..."Saving Money with an organized clutter free Pantry"
For the new year, I made a list of things I wanted to see happen in and around my home in 2014—one of those ‘Inside-the-home-items’ on the list was
Create a standing PANTRY IN THE KITCHEN--
Several of my readers asked that I would show how I go about meeting my goals for the year. I can’t promise it will be riveting or have you sitting on the edge of your seat—but you might find a tip or two for meeting your own goals…
One thing I’ve done is bought a Day Planner for the year—I’ve divided-up my home like points on a map and each week of each month I PINPOINT THAT ROOM AS MY TARGET AREA. I continue to maintain the rest of my home and duties…but I hit the TARGET AREA HARD AND HEAVY THAT WEEK.
This is the second full week of doing this…and my TARGET: The Kitchen FOCUS: RE-Organizing
I HAD thought I wanted to ADD a piece of furniture to the kitchen to serve as standing cupboard as Pantry. Fitting another piece of furniture into my ‘unfitted- kitchen’ shouldn’t be too challenging as I only have ONE WALL of ‘built-ins’; and most of my work stations are pieced in with various furnishings.
You can see my pinterest board on UnFitted Kitchens HERE @ :: FREESTANDING AND UNFit ::
I will tell you—it took years before I found JOY in this type of set up. Many years I longed for a perfect kitchen…but then I realized I already had one. I can make my kitchen however; just by moving things around. It’s perfect and I’m loving my kitchen more and more all the time!
So onto the Pantry Saga::
I make no excuse for this blurry picture- this is just some of the contents I began cleaning out on Sunday.
It’s just lots of baking items, seasonings, canning parts and organizing tools.
I found 4 …yes, FOUR! opened containers of Cocoa in my cupboard; and the red basket is actually 2- one is stacked inside the other. (I bought those 27 years ago…I know because they were used to hold nursery items in my oldest daughters room) I’ve always had an organized streak—it ebbs and flows, I guess.
I emptied 3 or the Cocoa’s into one container. The last one was almost full and was placed back into my cabinet as over flow. For now.
I made Homemade Baking mix and have the ingredients for more on the top shelf behind this door.
The hanging basket has un opened packages of pasta that would not fit…
here in my newly REPURPOSED CANISTERS.
I’ve had those 3 wall mounted canisters for years and have used them for Hot chocolate mixes, extra condiments for eating out, spare tea bags… Not anymore.
I took all the pasta out of the packaging and filled the canisters with them. Now I can see when I need to restock the pasta—and they’re Pretty!
Basically, behind each of these doors I incorporated free CLEAR containers---lots of recycling. I’m visual so seeing the level of these contents at a glance will help me in knowing when to purchase more.
Behind the second/middle door.
The soda bottles on top hold an assortment of beans and a bottle of rice. More organizing tools, I found a small ‘lazy susan’ IN THIS CABINET; standing on its side inside another red basket. Well… I’m using it now!
The last door—holds cookbooks and a recipe file box on the bottom shelf. Middle shelf has unopened spices that I bought when the grocer was going out of business the first of January; along with over-flow of other baking items I didn’t know I had! Things like brown sugar, and 2 bags powder sugar, unopened Soy Sauce, etc.
The plan is to use what I have before making anymore purchases and freeing up even more space.
I currently have my slow cooker and large Crock pot on the top shelf. I’m planning to move those in the next phase of the Pantry Saga.
I have a plan for re-arranging just about ever section of this kitchen. I think it is going to eliminate the need to ADD any furniture for a pantry. So, I’ll be marking that off the list.
Now look at that, just by doing some clearing out ( I threw away 1 whole trash bag full of packaging and wrappers) I decided that if I had containers to store items—I should empty the contents of the packages and free up space. It is so nice to open up my cupboards now, and see all that I have.
My Pantry Findings were
Space
Groceries, I didn’t know I had.
Eliminating the ‘need’ to spend money.
Checking an item off the list! Freeing up time to work on something else.
This month marks the 18th year to be living in here in our home. I’ve reorganized and cleaned and cleared out plenty of times. But this is really, the first time—to revamp this part of my kitchen since the kids all moved out. I’m looking at my kitchen with empty-nester eyes now…but keeping in mind that I do have my littles here day in and day out. I have a new idea about how I want my kitchen to operate.
Less is more.
and
the simpler the better. Free is great!
Don’t you love how a project starts out like it’s going to cost something; but in the end, you don’t have spend and you EVEN SAVE by reorganizing? I feel like I’m winning!
FGFbloghop @ DJDH
Til next time, Be Blessed!
Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.~ Joshua 1:9