Posted in Organization

Not long ago, I posted about using sturdy boxes, cut down, to make customized storage boxes for free.  Recently, the hubby had decided to help his little wifey out with her pantry.  When our home was built, the contractors installed clothing closet wire racks in our pantry.  The down side of this is that the wire bars are set far apart, so when you place things on the shelves, they tip over.  Needless to say, we have had a LOT of broken bottles and messes to clean up over the years.  Even cereal boxes would turn and spill out of the closet if not placed precisely on the shelving. 

So the hubbby goes to Home Depot and looks for some type of shelving material.  This was proving to be a bit expensive and was going to require some extra time at home to cut the panels to make shelving.  Until he found a marcite panel (tile board).  A wonderfully kind Home Depot employee agreed to cut the board to the dimensions we needed.   

Shelf by shelf I removed items from the pantry placed a board on each shelf and returned the items to the shelves.  No More Tippage.  Wahoo!  Not only that, but I used my box idea to contain like items.  All boxes of jello stand upright in a box.  Small bags of snacks are housed in a box.  I have TONS of boxes tea, which have always been all over the pantry.  I used the box from a case of water.  Lo and behold, all my tea fits in the box allowing me to see all of my tea choices at a glance!  The boxes of plastic wrap, ziploc bags, etc are housed in another box from a case of water.  Meal supplement bars are in yet another box.  All of my baking essentials (baking powder, baking soda, cornstarch) are contained in a cookie box.  Large containers of spices are contained in a pull-up box. 

Our pantry is not only clean and tidy, but everything is easy to find at a glance.  I am not orginized by nature, I have to work at it.  But the results of organization are that I can work more efficiently, and thus be more productive in a shorter amount of time, so it is worth it.  Here is the cost breakdown of remodeling our pantry.

5 shelves ( 6 x 1.5 ) = $11

organizing containers = $0

Time spent remodeling the pantry = 3 hrs.

Stress free kitchen work = Priceless!

Here's the before and after for a good comparison.

These are my thoughts.