Summer Declutter Update - The Pantry

 Before the kids went to camp I started a couple of small "decluttering" projects which somehow led to the beast of a project - the pantry.  My "just this one thing" turned into a full overhaul and, unfortunately, I don't have any before pictures but JUST KNOW that it was rough.  

After a day or so of organizing, cleaning, purging, etc here is where I ended up....

The pantry itself is fairly large but the shelves are SO DEEP that things end up piling up in "layers" on the shelves and then it just looks A MESS.  We've had this system for the door for YEARS (ours is a combo of the large and small baskets) and it provides so much storage and makes a great use of space.  We keep "snacks" in here (individual bags of chips, popcorn, fruit snacks, etc.) that are typically grab and go and it works like a charm.  It's extremely sturdy and well-made and I can't say enough great things about it - we also have variations of the system on our game room closet, hall closet and office closet.

I've had baking supplies in these glass jars for probably close to 10 years... I know that I first had them in our previous house... and I love how convenient they are for baking.  I love that measuring cups fit inside easily for scooping and have never had an issue with anything not being 'fresh' despite the lack of a rubber seal.  I also keep our laundry pods and a big jar of baking soda in our laundry room - they're not expensive and have held up great.  You can shop them HERE.

So  the cereal containers are where things took a turn... I was ordering a few groceries and searched for "cereal storage containers" because I was sick of having a million cereal boxes with little to no actual cereal in them.  I figured that a clear storage container would be the perfect solution.  And it was.  And it was my gateway into deciding that this was the best option for all of my dry goods...

..... and I somehow ended up here.

I ordered a BUNCH of these containers, assessed what I wanted to store and started moving everything over.  It seemed a little bit redundant at the time but I REALLY enjoy being able to see how much of everything we have and store it all in an efficient way.  

I used the  XL containers for cake flour, oats, bisquick, breadcrumbs, etc (pic above), the small containers for salt, baking powder, cocoa powder, etc. and then the medium containers for baking soda, cornstarch, taco seasoning, that kind of thing.

I used this exact label maker (it came with the tape) to make some simple labels and couldn't be happier with how it turned out.

I grabbed two of these turntables for misc items...

... and additional baking supplies and I love that they have a high wall and that the dividers are removable.  They spin super smoothly and feel like they'll hold up well.

I ordered  this organization set which included the can "steps" (in the pic below they're in front of two of these wire shelves which I've had forever)...

... as well as two of  the XL bins that I used to hold pastas and some baking items.

The very top shelf of the pantry is crazy tall and at some point I would love to have an additional shelf installed BUT for now I have three large baskets (I've had these since 20161) at the back holding paper products and one basket holding "extras" (there's an extra PB, bottle of ketchup, etc.)...

... and then on the other side a container of sprinkles (anyone else have a big ol' sprinkle collection?) and a few other items I don't use often.

The bottom shelf has some boxed items at the back of the shelf and then two of these baskets for bread, rolls, tortillas, etc....

On the floor I have a few more of  these handy totes (again... all from 2016 and still in perfect shape) for water bottles, lunch bags, thermoses...

... trash bags and paper bags, our griddle and the stand mixer.

And there you have it ;) It's what's working for us and I hope that you took an idea or two that you find helpful for your family as well!  HAPPY TUESDAY and happy decluttering, friends! :)