New Pantry Makeover: Transform Your Space with Style and Functionality

INSIDE: MY SECOND ATTEMPT AT PANTRY ORGANIZATION. FOLLOW ALONG FOR MY NEW PANTRY MAKEOVER: YOU CAN TRANSFORM YOUR SPACE WITH STYLE AND FUNCTIONALITY

You ever develop a plan to stay organized and it falls apart?

I put my hands up……………..and they stay there………………………..ALL.THE.TIME!!!!!!!!!

I have reorganized my pantry MANY times.

Check out this post for the first go round.

Disclosure Statement: The links in this post contain affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link. Those funds help keep this site alive and kickin’ but it doesn’t cost YOU a thing! Click here for the full disclosure.

While this worked for a long time, things have changed for us. I think it’s because the children aren’t children anymore. They are teenagers……….they are messy and you can hide NOTHING from them.

Here is the current state…..complete chaos!!!

As you can see I’ve tried in the past. Evidenced by containers that “sort of” look the same.

I decided that I would like uniform looking baskets for a more cohesive pantry.

Using my reward points at The Container Store, I was able to get a great deal on these items.

I also grabbed small versions of the same found here and small thin bins found here.

Don’t forget to share the social love – Come follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, TikTok and Insta. AND now on YouTube!!!

As all organizing adventures, start here

PURGE

Empty all of the contents of your pantry. Take them out of the previous bins.

Check dates, expired items should be thrown away. Depending on what you keep in there, you can donate certain things if expired. I recently cleaned out my corner cabinet and found out there are guidelines to expired foods. Check it out here.

Throw away anything you won’t use or eat.

I found several things I forgot I had – like a pretzel kit from Pampered Chef…..we shall be making this on my next day off!!!!

Clean

I don’t know if you remember my Laundry Room Makeover, but I strongly dislike the builder’s grade wire shelves. However, I am not trying to replace them in the pantry. Instead, I wiped everything with Mrs. Meyers.

I decided there was something I could do to make it a little better.

Enter plastic shelf liner to keep it clean AND prevent things from falling through.

Organize

That’s right, say it with me……My FAVORITE part!

I did not take a picture of what the contents of my pantry looked like outside of the pantry……..mainly because I was so overwhelmed I just needed to start somewhere.

I removed the boxes that I could –

Rice – I had 2 open boxes of minute rice, I put the contents of both boxes in an air tight container like these ones, use a dry erase marker to write the cooking directions if you need to….but 2 servings = 1 cup of rice and water, 4 servings = 2 cups of rice and water……..need more info? Ask your kids to use the math skills
Pasta – Spaghetti fits in the tall ones, but 1 pound boxes of elbow and rotini can fit into the shorter ones
Cereal – better sealed in these containers
Popcorn – I had several containers in the shipping box still
Crackers – why do we leave the boxes in the pantry when the bag alone is so much less cumbersome? Use some chip clips to seal in the freshness without the containers or bulky boxes

Next, I put like things together on the counter. I realized that I could go back to the original idea (a little) and make each shelf specific to it’s contents. Breakfast, snacks, dinner, etc.

The “extras” bin I had previously were a silly idea. I couldn’t see what was in them. Well, guess what? I have 3 bottles of rice vinegar……..I don’t even know why…….. Now with the clear bins, I can see what I have extra of and plan NON-shopping trips much easier.

This is where I ended up.