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?
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH-SZnpPs4tlhPDOHbpIa2K7JWjsnfYdp09wh-Tquc3cPgoxhfQCav8foB9DtkpKWfPHroMjXu_mMFtjx7tG1rYRPSE9kwfluIpHkQOaEJwevCZhZVafxbBke56d9HUcGjRgMLIB_Y_TS3/s400/147a.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE3ENbdpyJFwc24ROXX016e1iImNgjrt8ISB46hISSdtA487cc__-Z2xQ4-KnIg7myFAOGf8cDoAnVJbJ_XpgFr2BZ6cRNs2Do3tiLHiNDtmIxkSG0TwBwEwn3K0M9LNyvMNhvrjj8IeYM/s400/182a.jpg)
I did something similar for the coffee maker/toaster area (didn't do a before pic, but trust me, it was nasty):
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcG5XS_VWMR5ZQx3oSl_pRpzOkgu7yHTNUIMVATpLnhiN47hFnWfUfoFFH1y6-63EuvfkuUa5XXa_YFFNLwQW3WKma2cF9djEDGdBTvRcfSLTYd6RZ8RsFM8WAVkD6bsOvEyFCxCWqtE3A/s400/185a.jpg)
Next up: the pantry. Don't judge me.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtR1WM8fVKBUFm-vZzXuVMUyFt5gEivIpy5IFDnUpHmna5pizq2l3MuSyNWwqLFZ3iWGWxTk2NqBbx_L-Pomj7m7HyHwgw26roOlVkDFH5U8bb4k-a1vfMSkyr_2SYv_MS2CAROxMjkh77/s400/142a.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAkC9FLW8UZi_eUkL0DIwOrBCia8vVPmXYR8MgbIZDyreDaUG-XhQ-MgSe5CvNVtUjjPOM18VdcTHzPEmGhDXjVZrWveIXEXNU6kQBTP8KRKfxAl9L6p6WergYdPrCKNKsTMRZEXvLKgqv/s400/017a.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD8PM1236KlxT1hvUihmP6U9HuVcr7mu42xfV4YRVh7PzIQXmRGtvEt_4lYm7JR2FUdy5I9yQxi3rop8EiRscz33soNboCmjHKa60_sR6moIlA4H3hbqKZ0Ub4WJ5qRW_d-eEcgXBckK0D/s400/145a.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlqqV16g5wPzqOqoxZyTTaFZ9pQLY7nTJaq5JQUC4eSwWAN3WY9Xje4ok87ZNfCYlYIRw3h3RZOxhOZkndMnwv9bQaBbLHXBh1aZjbqi296OxD0kvWx1v86z8metdvIHJc6rXVImd-t9XT/s400/014a.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNTEKysG0ECj0kO4fYKGpoQ7ylmOws7SNbrLYlje9RfPKHGHBk-Wr8f3V6NwTS5SjP5cIU42eQ50uhFUqZg-b0sBibE1tK693V0zvJqBhIjuyK_8Q89l-FynzJAzzC87zZYWEIPoRJJqWV/s400/143a.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4-6YthdKqXU40wXtR2cLVHlTNr5kywu0SC8-c-LsW1U46HlZfl_yb_zVKedcy8ton_Ba0sqlpL5rUAD387irWFX3AsnBufQH5zDEOT2SHwKo4Wh44UfSkvx-LrMwDKdYFKSgXDPAWLid/s400/016a.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNBz7g_BY1cFfSZB_AMKtlHufBVEkPug38JAcE4-9C84qePTjwTO_q23-VATKGYdmN1EWRu88luMd17jln7rUjCWF4wSTXUjX-56PwGiOdXIJOQGYtWYStot6BsrqIbcBZJvMgwDfMSQI4/s400/141a.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLMG5TJoxKHcbPr5PC98NmJSZwaI32Q0ARAes1zhEcPMEGJh9p2UnZp2tIEAeo1oeGtHtOX_BdDnZb4uw3gp-Ig4bWCgH9Fp8NwXewhWxbTKbolWCwYHjOjHA-koXsklRU_joUZO0Wq-3k/s400/018a.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir1Oj_ww-Vc9Ple-OfoCtjvJSP4a8u6q1DLnIEXVkHAW4dSEBZ3MIvQI0ksuLQLOzIega1LhanIRueFqmq5myV_MUY0W3T2klzs1-RAZY_OTlzSs5nG5Wgrsr2sC8aMzE0VGp1Ym9IU1AA/s400/140a.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUHdjiZTXx8nG86T6tO3FM25iirV9pd2t1-RJg5xQX2uABovlKeOx1dFwaXznXAyHCbej1ydC25yOE7s4bmk-A_xjgn0BDgGUaFI2XjL8xLHjMeBbn2c_L_xcD7ufEDGqkw3TdP8DnkSpK/s400/019a.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT2bnlfTiP2-mwtAQrsVX3QGsMMUt6zpyeIsBg_mUpjfuxu6A2-nkS5LJkAzVjvg2JIsdgEso4TgQLJjL5wpVyIZHhjQDHZXWwSxLEoy1fkyJMcAF_Pg-2XBEv21xthbYFmpIQ02yOkqbk/s400/020a.jpg)
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.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnQUM8ktleczp2-f2t-0EJ_Ehr4kDCWbJvyRmcd3EQW73D5kdyZwNQr04RuBvkY-ppRIgFV8LV2YqY48mnFZt4kOl7IOJHAQO_ACD-Aj3kdUbAL15E0FYnJkbloUUWQBt1rxcKmukyG3rn/s400/022.jpg)
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?