Getting the organized pantry of your dreams doesn't have to cost a fortune. We overhauled our pantry using mainly Dollar Tree containers. Dollar Tree has $1.25 storage jars and also some items for easy DIY crafts. By using your imagination you can create a beautifully organized pantry with ingenious food storage options on a budget. Check out our ideas below!
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Our pantry was a MESS! There was no rhyme or reason for where items were in the pantry, it was cluttered, and you had to dig to find the foods you were looking for. It was time for a pantry overhaul. We needed to get organized and find some food storage and food organization options to stay that way. Pantry organization doesn't have to be scary or expensive, just follow the simple steps below!
The first and most daunting step in pantry organization is cleaning out the pantry. We pulled every item out of the pantry and checked the expiration dates on everything. Once we had purged all of the expired food that was buried deep in the pantry, we put everything in piles based on what type of food item it was.
This is an important step because it helps you to see how much of each item you have and you can then find the proper pantry storage solution for those items. If you only keep a couple of canned items on hand then they might fit neatly into a basket, but if you have a lot of canned items then you may need a rack type of system to keep them organized and in place.
Once we could see what we had, it was time to hit Dollar Tree to find the best pantry storage items.
The first food storage item we found were these glass cylinder pantry containers with stainless steel lids. They come in a large and small size. We couldn't believe they had these glass pantry jars at Dollar Tree for only $1.25!! Similar items at big box stores cost way more and these pantry containers are great to replace bulky boxed items in your pantry.
HEADS UP: These $1.25 storage jars are very popular. Since my initial purchase of the containers, I have NOT been able to find these in stores. I went to all of the Dollar Trees in my area but they are always sold out.
You can purchase these containers on their website, but availability and quantity minimums may change. Click the pictures above to order and have these glass pantry containers shipped directly to your home or to a store near you for pickup.
Next, we needed a solution for the cans and jars. We LOVE the look of those woven pantry baskets that store items and look beautiful in the process. The only problem is they cost a fortune at other stores and the only woven baskets at Dollar Tree are so small they might fit 2 cans. So it was time for a DIY Dollar Store craft.
Dollar Tree doesn't have a huge selection of big bins, but we did find these plastic dishpans that were big enough to use for storage. However, we didn't love the look of the white plastic. We found some nautical rope near the floral section and decided to make our own woven baskets!
This DIY is super easy! Each dish pan needs 5 packs of rope to wrap up to the lip of the container. Start by placing the dish pan flat on a table and run a bead of hot glue as close to the bottom as possible. Stick the rope into the hot glue and make sure it is close to the bottom and as level as you can make it. Then just continue the process of running a bead of hot glue and attaching the rope all the way around the container.
A FEW TIPS:
1)Make sure each row is closely glued on top of the previous row. If there is a gap the white will clearly show and ruin the woven basket effect.
2)The beginning and the end of each strand is wrapped in tape to keep the strand from unraveling. We left the tape on each strand to make sure it wouldn't unravel and it was barely noticeable.
3) At the end of wrapping the container, we cut the rope and put a blob of hot glue on it before tucking it up under the lip of the container.
We love the look of these containers, especially for only paying $6 a piece for a woven-looking basket of this size! We did leave the white plastic lip of the container as is. It gives it the look of being a white cloth-lined woven basket. These bins can fit about 11 regular-sized cans each. We used it for cans, glass jars, and some overflow storage at the top of the pantry.
Last but certainly not least is our creation of a snack lazy susan. We decided to make the bottom shelf of the pantry the home for all of the kid's breakfasts and snacks. They can easily grab what they want without needing help from Mom and Dad. A lot of their snack foods come in bulky boxes but they are also individually wrapped. So they don't need to be boxed but they need a way to be stored in an organized way.
We found these clear chip and dip trays at the dollar tree and thought they could be a perfect solution. The only problem was some of the snacks would be facing the back of the pantry and not easy to get to.
A quick search on Amazon led us to this amazing pre-made lazy Susan turntable ball-bearing tray (link below). Super cheap for a pack of 2 and all we had to do was attach it to the chip tray with some hot glue. Voila, a snack lazy Susan for less than $5, and all we had to do was glue 2 pieces together.
Since our pantry is U-shaped we used the sides to hide the boxed items it didn't make sense to unbox. We did grab a few other white bins from Dollar Tree to corral odds and ends just to keep an organized look.
For around $35 we were able to completely transform our pantry. It's now easier to find what we need and it just feels more spacious now that it is organized. We hope you found some inspiration to help you tackle your pantry organization or any other organization project in your home.
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