Pantry Organizing Packs Tutorial

No more buying things you already have because you didn’t know you had it.  No more multiple half empty cracker boxes…of the same cracker.  If you’ve seen any of our other videos or just picked up on the vibe, you’ll know we are all about real world organizing.  So we will be organizing a pantry with real stuff.  Will all the canned food match, nope.  Will all of the food be high end brands?  Definitely not.  I bet we will even find some expired food…because this is real life.  

If you love to cook or just do it to get the job done, having an organized pantry makes the chore so much easier and more enjoyable.  It not only makes cooking easier but it makes the clean up easier too.  In the Basics of Organizing video we covered all of the steps to organizing anything,  the first step in the process is to remove everything from the space.    And the second is to sort everything into groups.  Combining these 2 steps makes things go even faster.  So as you remove an item, place it into a group.  We are about to make an organized mess, but it is what it is.  Don’t be afraid to use any available space to group your items, countertops, tables, and don’t forget about the floor.  

Once your shelves are empty and everything is in a group.  If you want to go the extra mile go ahead and wipe down your shelves.  I like a nice clean slate.  Now let's move onto step 3, the purge. Each group now needs to be looked over and for each item decide if you are going to keep it, throw it away, donate it or rehome it.  When it comes to pantries we are dealing with mostly food.  So the biggest thing I look for is expired food.  If it is expired, toss it.  I also combine things if they are the same and are approximately the same age.  No need for multiple bags of goldfish. 

Once the purging is done grab your Pantry Pack and move onto step 4, containerize items and put everything away in their groups. 

But I’d like to talk about something real quick.  I know you have all seen the photos of pantries that have everything taken out of their original packaging and put into another container, usually some type of clear container that all match.  These look amazing, but how realistic is it?  In real world organizing it is not realistic.  If the packaging the item comes in does the job why create more work for yourself?  There are 2 instances where we put an food item into a new container.  The first is if the original container will not keep the food fresh once opened.  Like brown sugar.  I don’t want it to go hard so after it is opened I put the rest into a Keep It Fresh container.  The other is if you have a really large quantity of something and it would be easier to be able to grab a smaller amount…like rice.  If the bag is huge and heavy you can put some into a smaller container.  Grab a Keep It Fresh container and refill as needed.   One last thing before we move on.  Although many things will go in a bin or basket, it is absolutely fine to not put everything into one.  Sometimes having things in their group and out in the open gets the job done. 

With all of that in mind let’s go over our Panty Pack and we will show you how to put it to work.  We already talked about our Keep It Fresh containers.  So let’s move on to the bins and baskets.  The Go-To bin is the perfect all around bin.  If you have smaller items these are the bins to grab.  The large Farmers Market baskets are perfect for bulkier items like chip bags, crackers, cookies, or anything you have a lot of.  The Holey Stackers are great for things you may not use a lot or stuff you don’t really want to see.  The Lazy Susies will be your best friends, especially if you have an L or U shaped pantry.  The best way to utilize those corners are to use the Lazy Susies.    The Open Market Baskets are great for the things you use a lot.  When organizing a pantry figure out how foods are used and place groups that are used together, near each other.  So maybe put the pasta sauces next to the pasta.    

Everyone uses their spaces differently, there is no right and wrong.  You put things together how you use them.  If at the end of the day you know what you have, where it is, and it’s easy to get to, then you have successfully organized your pantry.  Now that all of our items are in their containers or on the shelf with their group, we can move onto the final step, labeling! 

You’ve got 86 different label categories in your Label It! Panty Pack to choose from so if you have it, we’ve got a label for it.  Put a label on each bin and basket and put that finishing touch on.  Labels look amazing but they are above all, functional.  If the basket says "chips" no one can say they didn’t know where the chips go!  Now go enjoy your organized pantry, it’s fine if you want to stare at it awhile.  And when you’re ready for the next space like your fridge or kitchen, we will be here ready to guide you.  And if you need one or two more of any item go on over to the a la carte section to complete your space.

Please share your Oba organized pantry with us.  You can upload your photos and testimonials right on our website.  Nothing makes us happier than to see the amazing spaces you create.  Here’s to real world organizing and here’s to you!