Happy Sunday friends!!!! These past couple of days have been super rainy here in N.C which led to us being inside quite a bit. We played games, read books, worked on my daughters letters and numbers, watched movies and had lots of snuggles. I guess I can’t complain about rain when our days have been full of good quality time, right??
But as the girls asked for a snack yesterday, we opened the pantry and it was like a bomb went off inside and exploded everywhere. It was a mess!!!! It immediately triggered me to want to go to the Dollar Tree and see what kind of organizational things I could use to make this space look better but also be more functional for all of us. So off we went!!
I found a bunch of items to use and the best part is everything is just $1. at the Dollar Tree. So for 4 bins, 4 glass jars, 3 tall containers and a pack of labels I only spent $12. plus tax. I call that a win win! Pantry organiation for CHEAP! I mean I could have gone all out and bought pretty looking baskets and bins for a bit more money, but I chose to keep it simple and cheap. Feel free to use whatever you would like to organize, but here is how I did it…
Here is the BEFORE picture. I told you- HOT MESS!
FIRST, FIGURE OUT HOW YOU WANT TO ORGANIZE IT
- I luckily bought exactly how many bins I needed without really fully thinking about it before jumping in my car straight for the Dollar Tree. This was the hardest part for me. My suggestion is to get an idea of what bins you need and how you will organize it first. Once you do that, get your bins and organize!
ADD A TAG INSIDE FOR INSTRUCTIONS AND EXPIRATION DATES
- I chose to keep my cereal, oats, and rice in tall bins at the top of our pantry. I also added a tag on the inside of the lid for cooking instructions and also added the expiration dates. You can always cross off the expiration and add a new one once you get a new bag for a refill.
DONATE WHAT YOU WON’T USE/DON’T NEED
- I donated some of the cans and things we had that we didn’t think we would use and organized the remainder cans nicely. Remember there are always places to bring these non-perishables that would love to hand them out to people in need! Check expiration dates too!
SMALLER FOOD IN SMALLER CONTAINERS
- Often me and the girls will do what we call “Banana boat breakfast bowls”. We will cut a banana length wise, add some yogurt on top and some other fun toppings and enjoy! So those toppings I chose to put in glass jars and keep them higher up out of the little ones reach. I put dried cranberries, granola, peanuts, walnuts, pecans, chocolate chips and coconut flakes in these containers.
USE WHAT YOU HAVE ON HAND
- I used the containers we had already and filled them with granola bars, fruit snacks, and candy.
KEEP EVERYTHING ORGANIZED AND EASY TO SEE. LABELING IS KEY!
- I used one bin for on the go rice packets for, another for pasta and mac n cheese.
- Keeping items labeled will make a huge difference in finding items quickly especially for when the hubs needs to grab something quick before work!
PUT KID’S SNACKS AT THEIR EYE LEVEL
- At the lowest shelf I have a bin full of different crackers and one with chips.
I chose to do all of this on a whim and I am so happy with it. It seems like it will make it easier for me, the hubs and the girls to see what we have, what we need to buy when we run low and hopefully be able to keep it more organized from here on out. Now it is definitely not perfect, but it works for us and I hope to help you if you have been thinking of doing this. It only took me about an hour of time to do and only $12 plus tax!!!
Here is the after!!!!!
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