Organize The Pantry

Today,  we are going to organize the pantry and do it on a budget. The pantry in our 1903 farmhouse is one of my favorite rooms in our home and it even has a window.  As you can see, it has been added to organically over the years.  I was able to totally redo the pantry for FREE!  The main tool in the organization of the pantry was the coveted Jumbo Vlasic Pickle jar from Costco.

I have been saving them up for several months.  For the sake of this project, I did purchase the remaining extra-large pickle jars and gave the pickles to our local food bank.  Since members of our family volunteer there on a weekly basis we just brought the jars in with plastic zip lock bags and the volunteers bagged the pickles and gave them out to the clients.  A win…win for everyone.

FRUGAL TIP

Along with the giant Vlasic pickle jar, I also use two other size jars in the organization of the pantry.  I use quart size canning jars as well as small organic baby food jars to store my spices in.  All of these jars are recycled and were collected after we had eaten the product.  I love the blue lids of the pickle jars and the red lids of the small baby food jars.  They look great in the pantry of my 1903 farmhouse.  If you have a different style feel free to spray paint the lids for a sleeker look.

For the record, glass is the least toxic way to store food.  No worries about BPA or other chemicals.

These glass canisters also allow me to shop in bulk and store the plethora of flours and supplies we need for our gluten-free lifestyle!  This storage system allows me to purchase food items when they are on sale and SAVE MONEY!

What if you do not have a designated pantry in your kitchen?

Never fear you can build one in your garage, basement, or even under your bed if you are really short on space.  Get creative and see if you can solve this problem by reinventing a piece of furniture or even building some shelves out of scrap wood you have laying around.  Don’t forget to shop the curb and even post your needs on Facebook.

DAILY TASKS

• Empty out your pantry and throw out any food that is expired.
• Give away any food that is unopened and still good for your local food pantry.
• Wipe down the pantry shelves and give it a good healthy clean!
• Empty things like spices, different kinds of flours and sweeteners as well as things like dried beans into the appropriately sized glass jars.
• Organize the foods into like groups.  For example, group all canned goods onto one shelf.  Pasta is another group.  Sweeteners and flours on another shelf.  You get the idea…
• When organizing keep large items at the back of the shelf and smaller ones at the front.
• I label the jars in my pantry using a labeler (oh, how I LOVE my labeler!!) however, you could just as easily print out labels on your computer and tape them neatly on each jar.

YOUR TURN…

What are your tips for organizing the pantry and doing it inexpensively?

Blessings,

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