I recently read an article about how cluttered, unorganized spaces can cause anxiety and stress. I whole-heartedly believe that and feel like I’m a prime example of that fact. Clutter and disorganization drive me crazy! Now, before you think that I must be the most organized person ever, let me assure you that I am not. As I’m typing this, there are little piles of ‘stuff’ all around me. However, I am the type to clean up as much as possible before I leave the house and all beds must be made. I can’t relax or focus if there is a mess around me. Decluttering and organizing has always been something that I enjoy and need in my life.
My pantry was a huge mess and I have been wanting to really organize my pantry for months. You know, like the photos you see on Pinterest with all of the food in nice containers or baskets and everything in place just right. The thought of spending money on containers and bins to do it the way I really wanted it done prevented me from ever attempting to truly organize my pantry. If you follow me on Instagram and watched my stories, then you know that I went on a serious organizing mission recently. Motivation stuck and I spent three days decluttering cabinets and drawers throughout my house, with the pantry at the top of my list.
I have not watched the shoe Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, but I have seen enough posts about it via social media to spur me into organizing action. To get started, I took photos of spaces in different rooms of my house that I wanted to clear out and organize, with the pantry being the biggest undertaking of them all. With photos in hand, errr on my phone, I made a trip to The Container Store. I used the photos as a reference guide for the items and spaces I needed containers for. An hour later and a cart piled high, I headed home excited to make a serious change.
That night I did what I could with the items I had purchased and then made a specific list for what other items I would need to completely over-haul my pantry. I made one more trip to The Container Store the following day and stayed up late that night to finish what I had started the day before. I emptied boxes of pasta, cereal, snacks, and crackers into clear containers. I threw away expired food and rearranged what we would keep. My whole family went to bed hours before me, but when I was finished and everything was clean again, I was so happy with how it turned out.
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I really rearranged this section of my pantry. I was able to empty and throw away so many boxes and use containers that were easier and neater to store foods in. I cleaned out my baking supplies box and got a two-tiered lazy susan for some baking/decorating supplies.
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I opted for the clear plastic containers with pop open lids rather than the classic glass so that I don’t worry about what the kids reach for. They are available in so many shapes and sizes, prefect for crackers, pastas, cookies, and more. I bought extra large clear bins to gather all of our ‘extras’ in the items that we keep on hand, such as pickles, sauces, and condiments. I used this expandable shelf for our canned goods.
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This side of my pantry (below) was the most unorganized, by far. I was able to completely clear out enough to leave one whole section (all four shelves) empty! I was able to move our {very small} medicine/bandaid kit and all of our Young Living essential oils out of our bathroom cabinet and put them here instead. I also condensed our vitamin ‘collection’ to the ones we actually take. Another thing that made a huge difference in this area of the pantry was putting all of my plasticware (who even knew we had that much!) in clear plastic bins that I picked up from the Dollar Store.
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Using clear containers to store food, rather than keeping them in the boxes they come in, not only saves on space, but it also allows you to easily see just how much of that item is still there. I used these for some of the kids’ snacks. The kids make less of a mess with cereal now that we store them in these easy-pour containers. For our breads {below}, we were storing them in a ‘bread basket’, but the bread at the bottom would get moldy before we knew it, or smashed. Having this bread shelf is definitely one of my favorite changes. It allows for space to prevent smashing and I can see exactly what we have.
A space where breads won’t get smashed. 
Individual containers for snacks & cereal. 
Bins for crackers and fruits. 
Bins & containers for all the boxed items.
These stackable baskets {seen above and below} are another favorite of mine. I am able to empty boxes of granola bars and snacks that my kids eat and put them here for them to easily access.
Snacks in easy-access baskets for the kids.
When my family woke up the morning after I had finished getting the pantry just how I envisioned it, they were completely shocked and amazed at the transformed that took place over-night. My kids had to ask a few times were to find some foods that got moved around and my husband is happy with this surprise “investment’ that I made. There are no more wrappers or pieces of boxes laying around that got ripped open by the kids. There are no wasted or cluttered spaces and we can actually see what we have. I no longer feel stressed when I walk into my pantry and I feel like it is actually going to stay organized.
Thanks for stopping by and leave me a comment if this inspires you to do a little organizing somewhere in your house.
~ Amy
