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Organizing the Pantry

Before..shocking, I know!
After
Happy Labor Day Everyone! I hope you are all getting some time to relax and enjoy your family. I am still in the process of getting unpacked and organized from our move to Washington from Minnesota. One of the first things I had to do when I moved was get my kitchen functional, which means getting the pantry organized. In our MN house, I didn't really have a pantry, it was more like a deep cupboard. Now I have an actual walk in Pantry. If you have a cupboard pantry, check out our other posts on  Organizing the kitchen.  So on to... different pantry, different challenges. I wanted to use my pantry for food and things I don't need to use on a daily basis. (roasting pan, canner, crockpot etc.) I set it up in sections, baking, cooking, snacks, breakfast foods, things I don't use everyday but need to get to. So decide what you use a lot and put it in sections that are easy to get to. If you keep things together that you use together then you don't have to be searching all over when you need them...pasta is with the sauces,  etc. I always use plastic shoe bins, cardboard boxes, baskets, etc. I have a couple little turntables for spices and all those small containers. I hung my baskets on the wall for easy access...and also to remind me that there is in fact a sloping wall(that I have hid my head on several times already!) I "decorate" the pantry like it's another room in the house. I also put a couple plastic mail bins right inside the door. One is for papers to file(or forms from school to sign) and the other is for bills to pay. Then we don't have papers laying all over the counter getting shuffled around and lost. I found a cheap little rack with hooks and hung up my strainers and colanders. Use wall space if you have it. Put things you use most in an accessible place so you aren't knocking things over or digging in the back. Donate things you don't need, or have duplicates of...be realistic..if you don't use a coffee press, don't keep it, if you have 3 bundt pans, you can probably get rid of 2...or at least 1 of them. Organize your pantry how you use things, and for your lifestyle. Not everything works for everyone..and remember, it's a process not an hour long episode!
~Simply Angie


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