Getting Organized Day 4

I was trying to use things I already have on hand to get more organized.  Brenda and I have been taught by our mother how to can or preserve food.  Our dad always grew an amazing garden and our mother canned the fruits and vegetables.  Well, anyone who CANS know that you have lots of JARS around the house.   I decided to use some of those jars to get more organized. 

                                          BEFORE - bathroom cupboard

                                          AFTER -   I had a drawer with my toothpaste and flossers that our 1 year old kept getting into.  These are now up higher and out of his way.  I put my make-up sponges in the back with a lid on the jar to keep dust out.  

I also put my cotton balls in a jar.  The drawer they go in is to high for my baby to reach so I don't have to worry about broken glass.

 Weevil are a problem where we live.  I am GROSSED OUT by them.  If you put dry goods in the freezer for 24 hours it will kill weevil that maybe inside.  Sometimes I put groceries I have brought home from the store straight into the freezer. This is like INSURANCE or just hoping that I'm not bringing any into my house.  After I did a ton of research I decided I wanted these containers from IKEA.  I live nowhere near an ikea store, so I had to find another option. Storage containers can add up super fast.  So here's my pantry and some creative solutions.

                                          BEFORE

                                          AFTER - Beans are safe and they look cute in the jars.

The wire shelves and hanging baskets are a great way to use the High Space on your pantry shelves.  I bought them when Linens 'n Things was going out of business near us.  I see them everywhere so you shouldn't have a problem finding some. 

                                          BEFORE

                                   

                                                            AFTER -
BOTTOM SHELF - I had a little lazy susan turntable for spices that I wasn't using in the cupboard so I decided to put our extra spices and sprinkles on it. It is in the center.  To the Left of it is FLOUR, SUGAR, OATMEAL, and RICE.  To the Right is my Winco spice bags from the bulk section.  Haven't you ever got a little to much to fit in the container.  I put them in the basket till there is space to add it to the jar.  Next to that in the far right you can see part of a storage basket.  I just realized it was in the picture and I should tell you what is in the basket.  This is where I keep all the dangerous kitchen stuff.  Our one year old is busy and so I don't want him to get hurt.  It's easier to have a gate at the top of the stairs then an ambulance waiting at the bottom.  So we have the cheese grater, tongs, shish kabob sticks, food processor blade, etc.
TOP SHELF - Starting from the left.  That was a basket I had just sitting around.  I actually have 2 and I just might put cleaning products in the other one.  I get soooooo tired of carrying lots of junk out of the pantry. To try and cut down on trips.  I put all the paper products in that basket.  So handy to just grap one basket.  The other smaller basket is the OFF LIMITS one.  This is were I keep junk or stuff I need for an emergency.  Emergency meaning I need a quick snack for the baby because he just woke up for a nap and we are headed out the door.

 Vitamins in a cheap plastic container.  Easy to grap and take to the breakfast table.

Everyone wants something different in the morning.  I just started taking one container to the table and saying find something in here.  I hate carrying 5 different things to the table.  If you have a lot of cereal you can rotate each day which container you take to the table.
We also have our lunchmeats, and cheeses in a plastic container.  It's fast and easy to grap when you want to make a sandwich.


 

SPICES are a pain to dig through.  We have high cupboards so It's difficult to reach the top shelf. Digging through stuff that high would require a step stool and I'm lazy so here's my solution.  I have the spices
I use the most on the bottom shelf on a 2 tier metal shelf.  They get a little mixed up because we are always in them.  Next shelf - I keep all the random flavorings(maple, strawberry, coconut etc), toothpicks, food coloring, powdered sugar shaker, & bouillon cubes in a plastic storage container.  This is much easier then digging to the back of a cupboard for something.  I just take it down from the shelf and find what I need.  Top Shelf - This is the same idea but I have all the random things like, tapioca, corn meal, unusual baking ingredients etc.

I'd love to see your storage solutions to make everyday life flow smoother at your house.


Getting Organized:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3