Here are a few online examples of bulk storage...
I found these beautiful green "snap-close" jars that perfectly matched and melded with my blue jars that I had picked up from the thrift store years ago! They were a cool-colored match made in heaven AND, with the rubber-snap-enclosure, they keep in freshness.
Families reunited...
I had already been using the blue jars to store pasta, rice, lentils, and beans. So now that I had extra "green" storage (works on two levels!), I could store more of our foods, especially now that we have an awesome grocery store nearby that was recently renovated and boasts a badass bulk section!!!
Bulk options at Grocery Stores... hopefully we will begin seeing many more of these pop up... http://www.apartmenttherapy.com
So now that I had the means to store bulk foods, I needed to sort, consolidate, and organize the food into the jars and in and around the pantry. It was the perfect opportunity to get some organizing/cleaning done to a long-neglected area of our busy little apartment.
First came the purge... I'm really good at making messes, so this was a piece of cake although, if Joey hadn't been at work, he might have just thought I was making a mess without any other intentions... you know, sometimes it happens.
Here's the mess:
Darla waited patiently the entire time for food to rain down from the sky...
After clearing out the cabinets came a quick clean...
And then came the challenging part--for me anyway--organizing:
First, I found all food products that I had multiples of and consolidated them...
... which left more room in the pantry to organize... in alphabetical order of course!
Any food products that I thought I might need instructions for, I simply cut out the instructions on the packaging and dropped them in the jar with the food. In the future, I'll skip the packaged food and simply keep the instructions in the jar.
I have one giant pot for dye projects specifically, so I just used the pot itself as storage for my dye products and clothes, fabrics, that I plan on dyeing.
The utensil drawer isn't any major feat of organizing, but it's definitely in better shape than it was.
Noodle and Darla trying to comprehend the madness...
After nearly a day of gathering my resources/motivation, I stepped away from a disaster of a kitchen, to a warm, inviting, and relaxing space. I can now quietly pour my coffee in the morning and my wine at night without feeling an overwhelming sense of failure as a sanitary, disheveled human being... at least where the kitchen is concerned. *Sigh*.....
Bulk jars lining the counter, so that they're both accessible and beautiful :)
Basic cooking necessities (vinegar, oil, hot sauce), nearby, sitting pretty...
I even took some time to re-organize the two baskets on the cart, the baking sheets, and the pot lids, which I keep "filed" in an old dish-drying rack that was my grandparents (I know, weird object to keep around, but it always reminded me of them).
New and improved cabinets with space up top to spare for baking pans, casserole dishes, griddle, and mixing bowl...
I stepped out of the house momentarily to go search for some baskets at a nearby antique/thrift store. I wanted to use them to help sort out various things in the cabinets. I scored the two baskets above, and a cool little wooden box with handle (not shown, but I'm keeping it under the sink, holding my seed collection). I picked up all three for $5. Here, I've sorted all of the breakfast items in one place, and used the basket on the first shelf to "file" oatmeal packets and unopened jars of home-made jam (Made with love by my friend Garre's mom, Laura!).
Flours and various "mediums" were sorted in the longer basket.
Cans, cooking spice blends, and broths above, and boxed necessities + crackers below.
Organized spices...
Cooking aids...
And, extra picnic/party disposables leftover from a hungry film crew and classroom parties.
I love our cozy (no longer scary and uninviting) new kitchen...
And, the best part of this week... Joey and I get to celebrate our 3rd year as a married couple! Three years and hopefully many, many more to come!
Here are some helpful resources for shopping "in bulk" and the benefits of doing so...
Why make the switch:
Starting the change:
- 5 reasons to shop from the Bulk Bins
- Making the switch from plastic
- Buying in Bulk for small spaces
- Best Pantry Organizers
- 5 ways to cut down on packaging
- More tips to cutting down on packaging
- Easy, drop in your purse and go, reusable bags - these are a bit pricey, but for the long run, they would be worth it. I currently use all of the cloth reusable totes that I receive from in-services, workshops, and meetings... they really are easy to obtain for free, although, they're not as easy to have on hand for a random shopping stop.
- Reusable bulk and food produce bags
Being green is fun:
- 45 ideas for recycling plastic bottles
- 25 ideas for how to recycle plastic bags
- In fact, have fun recycling anything
- Be a recycling fashion star
- Inspire, reduce, reuse
Happy Monday!
3 comments:
You are adorable. And welcome to come organize my pantry anytime!
:) Jeannie, you're pretty adorable too, you know! Also, I think that would be a pretty fun trip to Knoxville... we could organize the pantry and make recycled art/fun stuff!!!
Yay for storage! I think it looks fantastic! Poor Noodle and Darla. They are oh so confused.
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