No Pantry, No Problem: Small Space Pantry Hacks

Hey Family! I discovered a way to add extra storage to my kitchen by making a pantry. In this article, I will explain how I set this pantry up and adjusted it to meet the needs of our family.

The last few weeks have been an emotional roller coaster for Bre and I, we needed that time off to be with family and to grieve the loss of her mother. Bre and I are active people and we couldn’t help but have a house full of family during this time. It felt good to share stories, laugh, eat & just enjoy each other.

Kitchens are the Heart of the Home

Our kitchen being the center of our home attracted a lot of traffic and a whole lot of eyes. I couldn’t help but stare at some of the eyesores in my kitchen I could no longer ignore. My makeshift pantry was first on the list.

I love my kitchen, don’t get me wrong it’s huge. I have plenty of cabinets, storage for all of my cookware, canned goods, dishes, appliances, and more. I just need a little more space for the extras, need I say it, snacks!

Snacks, Snacks & More Snacks

I creatively put together the HYLLIS shelf, from IKEA a while back as a pantry to add extra shelving for snacks, bread, and whatever else ended up on it. That was my first mistake. I didn’t have a clear plan for this shelf and it quickly became a complete mess.

We are big snackers, from protein bars to seaweed, crackers, chips, popcorn, and more. I simply don’t have to real estate for snacks in our cabinets. I came up with this idea to mitigate the problem. A makeshift Pantry that is renter-friendly and can be customized to fit your family’s needs.

Shopping for Storage; Ikea & Marshalls

I purchased all of the bins and containers from IKEA and Marshalls. If you don’t have an IKEA near you, you can purchase them online or shop the alternatives I found on AMAZON. I’m a sucker for IKEA, ever since I was in high school, my friends and I would hang out at IKEA and pretend the display homes were ours in the future. I still do this to this day, visualization is key!

To get started on your makeshift pantry measure out or eyeball how much of what you have. For example, how many protein bars do you have, how many bags of chips do you normally carry. This will give you an idea of what type and size container you’ll purchase later on. You can declutter your items before or after you go shopping. I chose to do it after, it gets dark too early to shop late for me. Be sure to measure out the height, width, and depth of your pantry shelving unit before going shopping. This will save you so much time and headache when it’s time to put it all together.

Now for shopping. I love to shop, I’m so happy that my local IKEA and Marshalls have opened back up during this pandemic. They each have safety guidelines in place to keep their customers safe. They require face masks, social distancing, limited occupancy, hand sanitizing stations throughout the facility, and at checkout & employee help stations there are huge plastic barriers to separate employees and customers. Check out my encounter with COVID-19 here.

Measure twice, Cut once

So, for shopping! I bring my notepad & tape measurer to make sure I get it right with my dimensions for the containers. I take my time and see how things would stack up or sit side by side. This step isn’t necessary but I like to do it to reduce the chance of me needing to return a product.

When shopping online I look for the dimensions usually listed in the product description, then I use my tape measurer and a flat surface to get an idea of how large or small the item would be in real life. I know it seems like common sense but I know we’ve all ordered something & was like “wait, I thought this was way bigger than this!” lol.

I found that IKEA’s container and bin selection was amazing. I especially like the KUGGIS stackable white containers and bins. I’ve used these in my bathroom storage video on Youtube a couple of months ago. Check out my bathroom organizing article here as well! I shopped Marshalls for their extra storage and decorative items.

Grove Collaborative for Cleaning Essentials

I started by cleaning all of the new products I purchased and spraying them down with my Seventh Generation Disinfectant Spray. Click Here for a FREE STARTER KIT from Grove Collaborative! I had my shelf in this spot for a while so I needed to declutter, get rid of expired items, and to pull the whole shelf out to clean it and the floors underneath.

Have Fun with it!

Putting it all together is the fun part! I lined up my bins, containers, and baskets where I wanted them in the pantry. I began restocking my items, adjusting as needed. Rule of thumb, take items out of original packaging when you can. Individally wrapped cookies, chips, etc look a lot better stored outside of those bulky boxes and put in organized conatiners. The idea is to keep everything organized and accessible for you and your family.

To spice the pantry up, I used a large glass container I purchased from IKEA to store leftover popcorn. I also added a faux plant to add some color. I used this gold hanging paper shelf to store bread, just a fun pop of color and dimension. Think outside the box here. Any products you don’t use for your pantry, feel free to use them elsewhere in your home. I used leftover bins in my “medicine” cabinet in my kitchen, to easily access my daily vitamins and wellness products.

This pantry project was fun and didn’t take up too much time. I needed to put my thoughts in a different place and continue to do things that spark joy. Now grabbing a snack or making a sandwich isn’t such a hassle and is aesthetically pleasing, a huge bonus!

Please continue to keep our family in your prayers. Losing a parent is not easy and not a day goes by that she isn’t on our minds. I pray for strength and grace during this time for us all. Contact me if you need any storage & organizing solutions for your space!

Be Happy, Be Blessed, and Be Thankful!

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