As most pantries do, mine gets cluttered very quickly. Mine was so messy that after bringing home some groceries this afternoon I realized I couldn't put them away due to lack of room. Not that there was too much food in the pantry; it was just so unorganized there wasn't enough shelf space to put the food if I hoped ever to find it again.
And so I cleaned the pantry. It wasn't easy, and I felt like giving up half-way through, but I persevered knowing that if I didn't, my kitchen would be completely useless until it was done.
So here's the BEFORE…
…the IN-BETWEEN…
…and the AFTER.
Notice in the BEFORE picture the empty jar on the top shelf? Well, there several more empty jars on that same shelf taking up space, which is one of the main reasons I ran out of room.
So the main thing I did in reorganizing was to put my pastas, rice, and chocolate chips in jar. (And yes, I have that many chocolate chips on hand. If you've been reading my blog at all lately, you'll notice I like baking with chocolate chips…a lot.) I put the rice and chocolate jars in the pantry and then stored the pastas on the counter, freeing up even more space in the pantry.
I also like to purchase multiples of items when they're on sale, so I moved all my extra bottles and jars to the bottom shelf—to a more out-of-the-way spot—so I can utilize the other higher shelves better. It just makes better sense to me to put my frequently-used items at shoulder level and the less-frequently-used ones on the lower, harder-to-reach shelves.
Overall I'm pleased with the reorganization. It feels so good to actually have things organized and to see empty space on my shelves!
I just wonder how long it will be until its in such disarray again that I'll have to do yet another overhaul. But in the meantime, I'm satisfied. My pantry is clean and organized…and I now know that I have four large canisters of oatmeal, so I don't need to buy any more…oops!
This post is linked to Tackle It Tuesday and Itch to Pitch.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Bravo!!! It looks beautiful! I always feel so much more "put together" in the kitchen when the pantry and the frig are clean and in order. I don't know how many times I have come home with groceries and found that I needed a major overhaul! I'm doing my bedroom closet right now and hope to post it to a future Tackle It Tuesday!
Thanks for the cleaning encouragement!!
[Reply]
Very well done! It's such great satisfaction to do things like this!
[Reply]
Great job! Using jars is such a good idea. Thanks for sharing.
[Reply]
Great tackle!!!
Susie's Homemade´s last blog ..Tackling Booze Cupcakes
[Reply]
Your pantry looks great. I just did this back in May for Spring Cleaning. What a mess. Now I even have my food inventory so I know not to buy triples of things.
BTW we tried the Zesty beef and tomato bake. It was really good. Thanks for the recipe.
[Reply]
Wow! Great job, Joy!
Sherry´s last blog ..A No Baking Afternoon
[Reply]
I know the feeling of frustration before and the feeling of satisfaction after too!
Just a thought! Thanks for sharing I really enjoy your blog.
It looks really nice. Have you ever thought of labeling the shelves so you (and others) know where to place things when you put them back or bring them in from the store? It can be very vague like cereals, oils, flour, etc but it really helps in keeping things organized. NOT that you will never need to do this again, but it slows down the process of mess alittle.
[Reply]
Can you really have too much oatmeal?
This is a good idea – I have two pantry's, one in the kitchen and a closet type one. I should go through them both.
[Reply]
Great job on your pitching! I have a big container for my chocolate chips as well, although I don't think I like them nearly as much as you do!
Toni
The Happy Housewife´s last blog ..Menu Plan Week of June 29th
[Reply]
That looks great! I have been considering getting glass containers to store foodstuff in. I can put them on the counter where they will look nice and free up cabinet space. Great job!!
Rhen @yestheyareallmine´s last blog ..Me? Running?
[Reply]