Do you struggle with a pantry that looks like a hot mess? Are you tired of opening your pantry and struggling to find where items are located? Do you struggle with how to organize? Organizing spaces is something that I enjoy doing. Organization can make our lives simpler. It also helps us to feel less stressed out. Have you ever seen shows on television or on YouTube that are strictly for organizing? I like to organize spaces that fit my personal needs. When I organize, it does not have to be perfect. As long as the space functions, the way I want it, that is all that matters to me. I once heard someone on YouTube say something like “do what works for you” when it came to organizing. I can’t remember the exact words or what video I heard that in. When organizing your space, do what is practical and realistic for your own needs. It’s your personal space and it should  reflect and function the way you want it.

Over the weekend, my parents decided to take a weekend trip. This was a project I had planned out for a while. Their original plans got canceled, so they took the opportunity to get away for the weekend. They needed a house sitter to watch over their property and feed their animals. While they were gone, I wanted to surprise them with a pantry makeover. This plan I had for a few months. I was tired of looking at their pantry because it was messy. I also could never find what I was looking for.  

How I planned this pantry makeover:

1. First, measure the inside of your cabinets to determine how much space you have.

2. Next, take a look into your cabinet to see what types of organizational products will be needed; for organizing your cabinet; or pantry. I used baskets and jars. Look at the food items in your pantry to determine which items should go in baskets and inside the jars.

3. When looking for jars, containers, and baskets, check places like your local thrift stores first. Bring a tape measure with you so you can see if these items will fit into your pantry. My parents have adjustable shelves. I still had to measure everything first to make sure they would fit properly in the pantry before I actually bought the items. I see containers and jars all the time at the thrift store for super cheap, so check their first. You don’t have to buy matching containers either. Buy things that will work for your lifestyle needs and your space. For this project, I got super lucky and found all the jars at the thrift store. I did not have good luck finding the correct baskets at the thrift store. If you don’t have any good luck at the thrift store, finding containers or jars, you can check stores like Amazon, Target, Walmart, TJ Maxx, and other big box stores for glass jars and baskets. I loathe plastic containers for organizing food. I will admit that in my home, I have plastic bins for storing holiday items, but when it comes to food storage I believe baskets are the better option. Plastic is very toxic to our health. We all have been exposed to plastic in our lives. We all have particles of plastic in our bodies. We do not even know it, which is a bit scary. For health reasons, I stay away from plastic bins when storing food. Also, I find that plastic bins look cheap. When organizing a cabinet, baskets look nicer and will hold up over time. Plastic, over some time, will bend out of shape. Plastic will also melt and releases toxic chemicals into the planet. Plus, plastic gets dirty and is hard to clean. Baskets are the better option, especially for our health. Baskets go on sale, so look out for those sales in the stores. 

4. Next, start organizing everything by category. I started taking stuff out of the cabinet and gathering “like” items together. I moved all the pasta and placed them in one central zone. Then, I arranged all the soups and placed them in another central zone. I put all the snack items together. Then all the random food items were stuck in one area and handled last. I did that for every item in the pantry. If you have anything old sitting in the cabinet, be sure to toss it.

5. If you already own some containers and jars in your cabinet, take out food items and wash out those containers and jars. If you already have a few baskets in your pantry cabinet, take them out too, and clean them out. If you purchased new containers and jars, make sure to wash them first before you go to put your dried goods in them.

6. Next, I cleaned out my cabinets of all the gunk stuck on the inside of the walls and shelves. With soap and water, make sure to wash and dry the surfaces in the cabinet. 

7. Then, I ended up turning two of the shelves upside down. It was sagging from the amount of weight on it. Turning the shelf upside down will reshape the shelf, and flatten it out. 

8. Now is the time to think about how you want to organize the cabinets. I like to make everything in the cabinet easy to access. I like to zone each area of the cabinet. For instance, I kept all the pasta and sauces near each other. I had the snacks in one spot where my parents could easily reach them. I did not want to crowd the cabinets. Therefore, the snacks and crackers baskets were not on the same shelf. All the canned food I like to keep on the bottom shelf. It is the heaviest of the items on the shelf, therefore makes the most sense in my parent’s pantry to be on the bottom shelf. If you have too much-canned food items or extra food, consider designating another space or a cabinet in your garage for those items. That is what my parents do. 

9. Now, it is time to organize your baskets and jars. My parents had a lot of different types of nuts in bags. The only nuts that they had the most of were peanuts. All the peanuts went into one container. The rest of the other bags of nuts went into the basket. The same went for the raisins. They went in a container. All the other excess nuts, chocolate, and other odd snack foods also went into the basket. For the glass jars, I liked to store pasta inside of them. For the pasta that was used frequently, I decided to put it into glass jars. The new pasta they bought to try out, stayed in its original box. Now, my parents already had a lot of glass jars and containers to store their dried goods. I took everything out of every container and glass jar they had and placed them in bowls. I washed every container and jar they owned. I also rearranged every jar and container. For instance, my parents buy cornmeal to use for making pizza. It is so the crust does not stick to the pizza brick. I put the cornmeal into a smaller container. The container it was in was too big. Now, that empty larger container could store something else like pasta. When I was recently at the thrift store, I got lucky and found great jars for organizing my parent’s dried goods. They needed more glass jars because they did not have enough to work with. Anything that came in a smaller package that I knew my parents would frequently use when cooking went into a smaller container. All the larger items used frequently went into a larger container.

10. Lastly, all the jars and baskets got labeled. I made it so my parents could remember what goes in each container, glass jar, and basket. I highly recommend you label everything. Labeling your items will help you to stay organized.

11. Now, it is time to enjoy your space! Remember to always keep your pantry clean and organized. You will thank yourself later when you love knowing where everything is in the pantry. Plus, you will enjoy feeling less stressed out, knowing you worked hard to make your space look nice. I always say “less is more”. I think it’s such a true statement. When you struggle with having a small space to work with, always remember to condense the items you have. Make sure the items go into containers, jars and baskets. When you organize this way, your more likely to use see the food you have and actually use it.

Here is how the pantry makeover started: WARNING, the first picture is something we can relate too! Funny, that my dad thought this was pantry was organized. My mom, on the other hand knew it bothered her. Help is on the way…