Organize | Kick the Clutter
So one of my resolutions this year is to get organized. Kick the Clutter is a weekly series I’ve started so that we can all organize together! Who’s with me?
We’ll go step-by-step around the house until we’ve reached every nook and cranny and there’s nothing left to straighten up, donate, organize or give away.
Kick the Clutter: Organize the Kitchen Pantry
The pantry is one of the most heavily used spaces in our house, which means it needs to be organized – and very quickly can become cluttered with all that extra use! Because it comes undone so quickly, I try and organize the pantry several times a year.
It’s generally a pretty painless process and I’ve completed the task so often that I now have it down to less than an hour from start to finish. It’s one of my favorite spaces to organize!
The before photos…
Yikes. It was to the point where I dreaded opening the pantry door. That’s always the sign that I need to organize – and quick!
The after photos…
I was able to get rid of a few boxes of outdated snacks, cereals, etc., and was able to put some of the smaller, individual items into a snack bin. Just by doing that, I could get rid of a lot of the outer packaging, which generally takes up a lot of space.
We still need to add the dog food back into the pantry, but I’m on the search for a smaller container that will fit under that bottom shelf. Right now, the dog bin is too large, which means it just takes up all that nice floor space. We also keep a “shred” pile in the pantry (for lack of a better spot). That’s what you’ll see in the bottom right corner (why yes, we are behind in our shredding!)
The bag on the bottom left contains all our reusable shopping bags. Whoever said “you can never have too many reusable bags” didn’t see our “before” stash. I went through our collection and sent about half to the donation pile. I’m actually starting to move toward only keeping the actual fabric ones (not the cheaper $1 ones from the grocery stores). I’ve found the fabric ones more durable and therefore longer lasting. But most importantly, they can be thrown in the washer, which totally speaks for itself.
Next Week’s Plan to Organize
Next week, we’ll tackle the electronic clutter (e-mail).
What’s your best clutter-busting tip to organize in the pantry or storage cabinets?
Let’s keep track of our progress and share with others! It’s always easier when I get to hear what ideas are working for you and which aren’t. So please share your suggestions, thoughts and progress with us throughout this series!
Click here to catch up on the entire Organize (Kick the Clutter) series!
