Pantry Perfection

With four small children I have a very limited amount of time to prepare meals, every second counts to be able to get things done, especially for my very impatient 2-year-old. :) Clutter and chaos drive me crazy and literally make me panicky. So I have organized my pantry in such a manner that I can easily find what I'm looking for. I've done this using several different sized bins and containers.

Here's how to get started:

1. Pull everything out of your pantry one shelf at a time (taking the opportunity to discard things you don't need)
2. Categorize items in a way that makes sense to you
3. Make a list of all the categories so you'll know how many bins to purchase
4. Once you've purchased the bins, organize your food accordingly
5. Label each bin
6. Place food back on shelf according to genre

Helpful Hints:

• Use different sized containers for different sized foods ie small flat baskets for spices, deep bins for flours and sugars, pourable containers for pastas, etc.
• Don't waste money looking for storage items at a specialty store, the cheapest places I have found are Drug stores and Wal-Mart.
• Keep similar foods together ie all baking items on one shelf, all cooking items on another, breakfast, drinks, etc.

Examples of what could go in each bin:

1. Bread (include peanut butter and extra jellies)
2. Packaged dinners (Mac n' cheese or Hamburger Helper)
3. Rice
4. Flours/sugars
5. Soups/sauces
6. Oils/Vinegars
7. Misc. baking
8. Baking chips/nuts

Organize your pantry in a way that makes sense to you and be sure and let your husband and kids in on the system so it always stays nice and neat!