Pantry Organization

My latest home organization project is finally completed and I am thrilled with the results. Not only does the pantry look so much better overall, it is functioning so much better on the organization front.

I have posted a video over at the Household Logistics Youtube Channel about this latest organization project, and here is the link for those that are interested in seeing it: Food Pantry Organization.

If you like the video, please give it a thumbs up. I am hoping to do more organization videos soon, sharing the other areas of the kitchen I will be going on to reorganizing, so do think about subscribing if you want to see those videos also.

Magazine holders have proven to be my go-to-item for corralling a range of items like recipe books, the kit for cheesemaking, etc on the top shelf of the reorganized pantry. I purchased these particular holders from KMart and I really love the way they have worked out for doing this particular component of the reorganization.

Here is a link to the actual products used, for those that are interested: KMart White Magazine Holder and KMart Grey Magazine Holder.

I then used my label maker to do the various labels on each magazine holder. I really love how it now looks visually uniform, and as I need to get down any particular item the whole magazine holder container is very easily removed to enable me to access the collection of contents now contained within it.

An expandable shelving system has helped no end to tidy up how we store canned items in the pantry. It has made everything so much easier to see and each items is that bit more accessible now also. It is so much easier to see what we have at any given time. This tiered shelving system was one I got from Storage Box. Here is the link to the product that was used: Madesmart Expandable 3 Tier Shelf.

A Lazy Susan Turntable has helped corral the various cooking oils and vinegars in the pantry, and I am delighted with how well it is working out having this now set up and in place. 

This particular unit was a two storeyed one, but I decided to dismantle it for now and just use the lower storey. Here is the link to this particular product: Madesmart 2 Tier Turntable. Here is the link to a one tier turntable also: Madesmart 1 Tier Turntable, which is just slightly smaller in diameter.

I made the decision to move from using plastic storage containers for dry good storage some time ago. Step by step, I have gradually replaced what I had, and I am really pleased with the result now achieved. 

As a single income family, it takes that bit longer to be able to purchase things like these containers, because I can only just get one or two containers each payday as money allows. Still, with the goal in place, and with a little patience and perseverance, it worked out that I could still achieve my goal of the pantry makeover over time. These particular glass containers (those shown in the above photograph) were purchased from The Warehouse. 

I really like the fact with glass products I can see quickly at a glance just how much of any particular dry good is onhand. It is visually appealing also to see all the various colours and shapes of the rice and pasta, etc, so overall this means of storing dry goods is proving to be one that I am pleased to have set now in place.

Here is a link to a similar product that is still currently available at The Warehouse: Glass Storage Jar. Please note that the link is to a jar that is slightly smaller than those used in my own pantry makeover.

In the above photograph you can see I have used a slightly different and larger glass jar to house larger quantities of such dry goods as flour, pasta, rolled oats, etc. Here is a link to a jar that is similiar to that I used to store these. These storage jars are still currently available from Briscoes. Here is the link: Fido Glass Storage Jars.

If you want to check out more about this makeover project, do click on the link provided above and go on over to see the video detailing what was done. We are all pleased with how the project has turned out, and it was well worthworth putting the time and effort required into achieving it this past year.

Until next time, Happy Home-making Everyone!

The $1,000 Plan: Day Thirty-Four

It is Day Thirty-four of The $1,000 Plan and the nightly routine of getting muffins out from the deep freezer has been working well. I think I need to do a big sort out of the chest freezer really soon, and determine for sure what IS still currently stored in it.

It has been quite some time since anyone had a sort through both the chest freezer, as well as the fridge freezer, in our household. With the saving goal of The $1,000 Plan, it would be really advantageous for this to be done. With the freezer contents better sorted asap, the 'shopping' of both freezers will be done even more efficiently.

I am hoping I will not discover there is actually a lot of food wastage, particularly in the deeper part of the chest freezer, as this area, under the top storage baskets has been unexplored territory in some ways for quite a while.

It is to be hoped that a good proportion of the freezer contents, deeper down in this particular freezer, will still be okay.

I really do need to come up with a more efficient method of record keeping for the contents of both freezers, particularly when it comes use-by-dates, etc. Now, is most definitely the point in time to see to it that it happens.

There really is no point keeping items in a freezer, and then finding out that there was unnecessary food spoilage, simply because items are hidden behind and deep under other items, and unfortunately it has since become forgotten about, and has sadly past its food safe time limit.

I think in the next week I will set myself the goal of doing a bit of an audit and sort out in the actual deep chest freezer, as well as in the smaller freezer under the fridge in the kitchen, if time allows for me to achieve doing both. At least if I do one of them, it will be a good step forward.

Being able to shop the pantry and freezer really is advantageous, when you are trying to work with a limited food budget.

It does make perfectly good and logical sense to have great systems in place, in order to keep tabs on what is in a freezer and available for use.

There are some good examples online, on such things as Pinterest, as to how others have approached organizing their freezers, so I need to do a little more research and then most definitely make a plan to come up with a system that will meet my own households needs that bit more efficiently.

As I continue to endeavour to be more efficient time-wise, energy-wise and money-wise when it comes to menu planning and food preparation, having a better system of organization and management for frozen goods can only be a good thing going forward, for sure!

Who knows! I might just find there is more than a week's worth of delicious, yummy meals already right here at my finger tips, just waiting to be defrosted. This week's goal is looking to be a potentially really good one.