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Last updated on July 10th, 2023 at 09:54 pm
Do you struggle with an overcrowded pantry that never seems to stay organized no matter how many times you try? Yep, me too! Enough was enough, and this year I decided to do something about it.
One of my PowerSheets goals for 2023 is to organize our home better. This means investing in organizing containers and products and closely following the signature process I teach in the Start Organizing Your Home Guide.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll share my personal journey of using the Start Organizing Your Home Guide to organize an overcrowded pantry.
Before digging into the pantry makeover, here’s what you should know about the Guide:
It follows the RNL signature S.P.A.C.E. Organizing Framework. Each step is outlined in the Guide to build upon one another.
In this post, I’ll cover how I accomplished the first two steps, Start & Plan.
Recognizing the Overcrowding Issue
The first step in the framework is Start: Start with the end in mind …begin by thinking about how you need the space to function & how you want it to look. This step is about identifying problems and setting a goal.
The biggest problem with my pantry was its constantly overcrowded appearance. Despite my efforts to organize it regularly, it lacked clear boundaries between categories, leading to a cluttered and disorganized look. I realized that I needed to invest in organizing products to make the most of the available space.
If you take a look below at my pantry before, you’ll notice all the items running together, not making any clear definition between categories.
Once I identified this main problem with the pantry, my goal became clear:
Eliminate the overcrowded pantry by creating definitive spaces for each category for under $200.
Gathering Organizing Products
The second step in the framework is Plan: Set guidelines for decluttering and strategies for letting go and create your plan for removing discards from your home.
Since I’ve been working with this space for so long, I jumped to the Curate step to account for organizing products in my plan.
Before making any purchases, I evaluated the space by making a list of all the different food categories. Next, I made a shopping list of organizing products that would enhance its efficiency.
After many years of working with my pantry, I understood its specific needs and ensured that my purchases would be effective. Based on my list, I researched and found the following products:
- Turntables: I opted for turntables to make it easier to find items stored at the back of higher shelves, especially for our jars, which were of the same size.
- Wire Baskets: To prevent overcrowding, I chose baskets to provide clearly defined categories for items that were stored in boxes and bags.
- Can Risers: Although I already had a wire riser, I decided to invest in can risers to maintain a clean and tidy look while maximizing the available space.
- Jars & Canisters: To create a streamlined and organized look, I invested in cereal canisters and Ball jar lids, which eliminated the cluttered appearance caused by various food packaging.
Planning the Organizing Session
With the organizing products on their way, I scheduled a day to tackle the pantry makeover. Since organizing involves several steps, I made sure to allocate enough time for the process.
Here’s how I planned my organizing session:
- Allocate Sufficient Time: I selected a day when I had several uninterrupted hours to dedicate to the pantry organization.
- Create a Step-by-Step Plan: These tasks are outlined in the Guide, to ensure a systematic approach to the makeover.
- Prepare Cleaning Supplies: Before starting, I decided which cleaning supplies I’d need to prepare the area for a new look.
- Set Realistic Expectations: I reminded myself that the organizing process might take longer than expected. I needed to remain patient and focused on the end goal.
Ready to eliminate the overcrowded pantry
This first blog post in the pantry organization series highlights how to use the Start Organizing Your Home Guide. In this post, I shared how I assessed the issues and came up with a plan to solve them. Once all my organizing products arrived, I was ready to start on my pantry makeover.
In the next post, I’ll dive into the process of decluttering and categorizing pantry items. Stay tuned for more tips on achieving an organized pantry, plus complete photos of the transformation!
Read Part 2 of the series here >>>
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