First let me say, there are so many perks of downsizing. We went from a 6 bed, 3.5 bath home to a 3 bed 2.5 bath “cottage” and are loving it! If you are wondering if this should be your next move, I strongly encourage you to take the plunge.
Because our family home was older, there were many inconveniences I had learned to accept. Our new place was built within the last 5 years, and I’m enjoying the intuitive layout for today’s living. One of my favorite parts is our walk-in pantry. I’d always dreamed of a place to keep all my baking bits and pieces, but for so long had to be content with a small closet-pantry and keeping the overflow in our garage.
Here’s a tour of my new, organized pantry and the steps I took to create my own little grocery store.
Find Your System
It took a few days of arranging and re-arranging to figure out how I wanted things. I had an idea in mind of using glass jars for baking goods, as I’d seen pictured in so many beautiful idea boards. In the end, it just wasn’t practical, as I couldn’t lug these out to the kitchen each time I wanted to bake, and the rounded size didn’t make the most of my space.
I finally opted for lidded plastic containers with hand-grips, and they’ve been a great choice. I stumbled upon these smaller containers and wire shelves that fit them exactly at Dollar Tree. These come with blue or white lids, I opted for white. These medium and large matching containers were a bit more pricey at Walmart, but still within my budget. I recommend you buy extra of whatever system you decide on, as items like these are often discontinued over time and you are bound to need replacements.
Transfer Your Ingredients
Once I had decided on the system, I got busy transferring my pantry staples and labeling them. Like many gluten-free cooks, I have quite a few different kinds of flours and other miscellaneous ingredients.
Consolidating my pantry staples ended up giving me more room than I imagined. I opted to get rid of almost all original packaging and once I got started, this part was addictive!
Label Everything
This is the stage I’m currently working on, but I’ll post an update on the system choose sometime soon. This step is easy to get stuck on but remember my favorite motto: Done is better than perfect!
We’ve only been in our new home for 3 weeks, so I’m trying to give myself time to get my pantry project finished as I figure out where I want everything to go.
What’s your favorite pantry organizer?