Tips to Create an Organized (& beautiful!) Pantry

by Serenity Haines

Your kitchen is where you spend all of your time. Snack, meals, clean-up, then repeat allllll daaaayyyyy looonnnngggg!!! Wouldn't it be nice to have a Pinterest or, dare I say, Instagram (!!) picture-perfect pantry? Oh, that's crazy-functional too??

I know what you're thinking, "I have young kids and there is NO way in the entire universe it would stay organized or beautiful!". Guess again, mama!! I'm here to share my top tips for both organizing your pantry space to make it functional, but also sparkle!!

How to organize your Pantry

Set-up your pantry for function

This means that all of your shelves need to have a purpose. And make sense to you.

Having items super high and out of reach that you use on a daily basis doesn't make sense. Neither does keeping items in the forefront of your pantry that you only use occasionally.

This means you've got to figure out what items you use on a regular basis, and those items should be the ones you keep close at hand.

Everything that doesn't get used as often can be more peripheral, or not as easily grabbable.

Below is an example of my pantry and how I've set it up so you can get an idea of what I mean! (yes, that's a knife block in my pantry..... I have littles!)

I have added some Pantry Planning Sheets to the Resource Library, which you can access for free by signing up below!!

Use coordinating bins & baskets

I'm just gonna say this - cause it needs to be said: Coordinating your bins will make your space look 10X better!! It just will!!

I love containers and I'm all about containerizing all the things!

But while using a bunch of different colored bins may seem like you are getting your space organized, but in all reality, it's still going to feel cluttered and disorganized.

If you want your pantry to be really on point, it has to be physically organized, but also visually organized.

I would really suggest going with white, clear, and natural baskets to give you the freshest looking pantry!

Meaning not a random assortment of organizing containers!

Unpack and Unbox as much as you can

Getting your pantry all kinds of organized is going to mean getting rid of some of the bulk that your items are packaged in.

Things like cereal, pasta, and small snack items can easily be transferred to new coordinating containers and their packaging recycled.

I realize companies put a lot of work into designing their packaging and brands, but when you're trying to have a Five + Bright Fresh Pantry, that packing has to go!

As much as you can, toss & recycle the excess packing and use your coordinating containers.

**If you need to keep a label or recipe, tape it to the back or bottom of your storage container**

Maintenance, Maintenance, Maintenance!!!

This right here is key - where all that hard organizing work will show for years to come and keep your sanity intact!!

Once you've thoroughly organized your space, its ability to continue to stay functional & beautiful comes down to the amount of maintenance time that you spend on it.

And to be totally honest, it won't be a ton!!

I probably only have to freshen mine up 1-2 times per month, if that?? (The picture above was not staged at all!)

Because if you follow my 8 steps to an Organized Pantry, you'll end up labeling everything (which is a must!! In my opinion), which will just naturally help keep everything in its place!

Nice, right??!!?

Now that you have an idea of how you are going to organize your pantry in a way that makes sense to you. Plus how you should containerize all the things - all you need to do is keep up on that (minimal) maintenance!! It will be oh-so-easy with the system that you have created!

If you haven't yet, grab your Pantry Organization Planner in the Resource Library Below (it's free to sign-up!)

How to simplify Meal Planning
Hey, there busy mama!! Today I’m sharing my super simple ...
How to Meal Plan: tips for beginners
Let's face it, meal planning is not one of the most...
Quick Organizing Tasks
As a mom, you know that getting focused time to do any ta...