Organizing the Pantry , Frugal with the Food

While the computer was on the blitz last week I decided I would work on the pantry.

Why the pantry you ask?

I am taking the personal challenge to use only what food I have in my home for AS LONG AS I CAN- HOPEFULLY A MONTH.  We have a guest who stays 2 nights a week with us and eats meals so this will be a real challenge!
It is a great way to clean out the deep freeze of all those items that have been hidden in that deep abyss!!
I do go to the store for eggs, milk- the like but everything else has to come from the kitchen itself which leads to some very creative cooking!
Well- I needed to figure out what was actually in the pantry that was useable!

Now I would love to share a lovely picture of my pantry that looks something  like this with you -

source

 But alas it is not to be.  I just had time to clean up and organize.  I would love to take everything out and paint and put pretty little paper up but if I wait till I have enough time for that it will be a loooooong wait!  I was needing to get the 2 year old box of crackers thrown out- you know the important stuff so people wouldn't be grossed out when they went to open up something they thought would wet their appetite to only have it completely lost in the process!

I cannot tell you how hard it is for me to put this before picture up.  It is embarrassingly  messy and I would so love for you to believe my house is in perfect order at all times!  Yea Right!!  I guess this is what you always here out there lately- being real-  so here it is

 Oh please make me feel better and tell me you have a pantry just like this!!

I took the picture in a funny angle so you could see that it's not my fault!!!   That bottom shelf is over 40 inches deep! How do you keep things from going in the black hole??? I thought maybe that huge blue tote would work but everything and anything just got thrown in there .   

So here is my solution. I went to Target and bought one of those 3 tiered storage drawer units with wheels.  Of course I didn't need the wheels but a girl has to work with what she can find. I unsnapped one of the drawer units so that the  drawers would fit under the shelf area.  The 3rd shelf is to the right. I have a cookie sheet on top of it to enclose it and have the basket for onions on top.   Dried fruit and my different beans and rice are in the bottom drawer. The right drawer has plastic ware and take out containers that I use for when I make someone cookies or a meal.

 The metal baskets I retrieved from the basement. We had bought these for our Tool Truck business years ago and they had canvas inserts which were filthy from tools but they did keep the baskets themselves in good condition.

I had some tags that I painted with chalkboard paint and used as labels to help hubby know where he could find his snacks.

 I even had room at the top to put my bee buckets which were homeless for a long time!  I use these for feeding the bees sugar water and also when we harvest that yummy honey! (I don't think I ever told you that we got to harvest 50# of honey this last fall!)

So it's not the prettiest pantry by far but at least I can find my Pellegrino these days! (A great  buy at Big Lots!) ( I am saving those few bottles for a special day as this is not on the can buy list plus by the time I can go buy it I am sure they will be out!)

The best thing about this is that I only spent 12.00 on the 3 tier drawer unit.
The can organizers I won last year from a CSN  Giveaway .
The other items I scoured the house for and then just the elbow grease used!

Spring into Organization Party     Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party, Just Something I Whipped Up, Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday (first Monday of the month),  Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday, Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday, Make it Monday @ Brassy Apple,  The House in the Roses Show off Your Cottage Monday , A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday, Anti Procrastination Tuesdays,  Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday, Knick of Time Tuesdays, One Project at a Time Tuesdays at a Bowl Full of Lemons Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays, What's It Wednesday at Ivy & ElephantsWhite Wednesdays  Faded Charm, The CSI Project Challenge Wednesday French Cupboard for French Inspiration on Thursdays, The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays, Favorite Things Thursday at Katherine's Corner ,Catch as Catch CanThursday at My Repurposed Life,  Kathy at A Delightsome Life Home and Garden Thursdays, No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays, My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday,French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday, 2805 for Potpourri Friday , The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday, Debra at Common Ground , Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday, Tatertots & Jello for the Weekend Wrap-up Party , Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special , Strut your Stuff Saturday Link Party , Sunday Showcase Party

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