How I Organized My Pantry

Happy Friday, friends! I shared a little snippet of this pantry DIY project on Instagram stories and was so excited when a bunch of you told me that you wanted to see a full post on it! I am used to having only a few cabinets dedicated to food storage (since I’ve spent the past nine years living in apartments), so having a full pantry is still a novelty that I’m trying to get used to. I wanted to take advantage of the space and make it as organized and efficient as possible! 
The book I’m currently reading, The Complete Book of Home Organization, has been a HUGE help in this process. The book recommends to start by categorizing your pantry and the items going into it. Chances are, you’ve got a lot of food taking up lot of space. Here are the basic pantry categories:
  • Baking supplies
  • Bulk items (rice, beans, nuts and other bulk dry goods)
  • Canned food
  • Pasta and pasta sauces
  • Chocolate and desserts
  • Prepackaged foods
  • Snacks

Cardboard food boxes clutter the space, so using clear containers is an excellent way to store pasta, grains, rice, etc. (and keep it fresh!). I did some research and found that the OXO pop containers were the highest rated, so I ordered two 10-piece kits and then a few extra containers for good measure. I keep items like sugar, flour and powdered sugar in the 4 quart containers and 2.4 quart containers. The 2.1 quart container is perfect for spaghetti noodles, while these slant containers are easily-accessible and great for cookies and snacks. (Not going to lie, I’ve eaten almost that entire container of Oreos this week haha!)
For my little “DIY project,” I ordered chalk markers and labels from the Container Store. I used these thick chalk markers for the bigger chalkboard labels and these thin chalk markers for the smaller chalkboard labels – I recommend ordering three packs of the large labels and three packs of the smaller ones to get started. I wrote everything in capital letters to keep it neat and uniform-looking, but you can really make it your own with pretty calligraphy or cursive writing. I also ordered these hanging labels for the woven baskets (since you can’t apply a sticker directly to them).  
Woven baskets can also be effective pantry organizers when you use them correctly – but I don’t recommend them for everything. They’re nice to look at, but the large sizes can become so full of food that you can’t see what’s at the bottom. However, they do work well to store items like bags of food, snacks, prepackaged breakfast items, large quantities of the same item, and extra canned goods. I bought these savannah utility baskets because I love the way they look and they hide my K-cups and other pre-packaged snacks. For canned goods, I ended up purchasing this can-rack for all my cans of soup, tomatoes, beans, etc.

And finally, I also purchased these stackable baskets to keep fruit and vegetables. They’re nice if you like to buy huge quantities of a certain fruit or vegetable. I always like to have apples and oranges on hand! 
I’m still playing around with the order of things… it will probably take me a few months to get it exactly how I like it. I’d love to hear your thoughts! Oh and if you have any pantry tips, leave them in the comments so we can all see!
I hope everyone has a great weekend!

xoxo

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38 Comments

  1. I super love your can organizer! What a great space saver!!
    C's Collection | http://chelseascollection.com

    9.15.17Reply
  2. Pantry goals right here! Love this. I use those same containers and love them along with the labels and chalk pens. Organizing can be fun lol 🙂 https://dawnatfirstblush.wordpress.com

    9.15.17Reply
  3. Such a great post! 🙂

    http://www.evdily.blogspot.com

    9.15.17Reply
  4. Love this so much!! Being organized instantly makes me feel better 🙂 Thanks for sharing!

    https://www.alexisdezayas.com

    9.15.17Reply
  5. ahhhh this is PERFECT timing!!!! So helpful!!! I move into our new house in a couple weeks!

    Thanks for sharing this! xo

    9.15.17Reply
  6. This pantry really is perfection! I wish I had so much space for my stuff.
    ♡Kristina
    TheKontemporary

    9.15.17Reply
  7. This is such a dream!! I love when you do posts like this! Keep the house posts coming!

    9.15.17Reply
  8. Ahhh, I love this post, Caitlin! I have a thing for OXO products so I love this post even more! I JUST cleaned up my entire kitchen and was looking at ways to store things without the package boxes so thank you for this post.

