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5 Steps to Cupboard Pantry Organization

April 16, 2012

I love our house, but if I had to make one complaint it would be that we don’t have a walk-in pantry. So I make do with what we have: A Cupboard Pantry. It consists of 2 deep shelves and 3 roll-out shelves and before today, it was a complete disaster! It hadn’t been cleaned out in over a year and even then it never really had any organization to it.

Here is what it looked like BEFORE:
And here is the AFTER:

And now let me tell you how the mess became organized and what you can do to make the most of your cupboard pantry.

One of my best friends came to stay with us for the weekend and I was complaining to her about how my pantry desperately needed organizing. Her response: “Let’s get started!” So there we were at 10:30 on Saturday night, purging expired food. Which brings me to the first step:
Step #1: Empty out the entire pantry. Look at all the expiration dates and throw out at all the expired food. Then wipe down all the shelves for a clean start.
I couldn’t believe how much expired food was sitting there, taking up space. I found food items that somehow made it from my husbands old apartment. Gross! For those who know me well, you know how paranoid I am about expired food. So this was really abnormal.
Step #2: Make a decision about where you want each type of food stored. Consider what you will need the most access to. Also think about where things fit the best. For us, I knew I wanted all my canned items on one shelf. And I wanted big brother to be able to pick his own snack items. I also decided that the best place for our spices was in a drawer instead of taking up precious real estate in our cupboard.
Step #3: Bundle like items together into storage bins and use containers to cut down on the clutter of cardboard packaging. But don’t think that you need to run out to an expensive home organization store and buy overpriced storage systems. 
See these blue and pink bins? They are from the Dollar Store!  Now I have a bin for all my sauces, and another for all of my “packets.” The pink bin has everything from kool-aid packets to fajita seasoning to oatmeal packets all in a neat row. And an old water bottle made the perfect container for our straws.
Using cardboard boxes as separators, I made different compartments for my sons snacks (raisins, granola bars, organic fruit snacks). Now he has choices and can pick something on his own.

I found 2 soda can storage systems at Bed Bath and Beyond that I knew would be perfect for a lot of my canned items. They were only $7.99 and I was able to use my 20% off coupon. 
I did end up buying the OXO Good Grips 5-Piece POP Container Set. We already had some of these containers and love the push button air-tight seal mechanism. It was my only splurge, but fortunately I had a coupon for these as well :o) I was so tired of pasta spilling everywhere and the goldfish crackers and cereal going stale. This was a great solution and makes everything look very neat and de-cluttered. Also, if you are going to take food out of its packaging and store it in a container, make sure you label it with the expiration date. I know we will go through the goldfish crackers quickly, but the brown sugar may not get used frequently. I use Jokari 47826 Label Once Erasable Food Labels with Markers to transfer the expiration dates.

Step #4: Put larger items in the back, small items in the front. As you can see from above, the smaller, skinnier containers are in the front, while the Costco size animal crackers and oil are in the back. This way you can still see what is back there and the small food items don’t get lost and forgotten.

Step #5: Maintain! Now that you know what you have and everything is organized, meal planning and grocery shopping should become easier. I look forward to maintaing this system and finally having some pantry pride! And I can’t wait to get started on the other cabinets in my kitchen :o)

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Comments

  1. 4you-withlove says

    April 16, 2012 at 3:28 pm

    Wow…you did a great job! 😀

    Reply
  2. Stephanie says

    April 17, 2012 at 1:06 am

    Awesome! You've inspired me to organize my pantry now!

    Stephanie
    http://www.chocolatecoveredbuttons.com

    Reply
  3. PlainVanillaMom says

    April 17, 2012 at 3:46 am

    Wow, I'm impressed 🙂 It looks awesome. You must be so psyched! I need to do this badly. Every time I open our spice cabinet one jumps out to remind me that I need to organize. Nice tips! Maybe this will go better than my attempt at crocheting lol.

    Reply
    • Repeat Crafter Me says

      April 17, 2012 at 4:41 am

      Haha! I hope the crocheting gets easier :o) It feels good to get organized and it was desperately needed. Thanks so much for sharing this on your fb page!

      Reply
  4. Anonymous says

    April 17, 2012 at 3:51 am

    That looks great! What are you using in the spice drawer to keep your spices neat and organized?

