In a previous post, I showed you how I made the move from a spice cabinet to a spice drawer. There seems to be much debate in design circles over which is better; well I say whichever suits your cooking style and kitchen layout is the better way to go. So long as it is organized and functional!
At the end of that post, I said I would work on my pantry organization next (because inevitably I had to show my pantry to be truthful about the lifecycle of my spices). Well, I kept my promise and have “worked” on the pantry.
There were a couple of things that needed some attention:
- All those jars I was
hoardingcollecting, and - All the water bottles on the bottom shelf
These are minor details, or so it would seem. Turns out that minor details can make for major lifestyle changes. Initially all I did was put the water bottles where they should have been all along – on the bottom shelf of the cabinet that houses all the other “drinking vessels” – and move those empty jars down to the bottom shelf. And wonder of all wonders! Everyone in the house started drinking more water; and yes, OUT OF THE WATER BOTTLES! Plus I recouped valuable shelf space for my spice overflow.
So now I have finally gotten around to up-cycling most of those jars (and additional ones that have accumulated since then). Many of them get re-used for my homemade condiments and sauces, others have been repurposed into all sorts of crafty things (but that’s another blog post for another week), and then there’s those that get to help keep the pantry organized! Yay!
I love this so much, that I am ALmost (al-MOST) willing to paint or paper the pantry walls. Almost.
So here’s the deal… Some things I buy in bulk (like rice, some types of beans, pretzels, pasta,
etc). I keep the “overflow items” on the very top shelf so little hands can’t get to them (and because it drives me NUTS to see 2 open containers of the SAME THING). And if/when I fully run out of something, I put the container on the bottom shelf until I can refill. It’s a system that works for me because when I’m going shopping I can just snap a pic of the pantry to know what needs refilling. Brilliant!
Sooo since I sort of brought it up in the first kitchen organization post (really just a pic or 2 in the slideshow), I’ll go back to the efficient cooking space next time around. We’ll talk about something that is near and dear to my heart…. kitchen utensils!
Bet you CAN’T WAIT! Until then,
