Stop, organize, and listen!
Ever sit down after a long day, perhaps with a snack, phone in hand, and ready to mindlessly scroll for a little while before the household duties of your day start? You go to your Instagram and start giving that thumb its workout for the day and then, BAM! You see that one account that is wholly dedicated to overtop organization, spotless cleanliness, and restocking beautiful glass containers and you can’t help but get sucked into its almost hypnotic content. All of a sudden you get this overwhelming urge to completely gut your entire house wondering how you have gotten this far in your life without everything in your house having a pretty label on it!
It is so easy to get caught up in the comparison game, especially with how fast-tracked social media is these days. Thinking that everyone’s house is organized to perfection all 365 days of the year and you’re just lucky that at the end of the day everyone had a clean towel to shower with is like taking an express lane to stressed-out city. Instead of going on a rampage through your entire house and labeling everything that cannot move, let’s start with one area at a time!
With the holidays just around the corner, the kitchen is going to be seeing a lot of action very soon. The easiest place to get disorganized and chaotic in the kitchen? The pantry! This is where all your supplies are, and you must open and shut that door 100 times a day. Let’s look at 3 ways to get that pantry organized and ready for anything.
Everything has its place...
One of the easiest and quick ways to any organized space is making sure everything has its own place that makes those items easily accessible. As in any space, start by taking everything out and giving every surface area a good wipe down. For a pantry, it’s best to put bulky items such as paper towels, stand mixers, rarely used appliances, extra plates, platters, and cutlery on the bottom shelves. Middle shelves should be reserved for your most-used ingredients and supplies as those shelves are at eye level and easiest to access. Top shelves should hold your taller containers, baskets, and baking sheets. We really love these vertical cookie sheet dividers for pantries because they offer one of our most used cooking items their own space where they’re less likely to be scratched and ruined. Another great tip for those with children is to create their own special snack center in the pantry on one of those lower shelves so they can reach them. This helps save time while you’re running in a million different directions and gives the children a sense of independence in choosing their own snack!
Pleasing to the eye...
If we have learned anything from those organization content creators, it’s that containers can make anything look instantly better! Your local grocery stores have an endless choice of containers from glass and plastics, in every size and shape. You absolutely do not need to run out and purchase 100’s of dollars of containers for everything, start small and work your way through the pantry. The most sensible start would be placing cereals, baking goods, and dry goods into containers so they are less likely to get stale and create a mess. Putting cooking oils into easily dispensable containers creates a no mess, no fuss cooking experience, and you’re able to keep these in the pantry or on the counter space since they are esthetically pleasing. There’s just something special about looking in a pantry and seeing neatly closed containers instead of half-closed boxes and bags!
Gather and get...
We all know that baking sheets are a multifunctional kitchen tool. Try getting by during ANY holiday without one or five and that’s a recipe for disaster. With Thanksgiving fast approaching, the list of ingredients for each dish can start to look more like a CVS receipt than an actual recipe. That can get overwhelming and cause unwanted stress with all the trips back and forth to the pantry during the day. Try this trick instead: the day or night before, grab a baking sheet, your list of ingredients, and get to gathering! Load up the baking sheet with everything you will need for that dish. You can even measure out everything and place it in baggies or disposable cups if you’re feeling particularly extra! Gather which baking dish you’ll be using as well, and any other bowls you’ll use for mixing. Place the recipe (print it out or handwritten) on top of the baking sheet and leave it all together until you’re ready to cook! We love having some sort of counter space in the pantry to keep everything in one space. This organization step seems simple, but it will completely shift your perspective from hectic to ready on Thanksgiving or any other day you’re cooking for the masses.
Whatever your pantry may look like on any given day one thing remains the same across the board, any organization is better than no organization! Start small, one thing at a time, and eventually who knows, maybe you’ll be posting your space on Instagram one day! But, even if you don’t feel that urge to quit your day job and become an “organization content creator” you can still create an amazing space for you and your family that is both functional, attainable, and beautiful.
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