Lets get organized

Lets get organized with Jen Lewis! Happy to say that using Jen's steps I was able to put my pantry in order.  See the pictures below. DON'T JUDGE! hahaha 

The other day I get a call from my dear friend Millie who also happens to be the author of one of my favorite blogs “Four Girls and a Lady.” She asked me to share with her readers’ organization ideas. Anyone who knows me knows that is one of the areas of my life that I take very seriously. We often joke about how OCD I am.  Well about six and a half years ago my husband and I found the perfect house.  We searched and searched.  We went to about 30 houses until we found the house we now call home.  At that time you fall in love with all the things the house has that were on your list.  One thing I totally over looked at the time was there was NO Pantry in the kitchen and/or mud room.  When you have two little ones that love their snacks, juices and other non-perishable items you need a place to store of these items.  Well desperate times call for desperate measures.   I assessed the need and came up with a solution.  I went to Home Depot and purchased shelves that I could use as my pantry in my garage.  Not what I would have wanted but it has worked out and kept me organized and also given me the ability to bulk shop.  This has allowed me to keep the kids snacks, our k-cups and all the non-perishables in an accessible and organized location. 

1.       Empty out your pantry and get rid of all out of date items and items you know you will not use. 

2.      The top shelf I keep all of the boxed items like cereals, crackers, pop tarts and of course the girl scout cookies I have stocked up on and hid behind all the other boxes so the kids cannot see them. LOL! I also put other products like: paper plates, cups, napkins and plastic utensils there in a basket so when we have company I can easily grab it and go.  This also helps when you are in a rush and doing ten things at one time

3.      For the middle shelf I purchased plastic containers to put the kid’s snacks, the k-cups, oatmeal and baking products in.  This way when I need something I can just grab the container and take the whole thing in the kitchen if necessary or just grab what I need out of it. Behind the containers I put bottles and jars lined up neatly with the labels facing out so that I can easily grab what I need.  I also put them group them together by what they are.  For example marinades go with marinades, dressings with dressings and so one.  This makes it easier to find what you need when you need it.  No more searching and pulling out jar after jar or container after container.

4.      The third shelf is an over flow of the snacks, sauces and canned items. Normally I try to organize the snack containers by what they are.  For example all gummies, foot by the foot and other snacks like that in one bin. In another container will be the cheezits, pretzels and chips.  I am sure you get the idea, one day I will get a label gun and label to make it easier especially for the kiddos.

5.      The bottom shelf is a catch all shelf.  I store drink containers, thermos’, laundry detergent container and even my reusable shopping bags there.  I also took our old container for the laundry detergent and re purposed it.   We use it as a plastic bag holder for all the store bags so that when I need a bag I can just reach in and grab one.  

For those of you that have a pantry and if  it has a lot of space between the bottom shelf and floor you can always buy the drawer bins on wheels and use them to hold towels, paper products, foil, baggies or whatever else you might need to store.  Just label the outside of the drawer with what is in there.  So it is easy enough for anyone to grab what they need.  Another idea is that you can make one drawer a snack drawer and label it with the child’s name especially if you have more than one.  That way their favorite snacks are right there for them. Once you organize you will never go back, the time that it saves you and how nice it looks pays off in the end.  So do some spring cleaning in your pantry and cabinets, see what being organized can do for you.

•  Also a quick tip non pantry related…Take your sheets (fitted, top and other pillow case) and put them in the other pillowcase and stack in your linen closet. NO more looking around for a set its already together and ready to go.  

Hope my tips have helped you and you are on your way to reorganizing more than your pantry.  You might have to go out and buy some plastic bins and/or containers but in the end it will be money worth spent