An Impossible Challenge....The Pantry

Our kitchen pantry isn't exactly a pantry. It's more of a walk in closet.  But due to it's size, it has become a catch all for anything that needs a home.  I know this is a silly thing to complain about - having too big of a pantry.  It is a blessing, but it can also be a curse.  It not only holds extra food, but it also contains a full size fridge/freezer, our printer, extra office supplies, kids art supplies, our recycling bin and so on and so on.  And because it houses so many things, it has gotten out of control as of late. Re-organizing the pantry tends to be an overwhelming project for me.  It's almost always on my list of things to get done.  Yet it never seems to get done.  Some fellow bloggers are hosting a challenge called 'Imagine the Impossibilities', where you tackle the most daunting of projects.  So I've joined the charge and decided this was my opportunity to tackle my pantry challenge.

Let's look at some before pictures (PLEASE PLEASE don't judge me.   I'm being vulnerable here, showing you the chaos that ensues behind the closed door in my kitchen.)

Here is a closer look:

The catalyst for this clean up (other than just simply needing to be done) was that our 1985 freezer started to break.  For fear of losing a bunch of meat, I raced out and bought a new fridge/freezer combo that day.  While we used our old freezer a lot, we really had a need for more fridge space as well (see all of the drinks on the floor of our pantry above...).

So after the new fridge/freezer was delivered, Pantry Project 2012 began!!

The first thing I did was get rid of any unnecessary pantry items.  Kids games went to an empty cabinet in our kitchen.  The goodwill received a nice gift box of things I wasn't using anymore.  Food that was past it's expiration date was tossed (I confess I had some hot cereal that EXPIRED in 2006. I have no idea when I even purchased it. Maybe 2005?)  The picture below is just a small representation of the things I got rid of.

Drinks went into the fridge.  The recycling bin was moved.  And bye bye plastic bins!  Target and Fred Meyer supplied me with much cuter baskets and food storage containers.

Now I won't ever need to purchase another plastic bin in my life!  Look what came from my pantry after I cleaned it out!

And with a little help from these labels, the pantry gets it's final touch of organization!

Click HERE to  see the finished pantry product!  I think you will like what you see!!

Jen

linking up to:

happy hour projects, mrs. hines class, the brambleberry cottage, somewhat simple, shabby creek cottage, the shabby nest, 2805, my romantic home, no minimalist here, at the picket fence, common ground, stuff and nonsense, my repurposed life,funky junk interiors, craft envy, tatertots and jello, be different act normal, i heart natpime, chic on a shoestring decorating, my 1929 charmer, embellishing life, craft o maniac, diy home sweet home, making the world cuter, home savvy, sew can do, stylish once again, under the table and dreaming, the girl creative,  the southern institute, eye heart, homemaker on a dime, create with joy, life made lovely, between naps on the porch, skip to my lou, northern cottage,  home stories a to z, knick of time, my uncommon slice of suburbia, coastal charm, i should be mopping the floor, the southern product queen, today's creative blog, vintage wanna bee, a stroll thru life, the blackberry vine, crafty confessions, new nostalgia, tip junkie, hope studios, elizabeth and co, my girlish whims, michele raven designs, the shady porch, savvy southern style, romance on a dime, trendy treehouse, chatty chics, polkadots on parade, sew much ado, take it from me, uncommon designs, laugh love and craft