Pantry Cleanout...Can I Get An "Amen"?

Bottom three shelves...top - marinades, condiments, middle - baking, bottom - pastas, rice, spagetti sauces, mac and cheese

Top three shelves...top - drinks and candy jar, middle - snacks and cooking supplies, (bottom - same as above...marinades, condiments, etc.)

baking supplies

I keep two, clear, plastic bins on the pasta shelf for spagetti sauces and rice/tortillas. Just keeps them from being flung around

My pantry and I have a love/hate relationship! I was determined to get this thing licked, so Rob entertained the kiddos one night last week while I fixed what was definately NOT working for us. Why did I re-organize the pantry?

1.) The first reason was because I was wasting money. I'd go to the grocery store and purchase flour tortillas for taco night when we already had some hiding in the back of our pantry (probably expired!). Go figure. Wasted money.

2.) It just looks better!

3.) It's easier to find things. Not just for us, but for guests/babysitters.

The biggest reason for our pantry clutter was because we had our recycling in the bottom part of our pantry. These were in four small garbage cans with lids. Those got moved out to the garage in the laundry room area and thus it freed up a whole section of the pantry that wasn't being used. I love the fact that I have a shelf for baking. I was always scrounging to find ingridients (I do keep a seperate spice cabinet) for baking, which I love to do.

Needless-to-say, I LOVE how our pantry is now and it's so easy to find things on a whim. I'm not double-buying at the grocery store and food isn't falling out when we open it. Yes, I did use labels, but that's only for others, so they know where to find things. I also put the snacks, candy and drinks up on the higher shelves so little hands can't reach. I purposefully placed baking ingridients down low so Avonlea and Lincoln can help get things out when we bake together. They aren't interested in rice or pasta, so that's why those items got put on the lowest shelf. =)