Pantry Organization Planning + Products
Update: By popular demand, I now have this pantry organization mood board template available for you to purchase on Etsy!
Switching things up a bit today and I’m excited about it! Hoping you are too ;)
Up until now, I’ve been trying to post a new organized space in my home every other week. There was a period of three weeks I went without posting because one item was out of stock (and, if you can’t tell, I’m a perfectionist so … like it’s gotta be done right or I don’t want to do it at all*).
*This is a mindset that I’ve struggled with my whole life and it’s actually derailed my organizing efforts at times. I would love to dive into this in a future post which plays into what I’m gonna say in a sec …
My next space up for organization is my pantry but (shocker) things are back stocked! They should be ready for pickup by May 1st so rather than waiting to post, I had the idea to show you my plan for it and the before photos in the meantime. This way you can see a little more into my mindset for planning my organization process and get excited for your own project!
I’ve always wanted my blog to feature other topics like this or how to work on your mindset/blocks when it comes to decluttering and organizing but planned to do so after my home was completely organized. That feels so far off at this point because of the things I want being consistently out of stock (I guess that means I have good taste?)!
So instead of waiting, I’m going to use the opportunity to bring you blog posts like these interspersed with the spaces which will hopefully be equally helpful to you in your own journey!
I’m going to share a few things here that I haven’t with you before. You ready?
First up … before photos! Now these aren’t exactly as shocking as the ones you may see on our Sort and Sweet Instagram page. But this is how I’ve been living and when you see the afters, you’ll see how far products really go to help you get and stay organized.
I don’t have an actual pantry in my place, but instead two cabinets, but I would apply the same process no matter what.
PS they come in black too!
The most important thing is to separate pantry items by type (breakfast, snacks, dinner and so on) which you can see I did here. I also like to decant individually wrapped snacks or frequently used food like pasta. It really helps you to see what you have and when it’s time to restock which prevents overbuying. It also cuts down on the volume of packaging that is especially important in a small space.
I won’t go into too much detail here as I’d like for you to hear it (read it?) alongside the visuals when I finish the project! But it’s good to get your wheels going and start thinking about reorganizing yours using some of these methods.
The next thing I haven’t shown you yet is a mood board. Yes, I create mood boards for my spaces! Crazy? Maybe. Helpful? Yes!
If this is your thing or think it could be your thing, you must create an account with Canva! It’s totally free and you can upgrade to Pro which I did for both of my businesses (but we functioned pretty well on the free version before we upgraded). I make boards for not only organizing projects but also my style/wardrobe, my future home I want to build and general goals. It’s fun and so simple and I really think it helps you to achieve whatever it is you want and make those visions come to life!
This is the one I created for my pantry which contains:
Photos of products I want
The number of products I need
The aesthetic I’m going for
The measurements
The labels I need to make
All put into only two pages FYI!
This allowed me to see exactly how all the products will look and fit together before actually making the purchases (and then having to return what I don’t like or doesn’t work).
Having a place to put measurements is also super helpful since I can always refer back to them! And it also allowed me to realize that one item on the board - the can riser - actually won’t fit when I double checked the width.
I seriously can’t wait to show you the end result when I have all of the products and labels finished!
In the meantime, I also wanted to let you know that The Container Store is in its final days of a HUGE kitchen and pantry sale! I’ve been posting some of my favorite products on my LTK account and posting some of the photos here as well.
I’m fairly new to the platform so if you’re an avid user, feel free to give me a follow! If you’re unfamiliar with it (I was for the longest time!), essentially it’s an all in one exploring and shopping experience. For example, if I post a photo of an organized space, I will then link the exact (and sometimes similar) products I used so you can like them to come back to later or buy them right then and there through the app.
As with some links throughout my blog (which I disclose in every one) I get a small commission (at no cost to you!) on a purchase using my affiliate link. It’s how many bloggers create income and makes the time and work we put into writing, photographing, researching and trying out products before we recommend them to help you!
Many bloggers also use it to let their followers know when a big sale is happening which is exactly what I was aiming for with these posts ...
I hope this gave you some ideas for your own pantry organizing project - specifically creating a board using Canva. Stay tuned for the final reveal in - fingers crossed - two weeks! And if you have anything you want me to blog about specifically, please let me know in the comments or shoot me an email mary@organizedoverall.com. See you soon!
PS I have an Etsy shop now if you’re looking for gifts for that organized person in your life!
*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.