A Better Pantry

When we moved into our new house I knew I would have to maximize every inch of my pantry. On the left you'll see what the pantry looked like when it was semi-organized by category like cereal, baking supplies, etc. It was a mess! And not a good use of space.  

I started searching for a better plan and was inspired by pictures on this blog:  http://www.shanty-2-chic.com/2013/03/kitchen-organization-stackable-canned-food-organizers.html

If you scroll down to "The 411" section you can read great tips this creative lady used to get her pantry more functional. I used the idea to put a piece of wood at the back of the shelf to raise up containers making them easier to see. I bought storage containers from Target for all the cereal and buckets to sort like items together. I love the idea of taking things out of the various sized boxes and containers they are sold in. It may take an extra minute initially but then you can see what you have left and when it's time to restock. It's also been easy to keep the pantry looking this way because everything has a home. When we take it out it's easy to put it back.  

I also loved the idea of the chalkboard stickers. Labeling the containers for snacks and cereal makes them look great and makes it easier to see what goes where. These labels are sold at stores like Hobby Lobby.

Another one of my favorite items is the spices holder. Again, spices come in different sizes that take up a lot of room. When I went through my spices I realized I had about six bottles of paprika! By putting them together in this container I save myself the hassle of searching through all my spices when I'm cooking. Plus it's easy to see when I need more (I don't need paprika for a while!). I purchased this Prodyne A-845 Acrylic 20 Bottle Spice Rack from Amazon.com for about $35. It's worth every penny!