Kitchen Pantry Update: Part 3 {Reveal!}

We are finally done with our week long pantry project, and I am over the moon warm and fuzzy about the end results!

Our pantry wasn't awful to begin with, it's been super organized on and off for years now, but I always like to revisit things that aren't working, and put a little extra time into making things more pleasing.  We had some really great systems that we were utilizing, some that were good but we weren't taking advantage of, and others that just made no sense at all.

Here are the before photos as a reminder, pineapple and all...

A quick recap of all the steps this makeover/re-organizing project went through {day 1 here}:

• All contents were emptied from the food cabinet and the pantry to give us a blank slate to work with
• Everything lived on the table during the course of the update so we could sort and purge down the items with ease
• We took care of those pesky wire shelves by lining them with foam board covered in pretty shelf liner

{day 2 here}:

• We sorted everything down, took note of what was remaining and made a storage plan
• We also made a small shopping list based off of our brainstorming
• I used a craft punch to create vinyl labels for all of our food bins

 

The rest of the process was pretty simple.  A quickie trip to the Container Store to grab some bins for our produce, a little more labeling with my Silhouette {couldn't resist!}, and I sang a happy tune as I loaded our pantry and cupboard back up with our goodies.

Let's take a look at the pantry first...

What wasn't working?

• We had a large picnic tote that we only use occasionally in the summer, taking up almost a whole shelf.  That was moved to a cabinet in our garage where we keep seasonal items. 
• In the case we purchase something in bulk or on sale, we have a small amount of "overflow".  Those items were living on the lower shelf, which is the easiest spot for our kids to access.  All of their snacks lived up high, forcing them to drag kitchen stools to the pantry or even worse, just climb the wire shelves.
• We used stacking baskets which held our vegetable produce under the bread basket.  The produce wasn't simple to access, and would often be forgotten and left to spoil.
• Our pasta and sauces were all forced to the very top of the pantry, yet we cook with them frequently.  Our baking items were in our main kitchen cabinet, yet we rarely bake.  
• Our goods weren't labeled so we often times did the "is it old, is it stale?" test.  That test meant someone taking a bite and hoping they could keep it down...
• We weren't always disciplined enough to create snack cups or to empty our boxes and packages, which quickly took over our space and limited our storage.
• Bowls of produce would cause extra counter clutter, we are huge fans of fresh fruit.

So we problem solved all of those non-working areas when putting everything back.

And my mom heart was so happy when my oldest came home from school yesterday and gave me an empty snack cup out of his backpack.  I didn't even have time to tell him we refilled them before he already took a second to grab one on his way to school, so he had something to eat during his after school activity.   Proof that taking a couple of minutes to make those snack cups really benefits the boys.  You can read more about our snack storage here.

All of the containers got fun labels, just because I am a label-aholic.

We typically have 3-4 bowls of fruit on the table and counter at any given time, so to reduce the need to move them around every time we eat and cook, I wanted the snacky produce to live in the pantry with the rest of the snack foods.  Some open front stacking bins were a great solution!

Two items drive me crazy about our pantry.  A}  Slotted wire shelves and B} They are designed deep, so things are easily lost in the back.

We solved the slotted wire shelves with the foam board, which also allowed us to now use the stackable bins nicely.  However, when it came to all of our stacking containers, they made the most sense going from back to front of the pantry, just to take up the least amount of shelf space.  But getting to the back containers proved obnoxious and those items weren't always seen or remembered.  A lightweight tray under the bins now allows me to pull them all out at once to access the items in the back or bottom row.

I get asked occasionally about purchasing storage bins for foods and determining the sizes.  I recommend making a list of the items that you purchase on a very frequent basis, your "staples" if you will...  and jot down how many ounces they typically come in.  That way, when shopping for bins, you know how large they should be.  It is always good to purchase up a few extra ounces if you have the opportunity.  It is also good to keep note of the containers you have when doing your grocery shopping.  If you ever have too many crackers to fit into a container after a shopping trip, just make up some quick grab and go packs with the rest.

The items in the door are items we use for daily lunches and snacks, but I put them up higher because if I don't, they are gone in a day.  My kids are granola bar lovers, and eat them like they are going out of style. 

The small white boxes were leftover from Valentine treat baskets the kids received last week.  They were originally from Michaels for about a dollar a piece.

They are the perfect size for those small drink and instant coffee packets we keep on hand for guests.

Since our syrup often times comes in glass or super fast pouring bottles, there would be occasional syrup-tastrophes in the morning and waffles would become drenched with too much goodness.  A small squirt bottle makes it much easier to use for little hands.

We have always been a fan of keeping our grocery list on a clipboard within the pantry, but I recently just added a cord clip for a pen.  Although the list was always right there, didn't mean a pen was always within reach.

This is one of those makeovers where I have smacked into the pantry door seventeen times since finishing, because I keep leaving it open, on purpose.  I just like to gaze and ooh and ahhhh....

Oh, but we can't forget about the cupboard across the way!

Super simple and I like it!  We moved our noodles and sauces, soups and lunch foods to this cabinet, since it is much more easy to access than the high shelves within the pantry.  I didn't do anything too special here, just categorized each area of the shelves by type of food.

So there you have it!  Our kitchen received a little extra attention this week that is sure to bring more ease to our day to day lives.  And extra smiles too, because it is so fun, colorful and pretty!

Before and afters anyone?

And for those wondering... we ate the pineapple.  And it was AMAZING!

The only items I had to purchase for this update were the foam boards, the produce bins and a new bin for all of our vitamins {since they were overflowing out of the old one}.  Everything else was snagged from around the house, and just came down to updating placement and lots of great labels.

Next week will finish up kitchen month!  And we will have our giant link party to share all of our projects and accomplishments!

Did you pick up any tricks and tips this week to help you in your own pantry and food cabinet organizing?  Anyone happy to have their kitchen table back?  What one thing was a game changer for you?