A Simply Organized Pantry

There's 2 ways to organize a pantry (ok, there are more than 2 ways- but bear with me).
There's the way that ends with it looking like a space straight out of a magazine- with perfectly coordinated and labeled bins.

Source: The Container Store

Ahhhhhh, beautiful!

...And then there's the way that doesn't actually cost any money.

Yes, I love the container section of any store. If I had a large sum of cash to spend unexpectedly, you can bet I'd be spending a large chunk of it on stuff like this. (Then I'd spend the rest on shoes).

Presso Storage Jars $12.99-$21.99 each

But sometimes I don't need to go shopping, I just need to clean out my pantry. Making my pantry work for my family doesn't have to involve expensive glass containers, chalkboard paint or a label maker.  Don't get me wrong....I LOVE those glass containers, and the cute labels that I see everyone make for them. But the only things that I keep in glass like that are Flour, Sugar, and Coffee. (And that's only because we registered for a set of 3 canisters when we got married).

Nope, my pantry isn't fancy- but it's organized- and here's why:

Top Shelf: Baking and sweet treats (out of kids reach)

Eye level shelf: Dinner/Meal fixing components

Next shelf: Salty afternoon/evening snacks

Bottom Shelf: Breakfast Stuff

I can tell just by looking in when we need more cereal, or more tortilla chips, and what my options are for dinner before going to the store again.

I'm not one to shop in bulk, so this works for us. There's no need to transfer stuff into bins or containers because I can see everything clearly without them. As long as things get put away on the correct shelves- we're good to go!