Organizing your Pantry

I was talking to a client recently who is happiest in a well organized space. We were discussing kitchens and keeping pantries organized. I mentioned I am a Best British Bake Off fan myself and love spending free time making treats in the kitchen with my daughter. Thing is, I hate shopping. So I spent some time organizing my pantry. I love the look of those gorgeous wicker and glass storage containers on pinterest but I’m pretty cheap so I did it all using containers from the dollar store.
The great thing about getting organized like this is that you actually save money by being able to see at a glance what you have and what you are out of. You don’t waste money at the grocery store because things don’t go stale and you don’t have to run out last minute and purchase what you need when it isn’t on sale. Plus it’s easier to make healthier meals from scratch. And it’s easier to maintain when it looks pretty.
Step one: Make a list of what you need, that includes the containers that will hold them. If you need help, here is a pdf of a pantry shopping list you can download.
Step two: Off to the dollar store to pick up the containers. Why spend $20 on containers when you can spend $2? I’ll be honest, you may have to go back twice.
Step three: Transfer all your boxes and bags of pantry foods into the storage containers. This is the satisfying part because it starts to look organized really fast.
Step four: Identify the containers with pretty labels. This is actually the step that takes it from nice to wow. I found these on pinterest, you can download them here.
Step five: Sit back with a cup of tea and marvel at how awesome it looks. Just be warned, your family will look at you funny when you ask them to admire it too.

Image credit: iheartorganizing.com