Pantry Makeover for $30 in 30 minutes

About the Author:  I am from the West Coast but currently live in the Midwest and I am continually seeking to be the best possible version of myself. I am not a doctor, crazy weight lifter or even a nutritionist. I am simply a real woman who is exploring real ways to Be Well in every area of my life. My journey to being well is definitely a process and I am not perfect. I have weak moments too and mess up often. However, I seem to always pick myself back up and keep going. 

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What you will need (All from Target):

• White Target Brand standing shelf About $5

• 10" lazy susan from Target About $5

• RE Essentials Brand 4 Piece Canister Set from Target $20

• Used other containers I already had in the house and re-purposed them for the pantry. Green baskets shown in photos are also from target at about $5 each.

The first step is to make sure you have plenty of counter space available to spread out everything in your pantry and have your trash can ready. A lot of us, do not go through our pantries often enough and sometimes find little expired gems in there when we do. This time, I found a bagel that was nearly it's own life form. If you want to spend a little extra, I recommend getting one of those stick on battery powered LED lights from Home Depot. Our pantry is not wired for electrical so this was our thrifty solution.

Begin by taking everything out of the pantry and checking code dates as you go. Throw away anything that is out of code or was not sealed properly. Once you have gone through this process which takes the longest, you are ready to organize.

I used a handheld vacuum to clear out any crumbs on the shelves. Now, I take a look at the food items that are left and decided what I am going to put in the canisters from target $20. I chose to use these for noodles and bread crumbs. Then I used the shelf rack for the canned goods and I was surprised at how much space this saved me.

The lazy susan was used for items like, olive oil, balsamic vinaigrette  PAM spray and A1 sauce. This was a must have for us because my husband always buys more A1 sauce because he cannot find it. We then end up with a dozen bottles.

When selecting which shelves you put everything on, consider how much you use these items. For me, all of the baking items like sugar and flower went on the bottom shelf along with my amassed collection of Kuerig K Cups. The next shelf up which easy to reach for me has all of our go to's that we use in everyday recipes. This is why I chose this shelf for canned items, sauces and oils as well as our pastas. The next shelf up which is at eye level has our snack items, dog treats and homemade soup mixes. Being able to see all your snacks at a glance helps you know you do not need to buy anymore snacks.

Unfortunately for us, we lose two large areas on our pantry on the top shelf and on the bottom to storage for larger appliances and our china. Our kitchen is very small, so storage is tight. The top shelf is home to the bread, popcorn and ice cream maker. The bottom area is home to dog food and fine china (funny mix, huh!).

As we go along, I think I will purchase another of the RE Essentials brand canisters $20 for popcorn, almonds, cereal and regular whole oats.

Before and After