    Reply
    • Repeat Crafter Me says

      April 17, 2012 at 4:45 am

      Thanks! I've had the spice racks for awhile but was able to find them online for you :o) Looks like they are called the "Madesmart Spice Drawer Organizer." Here is the link http://www.amazon.com/Madesmart-2-Inch-Spice-Drawer-Organizer/dp/B00134435A

      Reply
  5. Jen says

    April 17, 2012 at 4:40 pm

    Wow! AWESOME-great tips.

    Jen
    http://the-messy-nest.blogspot.com

    Reply
  6. Lauren says

    April 17, 2012 at 4:52 pm

    This is motivating me to organize mine! I loved how you reused cardboard boxes to compartmentalize the baskets and I always think things look better in those clear containers. Would be fun to create some cute labels for everything!

    Reply
  7. Motivated Mommy of two says

    April 17, 2012 at 7:59 pm

    Great job I love how you organized your pantry. Stopping by from Show me what you got link party. I just started organizing my kitchen I wish I had a big pantry were I could organize everything but I have to figure out how to do it within my cupboards.

    Reply
  8. Recipes We Love says

    April 17, 2012 at 9:20 pm

    looks great… and organized pantry makes me much more creative with my cooking.

    Reply
  9. iheartorganizing says

    April 18, 2012 at 12:28 am

    Wow, such a dramatic before and after! You followed so many great pantry rules to whip it into shape! I am so impressed! I especially love the can organizers and see through storage!

    xoxo,
    Jen

    Reply
  10. 4 Sisters @ bringingbeauty.blogspot.com says

    April 18, 2012 at 2:22 am

    Very impressive! Those deep shelves can be a real pain but you did a great job – Thanks for sharing at Beautify It Monday!

    Reply
  11. Becolorful says

    April 22, 2012 at 8:13 pm

    So many good ideas here and seriously your pantry could be in a magazine now. 😀 I really liked the pop can deal for cans. Thanks for sharing this week on BeColorful
    pam

    Reply
  12. [email protected] says

    April 22, 2012 at 9:27 pm

    Congratulations!! You are featured this week on Busy Monday at A Pinch of Joy! I hope you will stop by and grab a Featured Button from the Button Box on the sidebar. Can’t wait to see what other projects you’ve been working on — hope you will link again soon!

    Reply
  13. Cornerstone Confessions says

    April 23, 2012 at 3:56 am

    I love organized pantries. You have some great tips here. I'm so glad you featured on A Pinch of Joy so I could come visit! Great job!

    Reply
  14. Elysia says

    April 25, 2012 at 2:07 am

    Great job! Thanks for the inspiration!

    Reply
  15. Diane says

    April 27, 2012 at 11:21 pm

    Thanks so much for the helpful tips.

    Reply
  16. Debra Kapellakis says

    April 28, 2012 at 8:53 am

    Huge difference, good job.

    Reply
  17. Anonymous says

    July 3, 2012 at 3:51 am

    Have you ever thought of looking for the pop can holders at the thrift store or Good Will? I think that alot of people don't know that you can use the pop can holder for other items other than just 'POP'

    Reply
  18. Anonymous says

    September 19, 2012 at 10:36 pm

    Your pantry cupboard looks wonderful! But is that all the canned goods you keep on hand? I am nearly 66 years old and only cook for 2 but I like to have several on hand of the things we use the most, in case we don't get to the grocery store every week…things like spaghetti sauce, favorite veggies, baked beans, cream of chicken soup I use for casseroles. It is hard to get used to keeping less in the cupboard.
    My kitchen storage needs a major overhaul, now that I am not working full time and hope I can spend more time in the kitchen, so I will keep your tips in mind. Good job!!
    Elaine S

    Reply
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    March 3, 2013 at 2:01 am

    What a genius idea Thanks for the tips!

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Hi and thanks for stopping by! I'm Sarah, the crafter, crocheter and occasional crockpotter behind this blog. As a wife and mom of 3 my days are busy but I always find time to pick up my crochet hook or indulge in something crafty. I have a passion for crafting and crocheting and offer my patterns and tutorials for free! I hope you enjoy everything you find here and please feel free to repeat after me!

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