Pantry Organization! ~ Getting Started
After our successful command centre project, I am feeling more motivated than ever to start a new project. I have been living in denial over the state of our pantry until I saw some amazing pantry pictures over at Lovely Living’s Facebook Page. It confirmed that our PANTRY NEEDS SAVING!
So like my usual process I have IDENTIFIED the problem area. I hope you are sitting down. I am about to reveal our pantry before pictures. I am all about keeping it real. This is REAL. Messy, disorganised, caotic, disastrous REAL.
So what’s the problem? Where do I start?!!!
1. Place and Space. There is NO order. Nothing has a place or defined space. We have general areas like cereal on the bottom shelf and spices against the wall. But nothing has a home.
2. Mess. Some of these spaces aren’t working. Can you see, in the picture above, what is all over the floor?
Little Miss A’s latest snack favourite! Dry rice bubbles by the handful! We have had to move this one away form the other cereals! Up VERY high. Whilst your’e looking at this picture of the pantry, taken on a different day you can see that our snacks are still in their boxes waiting for a home!
3. Boxes. Which brings us to our next point. Bulky, ugly packaging everywhere! We really need to do something about the way we store items like cereals, pasta and rice. The pantry is currently a jungle of half opened packets clipped together or even worse still opened and going stale! Tupperware? Decor? Sistema? Jars? Labels?
4. The Lurkers. Everything we use all the time end up at the front of the pantry. Behind them lurks a sea of most probably out of date products. Because I can not see them I just buy new, use new and the poor little guys at the back wonder when it will ever be there turn!
5. Some of these things just don’t belong here. Sing it with me! Some of these things just dont belong here! This is one of the biggest storage areas in our house so it has become a haven for things that probably should be stored somewhere else! The treasure troves of mugs (that is a whole other story!) The assortment of cold bags on the floor. Paper towel, punch bowls. In all of that junk at the top I found….
My Earl Gray Tea sitting on top of the punch bowl! A whole packet unopened?
6. Why does there have to be a number 6? I love doing things in fives BUT I forgot to mention….practicality. I am VERY short. Getting things off that top shelf, just aint happening. I think thats how the tea may have ended up there? A throw to it’s spot? We have to do somehting about that!! and no I can not just “wish” myself tall, believe me I have tried!
So there we have it. The shock of the REAL pantry. I have a treasure trove of inspiration, a bench full of storage containers and lots to share, if only you will help me too?
What helps you keep your pantry organized?
Linking up with Jess over at Diary of a Stay at Home Mum for I Blog On Tuesday’s!