for a while.

      Delete
  6. Wow! You want to come do mine? It's a mess... Thanks for the inspiration. I need to overhaul my whole house unfortunately... But yours looks fabulous :) Krista @ http://ahandfulofeverything.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just take it one space at a time. The great thing is once you finish one space, you get motivated to tackle the others, at least I did. I love the organization so I want to keep it going! Thanks for dropping by, so glad you liked it!

      Delete
  7. I love your use of the chalkboard labels! And why not list everything in each container, saves on thinking time when you need something in a hurry :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Exactly! I like knowing exactly what I've got to work with. Thanks for you comment!!

      Delete
  8. Your pantry looks great! I would love for you to link up at SHOW-licious Craft Showcase! Just follow this link......http://sew-licious.blogspot.com/2013/03/show-licious-craft-showcase-25.html.

    Marti

    ReplyDelete
  9. I LOVE that you have all of the condiment packets :) Thanks for coming to our Link Up Party at allthingswithpurpose.com!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. haha yeah, we save all sorts of crazy things.

      Delete
  10. It looks great! I recently did my pantry as well... doesn't it feel so good to have it organized again! Thanks for sharing it!
    Krista @thehappyhousie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, it feels so good to be organized!

      Delete
  11. Love it! Well done! Cute labels too, by the way.  I'd  love to have you link this to Titus 2 Tuesday this week on Cornerstone Confessions.. I hope to see you there. 
    Kathy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, I will stop by on Tuesday and link up. I also added your party to my linky list

      Delete
  12. I was truly just thinking the other day that I need to organize my pantry! You've done a great job with yours...so inspiring! I'd love for you to stop by my weekly link party and link this up. http://thelifeofjenniferdawn.blogspot.com/2013/04/a-little-bird-told-me-link-party-36.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, I stopped by and added this and a couple other link ups. Thanks for the invite!

      Delete
  13. Hi, my name is Linda and I have pantry organization OCD too. Not only does it have to be organized but it has to be pretty too. Yours looks great.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Exactly, pretty and organized. Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  14. Really, can you ever have too many labels? I don't think so! Beautiful job, and it must make food prep so much easier!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You can never have too many labels, food prep is soo easy since I know where everything is and what I have in there. Thanks for your comment!

      Delete
  15. Oh, I bet you feel GREAT having thinned out that pantry. Good for you. Looks fabulous with your new labels. Thank you for linking it up. I can't wait what you'll bring week to week! Always good!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, it feels great. Storing those expired and unused foods was just ridiculous. Much better now!

      Delete
  16. I so need to do this to my pantry! I'd love for you to link up a few posts at my weekend link party@The Weekend re-Treat!
    on The Best Blog Recipes if you haven't already!

    Hope to see you there!

    Shauna
    http://thebestblogrecipes.blogspot.com/
    http://ready2loseweight.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Shauna for the invite. I hopped over and linked up this and several other projects. I'll add your party to my list too!

      Delete
  17. This looks great. I need to do this. We have a link party called Wednesdays Adorned From Above Blog Hop and would love to have you share this and any other posts with everyone. It runs from Tuesday night through midnight Sunday. Here is the link to the party.
    http://www.adornedfromabove.com/2013/04/wednesdays-adorned-from-above-blog-hop.html
    We hope to see you there.
    Debi and Charly @ Adorned From Above

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Debi and Charly! I will stop by on Tuesday night and link this and some other posts up. Thanks for the invite!

      Delete
  18. Hi there! Congratulations! You were featured at SHOW-licious Craft Showcase!

    http://sew-licious.blogspot.com/2013/04/show-licious-craft-showcase-26.html

    Marti

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh awesome, thanks for the feature! That's very exciting!

      Delete
  19. hi! this is so clever!!! You will be featured at this weeks Tasteful Tuesday Part at Nap-Time Creations. The party will open 8:30 central time Monday night. I would love to have you add my featured button to this post! See you soon! Emily

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Emily for the feature! I will be back to your party and linking up again!

      Delete
  20. I laughed that on the condiment pic I zeroed in on the In n Out ketchup. The end result is very organized!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hehe yeah I love In n Out. One particular trip the guy at the window was a tad over zealous and seriously gave us 25 packets of ketchup. Anyway, thanks for stopping by, I'm so glad you liked the post! Have a great day!

      Delete
  21. Good ideas.....Thank you for sharing with the Clever Chicks Blog Hop this week; I hope you’ll join us again!


    Cheers,
    Kathy Shea Mormino

    The Chicken Chick

    http://www.The-Chicken-Chick.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yep, I'll be back, thanks for hosting! Have a great day!

      Delete
  22. Hey Alex! Thank you for sharing on last weeks Thrifty Thursday! I LOVE your pantry!
    I have made your post a Feature for this week, I hope you will join us again!
    http://healthyhiggins.blogspot.com/2013/04/thrifty-thursday-11.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Jessica for the feature and hosting the party each week! You're on my link up list and will be back each week.

      Delete
  23. So I'm curious...where on earth did you find all your jars? I'm having the worst time on earth finding any!! I found one at a yard sale, but it had no lid.

    Visiting from the Clever Chicks blog hop.

    Helen
    Blue Eyed Beauty Blog
    Exercise Encouragement Group Blog

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It took a while to accumulate all of them, but I mostly got them at Goodwill and off of a Facebook garage sale site (like craigslist). Patience, I would usually only find 1, maybe 2 each trip to Goodwill. If you can't wait, there's always Ikea and Hobby Lobby. Good luck in your hunt! :-)

      Delete
  24. Great panty organizational idea; mind sharing where you bought your chalkboard labels for the pantry jars/containers? On pinterest or some organizing blog I saw where you can buy chalkboard contact paper but do you write the name of the pantry item with chalk? Can't you buy pantry labels already pre-printed with panty items printed on them?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah the labels I bought on Amazon as a roll of contact paper, then cut out shapes I wanted. I used a chalkboard marker, kinda like what they use for a bistro board. It's like a liquid chalk marker and it stays on better than chalk. I tried chalk at first but I would smudge it or smear it. You can buy the labels pre-printed, but I like this because I can change at anytime what is in the jar and easily change the label. Thanks for asking!

      Delete
  25. Oh! Your pantry looks great too! I love the chalkboard labels.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Denyse. The chalkboard labels are my favorite part! Have a great weekend!

      Delete
  26. Looks great. I am a big fan of clear canisters!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are awesome. I love them too, definitely helps me know what I need when I go grocery shopping :D

      Delete
  27. I love your pantry! Mine is organized but I think I'll need to get some new canisters and baskets now. Thanks so much for the inspiration. :)

    Debbie @ Simple Joys of Home

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So happy to inspire, Debbie! Don't you just love an organized pantry? It just makes things so much easier. Thanks for commenting, have a fantastic day!

      Delete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...