Reorganizing my pantry has been one thing I’ve always wanted to tackle, but somehow it’s never made it to the top of the to-do list. Perhaps because the thought of taking everything out of my pantry sounds exhausting! Or maybe I’m afraid of what I’ll find?? Regardless of the reason, now that it’s done, I wish I would have done it years ago!

My recent decision to overhaul my pantry wasn’t entirely due to my overly organized tendencies. In all honesty, my youngest son, Max, was recently diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D), which placed organizing the pantry at the top of my ‘must do’ list. While I still have so much to learn about T1D, I have figured out that food organization and product labeling is hugely important, and for that reason I’m SO glad I took the time to get my pantry done!

Will it stay this beautiful forever? With three young boys, I guarantee you it won’t, but that’s ok. There will be days where a few boxes will make their way onto my shelves without beautifully labeled containers. But, the goal is if I can keep it clean and organized for a short period of time, hopefully my kids will see what a difference it really does make. In the long run, if all it does is prevent crackers from getting stale, then I’ll consider it a win!!

The before and the after:

Drum roll please…

Here it is!

Believe it or not, it’s all the same food, just WAY more organized. And look at that clean floor!

Note: don’t judge the before photo. It’s like a laundry room: you have dreams of what it should look like but in reality, never does.

My pantry has never looked great, until now!!

First, a few things to note:

1. This is NOT an ‘all or nothing’ project. You definitely don’t have to take it to the level I did. My goal was to have everything very visible, clearly labeled and organized to make our new ‘T1D lifestyle’ easier for everyone. That level of detail probably is not necessary for most families.

2. You can make a few simple changes that will make a big difference. For instance, maybe start with organizing your canned goods on space-saving racks. That might not seem like a big deal, but trust me, it’s a game changer. Or, buy a few canisters every few months and slowly transform your space. It’s completely up to you and your budget.

Step-by-step:

• First, I removed all items from the pantry and checked the expiration dates. If you want to play a fun game, have members of your family guess the year of your most outdated pantry product. Mine, embarrassingly enough was from 2012. Yep, a can of beets. Can’t say I’m the least bit surprised.

• I then grouped the items I was keeping in small piles on my kitchen table: baking supplies, nuts, kid snacks, chips, canned goods, pasta, drinks, etc.

• Once I had an idea of what was going back in the pantry, I took inventory of what baskets, bins and containers I thought I would need. Normally I would have researched my online options and purchased what I needed on Amazon (since they have an unlimited selection of items I can get in a few days time). This time though, I was too impatient and decided to buy everything at Walmart instead. Thankfully their storage and organization section was huge and I found everything I needed.

• After cleaning out and completely drying each container (what a pain), I organized my containers into groups BEFORE filling them and putting them back in the pantry. I found it’s much easier to have everything out where you can see it all at once. It makes for much easier organization. I also made temporary labels for the containers to ensure what went inside was really staying in there. I did end up switching a few containers around due to the amount of contents and their size.

My youngest fella, Max, was a little nervous about my grocery cart stacking skills!

Below are the storage products I used in my pantry. Simply click on the image to take you directly to the website for additional information and purchasing options.

A few helpful hints:

• If your pantry has strange angles like mine, try placing turntables in the corners for easy access

• Use a dishwashing tray with dividers for plastic utensils, paper plates & napkins. (see below)

• Tape nutritional information or product recipes on back of containers for quick referral

• Consider purchasing a non-transparent container to hold the treats you crave at night but don’t want your kids to find. Take it one step further and put a fake label on it like “Kale chips”

Once I had everything organized and in groups, I placed it back in the pantry one section at a time: kids snacks on the lower shelves, baking ingredients on the higher shelves, etc. I also made sure to put the things we use most in front, and the less used things (and my favorite chocolate) in the back corners.

I left applying the sticker labels as the last step. This was like the icing on the cake for me!! I LOVE the look of clean, simple labels and this was by far the most fun part. I have included a simplified version of the labels I made for my pantry. If you like the style, you can download and print them for FREE below! All you need is sticker paper, a printer and a pair of scissors or Xacto blade to cut them out!

Below are a few sticker sheet options available on Amazon. I kept it simple with white paper, but there are a variety of colors to choose from if that’s more your style. There’s even a clear option, which could be really fun too! Note: be sure to check that you’re ordering full-sheet sticker paper, not pre-cut labels.

Below are the FREE labels you can print out onto the sticker sheets. If you click on the button to print 3 pages of labels with common pantry products. There are also some blank labels in case you need to add a few of your own. I’m no tech wizard, so I hope it works!

Once they’re printed out, cut them on the crop marks, peel the backing off and start labeling!!

There you have it!! One clean, well organized pantry. I hope this blog has given you a few helpful tips for organizing your own pantry. If you do take this project on, I hope you love your new, clean space as much as I love mine!

Happy organizing,