Monday, August 20, 2012

Keep Your Pantry Organized!

An organized pantry can save you time and money; two very good reasons why you should keep it neat and tidy.


Awhile back Mr. Fanatic made me a couple of shelf stackers and lined a few of the wire shelves with some 1/4" backer board.  It was a no cost project...ya gotta love those! 
Here's how the pantry looked after it was organized back then.

Our pantry has been really unorganized lately and was in need of some help. 

That's an understatement

 It was in need of a lot of help!
 
What I'm about to show you is BAD. 
I mean Horribly bad
Prepare yourself...


There were so many things that weren't on the right shelf I couldn't find a thing. Recently I had to go out and purchase and item I needed. It was very frustrating because I knew the item  was in my pantry. (in fact there were 2 of these items I needed in my messy pantry, but couldn't find them)

Thought I'd be REALLY real and show it to you up close and personal. 
Don't judge.
I spent nearly 4 hours on Saturday clearing the pantry out and organizing it.

 Here's the pantry after being organized...
Much better, don't ya think?

The first thing you need to do when organizing a space is to clear the whole thing out, but the  space was too overwhelming, so I did one shelf at a time.

I bought six plastic baskets at Walmart awhile back and was going to use them to organize another cabinet, but they didn't work out. I'm so glad I never took them back. I found the large woven baskets at HomeGoods.
pantry organization, diy Design Fanatic, diy, organized pantry

The baskets should keep things a little more contained.
Baskets has sure helped me keep our linen closet neat and organized. 
The large baskets hold snacks, lunch boxes and disposable items.
pantry organization, diy Design Fanatic, diy, organized pantry

pantry organization, diy Design Fanatic, diy, organized pantry

I used my large punch with contact paper to make the labels for the white plastic baskets.
pantry organization, diy Design Fanatic, diy, organized pantry


Uhhhh.






After:
pantry organization, diy Design Fanatic, diy, organized pantry

What one space do you need to clean and organize?


Pam


21 comments:

  1. It looks fantastic! I love the baskets. Megan

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  2. This looks amazing. I love all the baskets. I am constantly trying to keep ours straight. Seems easy to become a mess. You did a fantastic job. Love it. Hugs, Marty

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  3. I have so much more then one place that needs organizing! My pantry looks much like your old pantry does. LOL! Seriously, even right down to the crock pots and the lunch coolers and shopping bags wedged in there all on the floor. In addition I also have those items piled up with chips, boxes of ramen, etc. all on the floor as well. Too funny! I love your new baskets and especially the ones with the chalk labels. Great organizing ideas!

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  4. What a great job of organizing! Looks fantastic! Thanks for sharing all the tips to get it done.

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  5. Girl you can come to my house any time! This is on my list of things to do!

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  6. My whole house!!! That pantry is amazing! I have lots of organizing projects for when Jemma goes to school.

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  7. It is just beautiful! But I am embarrassed~~~your 'before' is waaay better than my 'now', if mine looked as good as yours did before you organized it, I would be tickled pink. Guess I need to get some baskets and get busy.

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  8. Your pantry looks fantastic! You did a terrific job. Love the baskets.

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  9. An organized pantry is a happy pantry! Sorry but the before picture really isn't so bad but the after is incredible!

    Lynn

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  10. Your pantry looks like my laundry room - LOL! I was delighted to see I was not the only one with a problem :-)
    I think the secret is reorganizing a couple of times a year...

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  11. Looks great! I need to organize mine as well! I found you via A Stroll thru Life and am a new follower!

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  12. Awesome Pam!
    I don't have a pantry but I do understand the need to keep things organized and trying to remember what you have! Yours turned out really great!

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  13. Amazing! I re-organised my pantry today with all my Tupperware containers. Feels great when it's done! Now I have to tell hubby where everything is again lol
    Greetings from Australia♥
    ~Pernilla

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  14. hoppin' over from SavvySouthernStyle.. love your pantry. Its about the size of mine but mine is in dire need of a redo. Thanks for sharing.

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  15. I soooo need to organize my pantry. Thanks for a little inspiration!!!

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  16. Wish you would come to my house and give my pantry a make-over! It on my list of things that must be done! This looks great! Life to the full, Melissa

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  17. It makes me happy to see how messy your pantry was because that's how mine looks! Organizing it is on my to do list. I've decided it's a good fall project. HA! It looks great!!

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  18. So envious, Pam! I bet every time you open that door, it feels so good to have everything organized and in place! Beautiful job!

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  19. Wow, what a difference some baskets make! I just organized my paint supplies yesterday and would not have gotten very far without my 20 or so plastic bins/baskets.
    Your pantry looks awesome!

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  20. Your pantry looks great. I hate when I can't find what I need! That motivates me every time! Love baskets to corral all the little items that cause disarray. Great ideas. Thanks!

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  21. Your pantry looks great! I need to get baskets for my pantry. Right now, my home's pantry space is cluttered and visually unappealing.- Lauren @ MomHomeGuide

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