My Pantry Transformation

For a long time my pantry was a pain in the neck! Every time I opened the door and saw the colorful heaps of boxes, bags and cans facing every which way I shuddered in disgust. I’d organize it as neatly as I could and be somewhat satisfied but within a day or two my husband (who isn’t as meticulous as I am) would have unintentionally destroyed the balance that I’d worked so hard to create.

I drooled over the beautifully organized pantries on Pinterest but never took the steps to make mine fabulous too. Now that the task is done, I wish I would have stopped being cheap and done this sooner. I hate spending money but this was absolutely worth the peace and sanity that it brought. It was much easier than I expected and with a little research I actually didn’t spend as much as I thought I’d have to.

Here’s what my pantry looked like before.

Whew chile, I’m frowning and shaking my head just looking at these pictures.

So the first thing I did was take inventory of all the foods I had (and regularly eat) to get an idea of the sizes of the baskets and containers I’d need and also how many I should buy. After doing that, I went to Walmart and got everything I needed. When I was ready to start, I removed everything from the pantry and grouped the like items. Then, I separated the food groups into their own baskets/containers. Finally, I played around with the placement of the storage containers and baskets until I was happy with how everything looked.

I labeled the baskets with card-stock and attached them to the baskets with a clothespin. I labeled each of the clear containers with….wait for it….scotch tape. I simply wrote on the tape with a Sharpie and saved myself the money most people spend on fancy labels.

The whole project was actually quite simple. It just required a little planning before buying the baskets/containers and about an hour of my time to execute. I’m so pleased with how it turned out and I’m happy to say that I’ve had ZERO pantry anxiety since the makeover was completed. It has made being in the kitchen a much more enjoyable experience. If you’re considering doing a pantry makeover, do yourself the favor and go for it! Now, its on to the refrigerator!