An Organized Pantry

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... is a thing of beauty. First I removed E V E R Y T H I N G and washed down all the walls and shelves. Then I looked and thought... and decided to try a different categorization method. Last time I organized the pantry, I had put all bottles together, all cans together and all boxes together. It didn't work too well. Part of the problem is that the prince and princesses never put things back in the correct spot. I chose different categories this time. And eliminated the bottom shelf in order to fit our big camping cooler which has been sitting next to the small shelf cart that the microwave and toaster oven sit on - driving me nuts because it took up so much floor space and made it cramped by my stove.



The bottom shelf and floor of the pantry had become the "dropping" point for anything the kids couldn't be bothered to put away. I am hoping that having the cooler take up most of that space, along with more "kid friendly" categories (which I will label in a little while) will eliminate that habit.

OK, my pantry:

On the pantry floor is the big blue camping cooler, to the right of that are 3 gallons of white vinegar (I use it for dyeing and cleaning mostly - I use other vinegars for cooking/baking). In front of the cooler is the step stool (very necessary for short people, LOL) and the broom. On top of the cooler are the trash bags, lunch bags, potatoes and onions.


The next shelf up houses Breakfast (on the left) and Lunch. Cereals and oatmeal to the left, bread in the middle (since it works for both) and cans of tuna, Nutella, peanut butter and honey on the right.

Above that is the Pasta and Rice shelf. All of our pasta (we currently have about 15 lbs of it) is either in or next to the box on the right, canned tomatoes and spaghetti sauce are in the middle, and our brown rice and soy sauce are on the left (you can't see them from this angle). That yellow blob on the right is my apron, hanging on the door.... it's not a cute one, but it works to keep my clothes clean when I cook/bake..... well, when I remember to put it on!!

The next two shelves are : bottom - snacks (peanuts, crackers, we keep baked goods and popcorn elsewhere), canned fruits/veggies, bouillon, bread crumbs; top - worcestershire sauce, teriyaki sauce, salad dressings, various vinegars (rice, apple cider, malt), vodka (for vodka sauce - I made once the first time King B came for dinner... the recipe was given to me by one of my co-workers... it's called "You won't be single for long Penne Vodka" - a Rachel Ray recipe... it was right! King B and I got engaged less than 3 months and married less than a year later... and we'd just met a week and a half prior to that dinner! ), some Mint Chocolate Bailey's (I'd gotten for a recipe calling for Creme de Menthe... I couldn't find any small bottles of that CdM, which I don't care for... so when I saw this, I substituted... once in a while I put a capful of the MCBailey's over some Breyers Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream... it's yummy!), and some baking overflow (mixes I'd gotten, and should probably use up)

OK, off to make and apply labels!!

Blessings to you,