Organizing My Pantry

I recently read a book that has started to clarify the organization process for me! I highly recommend it: The Home Edit

I can't even begin to cover everything they teach in the book, but some key takeaways are as follows:
-Take everything out
-EDIT (aka purge)
-Group things
-Use organizational items to house things in their groupings
-Label, label, label (this is what they consider the key to long term maintenance- more on that later)
- Only refill a space 80% full

Now I'm going to go through my pantry makeover, and  hopefully some of those takeaways will make more sense in practice than in theory! The products I used will be listed below all the photos :)

MY BEFORE/AFTER SHOT:

After:

I feel that this is a realistic looking pantry- It is important that you have somewhere for everything to go or your oganazing will be ruined almost immediately!! Spend some real time thinking about what you need before you label everything! The empty bin towards the bottom left is for chips- I always need a space for bags of chips I buy!! 

For things you use often, buying containers and labeling them is great! I put noodles + pasta on one of my jars so I can change up the type. I could see myself doing this for nuts also- having one canister that says cashews and peanuts, and then I could mix it up!

The counter shelves are super helpful for this space! (linked later in the post) Without them, I would have to have everything piled in and some would be pushed to the back and it would be hard to see what I have. 

Snacks is a great generic label for this bin. I don't want to get too specific and railroad myself in on everything. Pretzels, pistachios, and candy are things I'm likely to have often, so they get their own canisters. Other generic labels I plan to make for my pantry include "dinner sides" "breakfast" and "baking" for items that don't go into individual containers, but are hidden in the wicker baskets.

Don't be afraid to cut up your stickers to get custom labels!! Trust me, Grape Nuts was not included. haha!  

Products Used:
(Sorry if the pin it button makes it hard to click on the photos- just click on the edge to go to the product!!)

The Home Edit Book:

Clear Acrylic Bins: These were the best deal/value I found in all my searching!! Highly recommend:

Pantry Labels: These come with so many! I ended up cutting up a few to create things I wanted. For instance, corn chips and potato starch were cut and combined to make "corn starch." This brand has a lot to choose from- different fonts, black and white color, so definitely look through the options to see what will work best for you! Labeling is the key to knowing where things go- and therefore long term maintenance.

This Lazy Susan IS THE BEST. It isn't in my pantry, but I put it in my medicine cabinet for all my medicines. I love the compartments!!! When you have a high shelf, these are amazing to use because then you can spin it and reach what you need instead of having to climb up on a chair and reach to the back of your cabinets.

These are some of the containers I use for my baking supplies. They aren't cheap, but they look nice and match the acrylic containers. :D

These shelves were one of the best things I did for my pantry. They created extra space for me on my tallest shelf. Then I can take items down without having to shift stuff around trying to find things shoved in the back!

My glass jars with screw on lids are cheap at Big Lots! Highly recommend checking it out if you have one. But here is another cute option!

These under shelf wire storage baskets are amazing. I added one at the bottom. I haven't fully decided what to do with it, but for now it's housing my potatoes.

I used these Wicker Baskets like these to group less specific things like sides, baking, and breakfast.


A few good general tips and advice:
-Don't get hung up on how Pinterest Worthy it looks. Mine is not as beautiful as you see on social media- and that's okay!
-Using similar items (like all accrylic or glass or metal will make it look more cohesive)
-Labels: even generic labels like "snacks, baking, baby food, extra/backstock" are key for long term maintenance. Make sure there is a place for everything and your pantry will stay organized. Take some time to plan out what spaces you need in your pantry. The glass canisters are fun and pretty, but the wicker baskets are very important for my things staying grouped together. I spent time thinking about what I come home from the grocery store with, and planned ahead to have places to put them.


Hope this helps you on your organizational journey!!

xoxo, Love.Haight