Organize your Pantry in 2 hours or less
How to Organize Your Pantry in 2 Hours
Pantry organization is a never-ending project. Just when I think I’ve gotten my pantry organized, beautified, and accessible, my kids raid it or I get a great deal on some new bulk item and I need to re-organize. But that’s okay, because I found a couple of great tricks to get your pantry organized in just a few hours. And, as you can see, my pantry needed a makeover.
PANTRY ORGANIZATION – STEP ONE ½ HOUR
Don’t pull everything out of the pantry. I know that’s what you want to do, but resist. Take two minutes to evaluate your space, and divide it into 4 sections. One section will be canned goods. Start by stacking the cans, organizing them by type. Think soups, fruits, vegetables, broths, and ethnic. The second section in most pantries is boxed meals including cereals, third is bagged items like chips. The fourth section will be the catchall for what’s left.
PANTRY ORGANIZATION – STEP TWO ½ HOUR MAXIMUM
Now you can see what you have and it’s much easier to determine what boxes, baskets and bins you will need to get all your awesome food put away. I always shop my house first, looking for things I can re-purpose for organizing my pantry. Don’t overlook using plain cardboard boxes that you’ve cut to size—they’re free. If you still feel like you need bins or baskets, then measure the space so you don’t buy bins that won’t fit on your shelves and make a shopping list to keep you on track.
PANTRY ORGANIZATION – STEP THREE 1/2 HOUR
Try to keep the shopping trip short and to the point. I usually hit the dollar store first. Resist the urge to buy everything here. Test each box or container to make sure that it can hold the weight you need. If you want to label your bins, make sure you can easily write on them, or pickup stickers, chalkboard stickers, or small frames you can attach to your boxes. Next up is Target, or Walmart where I can purchase fabric bins for lightweight items, or boxes with casters.
PANTRY ORGANIZATION – STEP FOUR 1/2 HOUR
Your pantry is already divided into zones. Now you get to put all those lovely food stuffs into your boxes, containers, and baskets. The final step is to label everything so (hopefully) you won’t have to do this again for a while.
