Organizing the pantry

I like things to be nice, clean and organzied then I had three kids and the nice and clean pretty much went out the window.  I still manage to stay somewhat organzied otherwise I'd go nuts.  So the other day when I realized how cluttered my pantry had become, I knew something had to be done!

This was driving me crazy. I had no idea how many bags of pretzels we had or that I had a whole bag of flour that had been pushed to the back of a shelf.  I purchased some clear plastic containers (small ones for $1.97 and medium size ones for $2.97 at Wal-Mart) and went work sorting what we needed and throwing out old stuff. About 30-40 minutes later, I was much happier. 

Since taking this picture, I did add another container on the middle shelf and labeled a few more things.

Putting most things in a clear container really helps in several ways. First, I can see exactly what I have and what I am running low on.  Second, it's so easy when the kids ask for a snack to just grab the snack container or when I need a baking item, I just grab that container.  No more wondering where in the heck I put that food coloring or crossing my fingers and hoping I still have some peanut butter in there somewhere.  I also suggest labeling each container so anyone else can know where to look for something (and also where to put something back). I have to say, it's been about two weeks since I have done this and everything has stayed exactly where it goes, which is something to get excited about when you have a 4 & 6 year old and a husband who are constantly raiding the pantry!

What do you do to help your pantry stay organized?

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