    A kinda-sorta pantry tip I have are these food containers. They are amazing! They don't stain (think spaghetti sauce) and don't have the white ring around them when you pull them out of the dishwasher. I've been using them for about ten years and one of them FINALLY started cracking, so that tells you the quality of them! Can't wait to see tips from everyone else!

    She Sweats Diamonds

    9.15.17Reply
  9. Oh my gosh, pantry goals!! I love the way you organized everything! Great job!!

    9.15.17Reply
  10. I LOVE IT so much! It's perfect, so much. Organizing anything gets me excited, so please feel free to do these posts as often as you can. You did an amazing job. xoxo

    9.15.17Reply
  11. Pantry goals! It looks absolutely amazing! Can you tell me where you got the trays/containers where you have your clif bars & the pb crackers? I really could use something like that! Thank you!

    9.15.17Reply
    • They look like Interdesign Linus pantry bins. You can find them on Amazon, Container Store or at TJMaxx sometimes. I have a couple in my fridge and love them!

      Laura
      thepetitenoir.com

      9.16.17Reply
    • I echo that question!

      9.16.17Reply
    • Kree

      How big is your pantry? I love how you have organized it, and I’m wondering if I can do something similar in mine?

      3.30.19Reply
  12. Love how you organized everything! My only concern would be expiration dates but i guess you could stick something on the bottom of the containers noting the date. So many new items I can put on my registry list now!

    9.15.17Reply
  13. everything looks beautiful! but where is your bread? I have a hard time finding a basket big enough for a loaf plus buns….

    9.15.17Reply
  14. Love all the racks and containers! Thanks for sharing!

    http://www.memoriesandmacchiatos.com

    9.15.17Reply
  15. ❤ this!

    9.16.17Reply
  16. Your pantry looks great! So cute! 🙂

    ~Lydia~ <3

    9.16.17Reply
  17. This is the most organized pantry ever, love the home inspiration!!
    x,
    Areli's April // Bloglovin

    9.16.17Reply
  18. Your pantry organisation is literally goals! I love it! Thanks for the great post!

    I hope you're having a wonderful weekend!
    Michael
    https://www.mileinmyglasses.com

    9.16.17Reply
  19. very nice, its look so neat and organized,greetings Meg
    http://meganlike.blogspot.com

    9.17.17Reply
  20. love the shelving! did it come with the house, or did you install it yourself?

    9.17.17Reply
  21. Your pantry looks so cute! Love the inspiration!
    Thank you for sharing.

    Allegra xxx

    Allegra Ghiloni Fashion Stylist
    http://www.allegraghiloni.com

    9.18.17Reply
  22. Awesome ideas! Going to use some of these ideas for my own pantry!

    xoxo
    Sharan
    http://www.MyGoldenBeauty.com

    9.18.17Reply
  23. Your pantry is literally a dream!!

    Jordan: Teacup of Style
    Instagram @teacupofstyle

    9.19.17Reply
  24. I am obsessed with your pantry! It is so neat and organized! I live in NYC and space is always an issue I deal with. I need those chalkboard labels and thick markers. Thank you for the inspiration!

    9.19.17Reply
  25. This is so inspiring!!! Can't wait to get my own place so I can do this!!

    LOVE it! Organizing is KEY.

    xo,

    Kelly Hoover | http://www.theglamorousteacher.com

    9.20.17Reply
  26. I love those chalk board labels!

    9.29.17Reply
  27. I love this! Can you do a bathroom organizing post too!?!

    11.19.17Reply
  28. Reign Mones

    Quite a neat pantry you got there. ❤

    12.4.18Reply
  29. Jen

    Could you do a 360 picture of the pantry pretty please 🙏.. this is what I need to do…

    Thank you kindly

    1.16.19Reply
  30. Where to buy all this kitchen organization stuff

    2.14.19Reply
  31. Catherine S Bilyard

    Where did you get the lovely corner shelving? I so need that.

    3.17.19Reply
  32. Professional Organizer here! You executed this perfectly, thank you for the links. I’m sharing this. I’m also pregnant and curious how you organized the baby’s room?

    1.14.21Reply