Let me first start by giving you one little tip. Do not {whatever the case might be}, ever, try and do a complete Pantry overhaul with a teething 18 month old that doesn't want to nap. Mmm-k? Mmm-k.
Now that we have that covered, let's move on to the fun stuff shall we?
When we bought this house and knew that we, I would have a walk in pantry, I knew that I wanted something clean and organized. Something with at least 2 square inches of space. These last few months have come and gone and the pantry was overflowing. I knew that it was time for a major overhaul.
Warning: Picture Overload
Let's start with the "mess".
Can we say eww! {eww}
I chose to go with something that looked like this pantry makeover. I headed out to buy all new containers and organization thingys. I'm obsessed with container thingys.
What I bought:
This particular loot was purchase at Ikea for about $75
Then it came to painting. I chose a grey paint color to bring out the stainless steel look of our kitchen appliances. I was also going for a similar look to "said" pantry. With a teething {I'm talking excessive cranky pants} toddler close at foot the entire time, it took me 2 days to get the painting completed.
Ooo La La right. Ok, so I'm not quite there yet. Still some work to be done.
At night I would work on going through food items and discard those that were no longer used or that had expired. Easy Peasy! As I was sorting, I would start putting some of the items into their new containers. That was the fun part!
This my dear friends was the mess that I dealt with for days. Talk about a "Hi Honey, welcome home from your long day at work. Cereal is what's for for dinner and we are eating on the couch. This was my day, how was yours?"
Eventually though, things started to come together and everything was cleaned up and put back in it's new home.
Ahh. I can not tell you how nice it is to open the door to a panty that is nice and organized.
So much better....
I removed all appliances and cleared the floor.
All food items were returned in new containers {with the exception of the expired items or the ones that my hubs ate all but 3 bites and put back in the pantry}.
Up Close and Personal:
We love pasta! Really... you didn't notice?
I found this cute little metal bag at goodwill for $2. It made the perfect holder for all of our hot chocolate and hot apple cider.
I put all of the canned goods on the bottom shelf. I was tired of looking at them right when I opened the door. This way they are still very easy to get to, but not in sight.
Our little snack basket. This is on the bottom shelf so that Kyah can get a snack for himself.
He chooses his snack and I of course open it for him.
Those swiss rolls, yea, those are mine. Not his!
Best. Idea.Ever! Clearing out the cereal boxes.
Why didn't I think of this sooner.
This freed up so much space.
I simply removed the bag of cereal from the box, rolled down the top, put on a clip and tucked it away in this crate.
You- Me- Genius. {totally love that commercial}
All Foil, Parchament Paper, baggies, etc are stored in a basket. It sits on the top shelf and is now easy to pull down and choose my item. Used to I would reach up there and try and find the item I was looking for, only to have everything else crash down on my head.
I'm pretty sure that only happens to me??!
Only the worlds greatest snack and chocolate fix!
I also snack on nuts {which you can see in the background}.
I removed all of my spices from their original containers and put them in these new nifty little jars that I bought at Ikea.
{$4 for 4}
I use my spices {pretty much} everyday so I'm used to knowing which is which.
However, I labeled the bottom of each jar accordingly just in case.
For the spices that are small {and cute as they are}, I simply put them together in a cute little tin that I purchase at Goodwill for $1. Love it!
mmm.
I found this adorable little wire basket at Goodwill for $2 and knew exactly what I was going to use it for. Wha-La!
More Kyah goodies.
Whole Wheat Crakers and Maria Cookies.
All of the food items that are not organized into a new container where stored behind the pasta. Keeps it looking neat and tidy.
I found this awesome little wine rack for $3 at Goodwill.
It is PERFECT for holding my cooking oils, soy sauce and extra salad dressing bottles.
Bread Basket was a must! We use way too many breads to just sit around. They are now nicely stored in a basket.
My little spice packets are arranged nicely in another tin that I purchase from Goodwill for $1. This little thinga-ma-jig is awesome! So easy to find my spices.
These super neat Tight Seal Jars were $2 at Ikea. I have olive oil, syrup and veggie oil stored in them now. I cook with olive oil and bake with my veggie oil. Apparently I need more of both. I figured that out when I filled the jars. {hence the reason for clear containers}.
Here we have Oatmeal, Powdered Sugar and Whey Protein.
I still do not have my labels for these, but they should be coming soon.
I was just to antsy to share before they got here.
Here you can see my "Breakfast" items.
In the background you can see a few of my baking items.
The Bad News:
I didn't end up with the pretty "detail" as I would have liked. The vinyl for the backround {to cover the walls} was going to cost me $380 and that my friends is not going to happen right now. Especially for a pantry. Saving for adoption is more important.
The Great News:
Not only has my new pantry saved my sanity, it has saved me money. I now know what items I need to purchase and can plan accordingly. It takes me just a few minutes to run inventory before I head to the grocery store. I have found that I am not buying duplicate items. Nor am I getting home without purchasing an essential that I thought I had. All around, it's a win, win, win.
What do you think?
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