Challenge ME #3 - Pantry

BEFORE

I got a little excited starting this challenge, and emptied an entire shelf before taking a picture. 

Here are the contents from the shelf.

I am going to be honest, this challenge took me longer than 30 minutes. It actually took 2 hours. We had 4 little ones to watch, and keep away from all the food that was all over the island, table and floor.

I found out today that organizing is more than just getting the job done (my effective way!), but setting up a system that works for the home owner, so they can stay organized in the future (Scott's efficient way!) He was right again! This takes more time, but in the end the result is better. Each item and shelf was discussed before a decision was made. We used what she had in her home and the finished product looked fantastic.

AFTER

Things you can do to organize your pantry:

• Take everything out and clean it. Make sure the space is big enough to see all the items.
• Place similar items together, and assign them a shelf. Label the shelf so everyone remembers what goes where.

Top shelf: cereal 

2nd shelf: pasta and rice (all the half used bags are kept in the green pull out container) 

3rd shelf: Baking (with all her coconut, chocolate chips, nuts, etc in the container with lid) 

4th shelf: Snacks (open bags of crackers, chips, etc are in the pullout containers)

Bottom: Cans and large items bought in bulk.

• Improve Access: In this pantry, the sliding door could not be used, and the pantry actually has about a foot to the right (inside) that you cannot see. We had to leave room (where you can see) for pull out containers so that she could reach to the right for the other things without having to move things out of her way.
• Expand the space: Use wire racks, wood racks (as you can see at the bottom), containers and bins, so you are not dangerously stacking cans, and store things compactly. 

You will find when you start the pantry, it will lead to all other areas of your kitchen...take the time to make a decision where things will go, and keep it that way. So, when you come home from a grocery trip, anyone in the home can help you put things away.

Here are some other cool pics of an organized pantry...