After reorganizing my spice jars and seeing how many of you loved it, I couldn’t wait to move onto my next project – pantry organization! I didn’t realize how much I flour, sugar, etc I would have used until I moved out and started cooking more. I absolutely hated going to get flour because it would make such a huge mess because of the bag. I did a lot of research into the best pantry containers and what would work for the little space I had (I don’t have a huge pantry at all). I loved the OXO Good Grips POP containers.. but not the price tag. For some reason I couldn’t stop going back to them, so I pulled the trigger and got them!
Now, for those who don’t get the point of decanting your spices & pantry items, there are a few reasons why: better visibility to how much you have left, less mess, cheaper (ok, not at first because you have to purchase all of these containers.. but you can spend less when buying the spices at a bulk food retailer), and it just looks nice!
To be truthfully honest, I purchased the OXO 5-piece POP container set using points through a program I have at work, so that made the choice to get these that much easier. BUT, it wasn’t enough for everything I had. Kitchen Stuff Plus had an amazing Buy One Get One 50% Off sale recently and I was able to snag up some more containers.
If you read my blog post on my DIY: Bamboo Spice Jars, you’ll know I made my own labels. They look SOO good so I had to make more for these containers. I made a template again off Canva and printed the labels off StickerYou. After all my research, this was the cheapest option for personalized, waterproof, and removable labels (check out my Spice Jar post to see what happens if you use normal mailing labels.. not worth it!). Of course, you can buy a standard set of labels off Amazon or Etsy, but I wanted mine to say “Maddy’s Kitchen” and only have the spice labels that I’d use (I have some seasoning mixes, so the standard label templates wouldn’t cover everything). I also made some blank labels in case I ever have something new that I didn’t think of, or even something temporary (not sure if I can write on these with dry erase markers or not).
For the leftover items in my pantry, like chocolate chips, skor bits, and tiny amounts of spices (I wanted to try some before committing on buying a lot), I just plopped them in these acrylic bins that I got from my local dollar store. You can easily find similar ones on Amazon or any kitchen supply store if your local dollar store doesn’t stock them. These were great for the shelves on the top of my cupboards because they’re deep and I can easily pull it down with the handle. I also bought extra bins for veggies in my fridge, and for loose packages of snacks in another drawer.
I really love how everything looks in my kitchen! I do wish I had a bigger kitchen and an actual pantry.. but I’ll have to make due with what I have for now. Organization is KEY with small spaces. Maximize the space you have so you can not only have more items, but it can be easier to find things & there will be less waste when you can see everything.
I even purchased these oil & vinegar bottles from Kitchen Stuff Plus and just had to create labels for them! These are super useful because the silicone spout prevents any drips, and I found myself always having to wipe the bottles down from the original packaging. Just another personalized item for the kitchen 🙂
SPICE JARS: EZOWare Bamboo Spice Jar Set
SPICE RACK: (Canada) 3-Tier Organizer
(FREE) SPICE JAR LABEL TEMPLATE: Canva
CONTAINERS: OXO Good Grips POP Containers
OIL & VINEGAR BOTTLES: KSP Dripless Glass
(FREE) PANTRY CONTAINER LABEL TEMPLATE: Canva
LABELS: StickerYou
