8.28.2009

Pantry Organization


A couple of months ago I was in the Dollar Tree and found these fantastic green bins. They had two other shades of green and a nice shade of blue, but this green called out to me and begged me to think of SOMETHING to do with them to rationalize buying them. I thought they were adorable then and I still think they are adorable!

Anyways, I bought four of them at the time. I thought they would work perfectly in our pantry but I didn't want to commit to the 18 I knew I would need in there just in case they didn't fit or work right. I brought them home and put them in and when I saw how perfectly they fit I went back and bought 14 more that evening.

The Dollar Tree occasionally carries amazing baskets/bins, but when they do they go FAST!! So if you see something you like don't think on it for long!



I have left the top shelf of the pantry for large size items - like our rice, extra flour, cereal boxes, etc. Each shelf follows a very basic theme and each bin holds more specific themed items. For example:
The top shelf of bins is "Cooking" and one bin holds condiments, another holds cooking sprays/oils.
The second shelf of bins is "Prepackaged foods." One bin has oatmeal, another has soups and another pasta.
The third shelf is "Baking and Snacks." One bin has dips, another has chocolate chips.
And the final shelf is all drinks - teas, drink mixes, etc.

I am thinking of adding tags to the front of each bin. Ya know, in case I die or something Paul will be able to quickly find the chocolate covered coffee beans or the Olive Oil.

The shelves that are on the door were left by the previous owners and I use it to hold our bags of beans.

I haven't figured out what to do on the floor of the pantry, so right now it is empty! My mum uses bins for her bulk flour and sugar so I am thinking of trying that too and the bins would fit perfectly on the floor of the pantry. It would just be super uncool if the boys discovered those bins!!

8 comments:

Richella Parham said...

These look WONDERFUL! I can't believe you found such cute bins for $1 each. Score for you!

Would you please come here and help me finish organizing my pantry? I've made a lot of progress there but it's still TOO CROWDED with stuff.

But at least some of the house is looking good!

Stacy said...

If you get the plastic bins that are intended for long-term food storage, the lids fit VERY tightly (as in, I have to get DH to open them for me). I've been told that school cafeterias get lots of food in those bins, so if you know someone who works in a school they might be able to snag you some.

Jessica Morris said...

Good thought Stacy!! I'll have to look into that.
Or paint cans - I have seen a couple people use paint cans (you can buy them unused!) to store flour and such in. But those are a bit small to use...

Richella - can't wait to see your pantry finished!! :)

mum said...

You are so organized! You get that from me, right? I can't wait to see your lovely house!

Jaimie Kylene said...

singing: "You're my inspiration...!!"

**do you know that song?? I'm really needing to get organized so this helps! thanks!

Jessica said...

Wow......................

Empty Nest Full Life said...

Now you have me wishing I had a pantry like that! Great! Jackie

Natasha said...

I'm so jealous! That looks great, I just love when you can add color to an unexpected place AND get more organized to boot!

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