The Mess!!!
I can't believe I am showing you all this but it is what it is (or was because it no longer looks that way). My kitchen pantry had become a disaster zone! So much so that we didn't even use it anymore! And it became so overwhelming that I would just close the door and avoid it (as if it was the plaque). This went on for nearly two years! You all know I recently started watching YouTube videos from Organized Like Jen, and that it inspired me to tackle several projects (which included posting my first ever YouTube video) ....what you don't know is that Jen has been holding a contest on her channel and I have decided to enter. And the project I tackled was my very messy pantry (other parts of the kitchen have also been attacked....but the pantry was the worse). Long story short...here is my before and after!
The very top of the cabinet!
Marc thinks he is helping but sometimes he brings home entirely too much stuff and his solution was just to stuff it in the pantry! The problem with that is that we couldn't tell what, was what and some things expired without me even knowing it!
This is the very bottom of the pantry (the floor area). The problem is you couldn't see the floor!
The Process
I emptied everything from the cabinets! I must have thrown away four or five bags of stuff! Then I cleaned out the pantry (swept, wiped down....and fought a few critters if you know what I mean).
I then proceeded to paint the entire inside of the pantry in my favorite color (next to blue). The box at the top is electrical and has to stay there so I had to work around it!
Organizing!
Now I didn't have much of a budget (those of you who know me...know this was not a challenge for me, because I love to bargain shop)! The containers at the top all came from the Dollar Tree! I used my trusty label machine and went to town! The three boxes hold a few baking products (including my fav. cornbread mix), ramen noodles (I use the noodles not the seasoning packet...before my friends start worrying about my bp), and the container in the middle has marshmallows, hot cocoa, etc.
This is my favorite part of the pantry! My can goods are stacked up for now on top of each other. I use way less can products then I use to but Marc likes soup so many of the cans are his. I'm still debating on whether I should get the tiered shelf for cans, but for now I'm content with my set-up. The green baskets (from the Dollar Tree) hold my popcorn supplies and a few misc. items! You may recall the containers from Sam's Club...and yes I went back and got one more set before they ran out! I just love looking at them all nicely labeled and stacked up! LOL
My project became complete yesterday after I went to the Black Friday sale at Michael's. I had my eye on the green wicker basket for a while, but I knew if I waited I could catch it on sale. I got the wicker basket (which is usually $15.00) along with four wreaths that I am going to decorate for Christmas for a total of $14.00 bucks thanks to the basket being 40% off as well as the wreaths, plus I got to use a 30% coupon on my entire order! I lined the bottom of the basket with inserts from my cloth bags (I always end up losing them somehow) and then put a plastic table mat inside to contain spills from the bottles. The Dollar Tree baskets hold my "salad" fixings and the bottom holds extra peanut butter and jelly.
Marc has been very encouraging as I tackle each of my projects and last week he brought me two cloth baskets. One now corals all of my blankets in the family room and this pretty striped one now holds our snacks! I was also able to move my potato and onion baskets from my newly organized kitchen shelf (which gave me more space to put some additional small appliances up and off of my counter).
The Finished Project!
Now I love going by my pantry and don't even mind when the door is open! I don't think I would have had the courage to tackle this project for a long time if not for watching Jen's pantry video! I now look at "projects" (which by the way sounds so much better then cleaning...lol) in a new light and actually look forward to the challenge!!!!
