pantry makeover

There are basically 2 things I never want to publicly share:

1. how much I weigh, and
2. the disorganized state of my pantry.

What can I say? I am far from a neat freak. But even a laid back person has their limits. And although I had a million other things to do this past week, I decided I had HAD ENOUGH of my disorganized pantry and it was time to do some organizing.

Now I must start by saying, our pantry is HUGE. When we bought and renovated our home 4 years ago, it was actually a large laundry room. We moved a wall over to make the kitchen bigger, and converted the space into a walk-in pantry. Sure, we installed some built-in shelves. The thing is...being so big, we would dump all of our crap in there. "Lots of room!" But, we never had a system of where things would BELONG. Things went in and never found their way out again. In the last months, I would cram something on a shelf and then run for my life, fearing it would all topple down on top of me!

So, I started looking up pantry organization on Pinterest, and found a great blog post about a pantry makeover using bins from Dollarama, the most awesome dollar store we have in Canada. Because, bins and baskets are EXPENSIVE, and with the size of our pantry I knew I would need a ton. So, off I went to Dollarama, and then to Staples to get me some Martha Stewart home office labels. And here is the result!

Let's ease you in. First off: my little tea cabinet. This is where I start my day, making myself a cup of tea. Should be relaxing, right?





I did something similar for the coffee maker/toaster area (didn't do a before pic, but trust me, it was nasty):


Next up: the pantry. Don't judge me.


















Ahhhhh.

Each of the bins you see were only $1.50 or $2 a piece, and the glass jars with the stainless steel lids ranged from $1-$2, depending on size. The Martha Stewart labels were $3 for 18, and I got two of her magazine holders for my recipe magazines, for $10 each. I bought a couple large blue bins for paper towels and other bulky items for $7 each at Walmart. And I reused a few baskets and containers from around the house. I think the grand total came in at about $140. Very reasonable.

Now, it is not magazine-worthy. We LIVE there, after all. I have an old ugly crockpot that still makes a mean chili and other bulky things that are not white and wonderful and that are in bulky boxes that I need to keep. But, much improved! And I feel a million times better every time I walk into that room (and why is that about a hundred times per day?? Maybe linked to my I-don't-want-to-share-my-weight issue??? LOL!).

Now I am on a roll, people! I vow that I will slowly conquer the rest of the closets and crannies. My husband wonders what the heck came over me, and my kids, honestly, are a bit scared of their mama. But no matter. I am on a mission!

What have you been organizing lately?