Pantry Refresh Time

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I Get such an itch to ORGANIZE & PURGE in the winter/spring time.

My husband hates it because I will inevitably throw something away he liked or thought was useful - and to his credit, I do get carried away sometimes with my, ehm, purging.

The end results are ALWAYS so invigorating and refreshing though! The clean, organized finish is just the best, right? And, despite there being a few underserving casualties (I think I donated our old christmas tree base once, and neglected to rebuy a new one, then had to rush order days before buying a tree the next christmas…that was, um, unfortunate), the cleanout helps prepair our home and our minds for the year ahead.

THIS year, I am seriously addressing my pantry.

With 3 men (1 man/2 boys) in my house, the food consumption is HIGH. My children are just now really getting into “snacking”, so I suddenly have a whole portion of that in the pantry. I would imagine every mom will agree when I say, kids snacks are NOT designed to be tidy. Snack packaging designers have it out for us, I’m convinced.

I am also convinced that no pantry is the “the perfect pantry”. Its either too narrow, too deep, too small, too big, odd shaped, positioned weird - you name it, everybody gripes about their pantry (unless you were lucky enough to design it yourself, which is all our dreams, so cheers to you). So we make the best of what we’ve got.

Which is where THE STUFF comes in.

by saying THE STUFF, I am referring to the endless amount of STUFFS out their promising to “be the perfect solution for ______ , solve all your problems, do your taxes, and cure cancer”. Its nauseating the sheer volume of “solutions” available. And I am not saying I don’t like choices or innovation (hear, hear), but where exactly are you supposed to start? Do I need to spent $180 on the multi-pack organization system or, like, can I just get a couple individuals? What about cost-per-use? Will these organization solutions grow with my family or will it all be obsolete in about 2 years? Glass or plastic, metal or bamboo? Clip-closure, or suction seal? This is what I’m talking about - it’s ALOT of STUFF. Enough to keep you from starting at all, actually, and just try and ignore your pantry woes. There are too many choices, and it feels like you need an associates in “home organizing” just to figure it out without spending a small fortune.

Well, I do not have an associates degree in said made-up category - but I’m going to share what I have used & why, and explain whats gone the distance in my pantry & what bit the dust. It might not be the total perfect solution for you & your pantry, but hopefully something will be an answer to one of your pantry dilemmas.

NOTE: Some of these items I have used in a different shaped pantry than the one I have today, but I loved, and they held up beautifully. The lazy susan linked above is no longer in use in my pantry, but in my last house with deeper shelves, this lazy susan was amazingly helpful.

The THRESHOLD Metal Milk Crate is for some reason, unavailable to buy right now. I have linked it here for you to reference back to. I LOVE mine, and have probably 8 of them scattered throughout my home. Particularly good for storing kitchen appliances!

*** due to not yet qualifying for Amazon Affilate certification, I have avoided linking Amazon links. Many of these items can be bought on Amazon for faster delivery. Thank you for supporting me by shopping through these links!

I love to use metal, wood, and glass in my pantry. Why? Because they are durable, long-lasting, and bug-proof. Also, a cohesive theme to the look of my pantry is incredibly calming.

These TARGET pine wood bins are actually an incredible buy. Instead of being glued together, the walls of the bin are connected by “finger joints” (thank you to my wood-working hobbyist husband for pointing this out!) - which significantly increases the sturdiness & durability of the bin. I have now switched out all my children’s toy bins for these, and they can withstand ALL the abuse!

OXO brand & I have a longstanding relationship. The attention to quality & detail in their product design, and complete absence of artiface in their marketing won me over completely. Most people do not realize how amazing this company is because they don’t shout about it - they just simple ARE THE BEST. I love that. I am slowly switching out all my dry good storage containers for OXO suction sealing. I have had my large size ones for years now and they are the real deal. We breifly lived in an apartment with an ant problem & these containers kept the ants at bay. Could I love OXO any more? Oh - they also make the best highchairs, but thats for another blog post.

Last but definatly not least - my gorgeous Anchor Hocking 2 gallon glass jar. Anchor Hocking is one of the oldest glass companies in America, still producing some of the best quality glassware I have ever seen. Support them whenever you can, and you will never regret it. I have inherited Anchor Hocking from my great-grandmother’s kitchen, and you would never be able to tell they are that old. Quality stuff. I use my XL jar to store my dried fruits & nuts together. I could see using this jar for cereal, dry goods, beans, etc.

Best of luck & I hope this inspired you to get started on you own organizing goals!

see you next week.

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