My Pantry Organization via The Dollar Tree

You know your pantry is in bad shape when it makes you ANGRY and IRRITATED every time you set foot in it. And when you shut the door anytime company comes over, because you're embarrassed anyone might see it.

            Behold, the "Before" (don't judge):


Everything was crammed in there. I couldn't stand the chaos.

As my readers know, I've been on an organizing kick, with my closet and my jewelry, and so my pantry was naturally the next project to tackle. Little did I know my good friend and colleague Margot Kim was attempting the same exact thing at her house. But this just goes to show great minds think alike. Today we compared pantry makeovers, like two dorks, oohing and aahing over the end results.

So I wanted to share how I went the Dollar Tree route. Who knew? The Dollar Tree carries these awesome plastic organizing bins, some that stack, some with handles, in all shapes and sizes. I went with red, since my Dollar Tree had the most options in this color, and I wanted everything color coordinated. But I saw blue, green, white/clear, even purple.

I wasn't sure exactly how many containers I would need. So this was my initial haul, about $20 worth. Obviously, when you see my "before" picture above, you can conclude that wasn't enough. So about halfway through my organization attempts, I went back to another Dollar Tree (since I had cleaned out the supply at the first one), and didn't find anything I needed. So 30 minutes later, I found myself at my third Dollar Tree of the day, where I bought another $25-$30 worth of red containers. So for about $50, I was set. Meantime, hubby is inviting me to RELAX on my Saturday and spend some time with the kids in the pool. Anyone knows, a woman in the middle of a project, is a woman on a mission that CANNOT be stopped!

As I sorted through the shelves of food, I couldn't believe the amount of expired goods that were sitting in there, hidden in corners, and under boxes. I found baby formula from 2007 (my kids are 5 and nearly 8 now), shave ice syrup from 2008, a gingerbread man from 2009, and Korean roasted seaweed from 2010. I discovered I had perfectly good barbecue sauce even though I had just bought some, and an entire Costco sized box of trail mix.



I especially love these stackable bins, which are perfect for canned foods and canned sodas.

These baskets have handles, which makes it really easy to access what's inside.
Everything is labeled so the kids can find snacks for themselves too!

The bigger baskets on the bottom hold things like chips and popcorn.

With every item in its proper place, I felt my stress melting away. Organization had become my therapy. The pantry, once the bane of my existence, had been transformed into my zen place. I had some girlfriends over the other day, and one of them literally went inside and shut the door so she could revel in it. She's now inspired to do her own makeover! Another laughed and said she really needs to this because she ended with 6 bottles of ketchup because she had no idea what she already had. Now, when I'm making the grocery list, I know exactly what we do and don't need. I honestly hope this cuts down on our family's food waste.
This morning, I was in a rush to get to my workout and instead of spending precious minutes searching for a power bar, I knew exactly where to go. I actually laughed out loud at the awesomeness of it. I know it sounds like no big deal, and a little OCD, but I think this could be a whole new organized way of life for us! Share your organization stories in the comments below!

 Behold, the "After":