Pantry Organizing: Storage Basics

When I last left you all, it was a question of whether I would organize the pantry or the home office first... So what did I choose??

The Pantry!!

Nearly immediately after I hit "publish" on that post I wandered into the kitchen and started the process of reclaiming our pantry. 

I had been fantasizing about the project all week, envisioning what it would like when I was done, and online shopping for containers and other helpful items like racks, shelves, and baskets. 

Adding up my online carts was scary! Anchor Hocking is having 60% sales on their shopping site. I had about $50 worth of glass canisters in my cart (but had to spend $99 to get free shipping). Another $70 at Crate & Barrel where those cool metal baskets were $5 off (but I just threw away a 15% off coupon that had expired). They are, however, competitively priced on the le parfait jars (and my French teacher just had a stroke because I used "the" before "le"). The additional $100 at the Container Store was for basic, un-pretty items, like plastic baskets in assorted sizes (but matching), wire racks, and plastic food containers. So, $220 total in stuff for organizing the pantry... I don't think so.

The process was good for helping me figure out some guidelines, though. Here are a few basic things to keep in mind when organizing your pantry or kitchen cabinets:

1. Clear containers for staples.
In every pantry reorganization story I read, the recurrent theme is to use clear containers for organizing staples like spaghetti noodles, rice, cereal, crackers, etc. This way you can quickly & easily see if you are running low on an item. 

2. Square bottoms are best.
Square, straight bins and baskets use space better. Round canisters or bins that have a slope to them leave a gap between containers--not good if you are looking to maximize all your space.

3. Containerize.
Put like things together in a basket or bin to make it easier to use those items. 
 
4. Matchy Match
You will have a greater sense of visual continuity in your space if you use the same type of box/basket/bin for storing items. 

I feel so lucky to have a pantry! In every other house I have lived in, I've had a few small cabinets for food storage, and had to make do with what I had. 

So how did I organize ours and how much did I spend?? That will have to be tomorrow's post... Time to walk my dog!