Do you struggle to organize your pantry?
I definitely do. Theres a lot happening in my kitchen each day, whether its for my family or for my role as a food blogger for Hip2Keto.com and Hip2Save.com. Im moving so fast some days that I dont always take the time to organize my space and put things back properly. My goal is to stay organized to help my life run smoother!
I previously shared the drastic before/after of our pantry remodel.
You can read all the details about this home improvement project HERE. We did most of the work ourselves to save money, and weve been enjoying this space so much. My pantry is one of my most favorite parts of our home now for sure!
Today Im sharing 8 easy and frugal real-life pantry strategies to keep things organized!
I say real life because this is not one of those pantries from a magazine with five items! Ha. I have lots of appliances and stuff in general. In fact, my husband likes to give me a hard time about hoarding appliances and pantry foods, but I consider it just part of my process for work! lol
A lot of my pantry storage is from Goodwill or big-box retailers, so you dont have to spend a ton of money organizing! In fact, Id even check out places like the Dollar Tree for containers, too.
1. Purge and declutter.
Before I start any organizing project, purging is always the first step (less stuff always equals less effort to organize). I, too, sometimes overbuy one item and never use it, or my kids open a bag of chips, and its been sitting around months later! Declutter and get rid of as many things as you can, from spoiled food to unused appliances. Donate unwanted food that hasnt expired to a food bank.
2. Create different zones in your pantry.
Creating zones will help you quickly identify items so that theres a home for everything. You can create a zone for pantry staples like canned goods, cereal, one for baking supplies, one for grab and go snacks and I also have a zone for foil, kitchen wraps, and baggies.
Since I bake often, it is so helpful to have a spot for all my flours and sugars. These clear storage containers work perfectly for my space as I can immediately identify whats in each one. I also made these farmhouse style kitchen labels using my Cricut vinyl cutting machine, and love the look and functionality so much!
3. Use sheet pans or trays to gather like items.
As youre creating pantry zones, consider separating items using a large sheet pan or tray. My inexpensive decorative tray from HomeGoods (above) helps to group things so that they dont get spread out randomly.
Hip Tip: This inexpensive yet large 1 gallon Anchor Hocking glass canister, pictured above, holds the large box of k-cups from Costco nicely! Those are nice quality canisters for pantry organizing!
4. Use double-tiered space for canned goods.
Using all of the vertical space in your pantry shelving makes perfect sense, especially for storing canned goods. I went super low budget by repurposing an office file organizing shelf from the thrift store. Its functional and only cost about $3 at Goodwill!
Hip Tip: One of my team members loves this stackable metal organizer via Amazon as another recommendation.
5. Take foods out of large, boxed packaging.
Food packaging takes up so much valuable space! As an example, I keep a container for our dogs treats instead of the big box they come in. I also store rice and spaghetti in canisters.
Hip Tip: Check out Saras pantry makeover using these handy OXO canisters!
6. Place a Lazy Susan in the corner.
Im a big fan of Lazy Susan organizers to access items conveniently, as its a nice space-saving idea. This small turntable is perfect for smaller spices and baking items.
7. Use storage baskets to separate snacks and small items.
I created a kid zone with all snacks and open chip bags. This way they can grab and go as needed, and everything is corralled into one spot. This is so much cleaner and easier than keeping snacks in original packaging floating around the pantry.
Hip Tip: Check out this small heated snack sealer that Ive been using to prevent stale food in my pantry! It works great and helps me avoid food waste.
Our team also loves these clear handled storage baskets which are available in sizes Small or Large (both under $5 at The Container Store) and are great for the pantry or even the fridge for storing food.
I love these baskets! From holding laundry cleaning supplies (large bin) on a stacked laundry center; to the kitchen for spice bottles, coffee supplies, snacks etc. Super product!
Hip Tip: Chip clips from Dollar tree are super handy and inexpensive! You can also re-purpose the clips from pant hangers into chip clips as another frugal idea. See tip #16 on this post.
8. Take 10 minutes at the end of each day to tidy up.
This has been huge for me, and it makes all the difference so I dont get overwhelmed. Even just wiping up the counter and shelving and making sure miscellaneous things are put away at the end of the day is so helpful!