To the naked eye, the contents of my kitchen cabinet were fine. Okay. Typical. But for me, it was an eye-sore. I hated to go in there. It was disorganized, hard to find what I needed and things were just shoved in there. Something had to be done. Enter this small pantry makeover. With the tiniest budget, I was able to organize and declutter easily. I break it down into 8 easy steps so you can do it too. Watch my kitchen cabinet glow up. And for my visual learners out there, click above or here to watch the video.
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Step 1: Empty the cabinets
First thing I did was take everything out of the cabinets so I could take stock of everything I had. Additionally, I could remove anything that was old or expired. Then, I could easily develop a game plan to decide what kinds of containers I would need to organize it all.
Step 2: Research what you need
Next, I did some research. I created a simple spreadsheet on my phone of everything I had and how many ounces each container was. That way, I knew what size containers I required.
Step 3: Save glass jars
Step 3 could actually be step 0, which I have been doing for a very long time. Save glass jars. I make DIY recipes all the time, and am constantly repurposing jars and containers from foods and products I buy. This sometimes will be the determining factor for me at the supermarket. I will purchase a product packaged in a glass jar or one that comes in plastic any day. I’m just glad I finally had the opportunity to put all these jars I’ve been saving to good use. And if you need help removing the labels from said jars, check out my DIY Goo Gone recipe.
This particular set of jars I’ve collected once packaged apple sauce. So think of something you like and purchase often, and make it a habit to save the jars after the product is done. Save your jars, people! They are literally free containers. If all of this sounds like too much trouble, I hear you! I was able to save 10 apple sauce jars, but ended up buying 8 more at a larger capacity.
Step 4: Purchase what you need
Take a gander at these beauties! They are 34 oz glass jars with bamboo lids. They are air-tight and keep food fresh for longer. Their slender design is perfect for small spaces since they stack. They are also freezer-safe, microwave-safe and dishwasher-safe. This is where I got mine. These containers were perfect for my cabinet, but be sure to measure your space to be sure they will fit!
Glass jars with bamboo lids
- 34 ounce capacity, slender design is great for small spaces
- Air-tight lids keep food fresh for longer
- Freezer-safe, microwave-safe and dishwasher-safe
Step 5: Fill your containers
Now for the fun part ⏤ fill all your jars and containers. I tend to get quite a few questions about the funnel I used, and it’s actually made specifically for filling jars and containers such as these! As precise a pour as I try to be, I often make a mess without it. So if you’re like me, constantly having to clean up the aftermath of a refill session, this might be just the thing for you. Here is where I got mine. This is one purchase I know you won’t regret!
Wide-mouth funnels
- Food grade high-quality stainless steel construction
- Easy to use and clean
- Perfect for filling wide-mouth jars and containers
Step 6: Create labels
Gotta label these bad boys! I wanted my containers to have a clean, uniform look, so I opted to create my own labels. After doing some research, I decided to purchase a label maker. For someone who lives in a small space, I don’t own my own printer, so this seemed like the perfect solution. And would you look at this thing? It’s so cute! It even has an app you can download to your smartphone. It allows for easy customization, but also comes with quite a few preset templates. But you could create a unique template and merge it with your own excel file, so printing labels takes no time! The label maker also connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth and never needs ink since it’s a thermal printer. No more messy cartridges to worry about here! This label maker also comes with your first pack of labels, which is what I used here. Here is where I snagged this one!
Label maker and labels
- Compact label maker comes with first set of labels
- Thermal printer does not require cartridges
- Connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth and allows for easy customization and label design
Step 7: Label your containers
After creating my labels with ease, I labeled my containers. And there is probably a better way to do this, but I just eye-balled the placement. I placed a label on one container, laid it flat on my counter, and then laid another container next to it. Then, matched up the edge of the first label to the new label. And then I just repeated for the rest. Easy peasy! But if you have a better method for this step, please comment below and help a sister out!
Step 8: Put everything back
We are on the home stretch! I put all jars and containers back into the cabinet with two minute criteria. First, I put all like containers near each other. Second, I made sure items I often reach for were closest to the front. And viola! I think the finished result came together fairly quickly and with great success. I even find myself stealing a peek at this cabinet every now and again.
Final thoughts
In conclusion, I am extremely happy with how this cabinet turned out. Hopefully these steps made sense and you feel empowered to tackle a cabinet that could use some TLC in your home. Comment below if you want to see me do a part 2 of this ⏤ I actually do have more cabinets in my kitchen that could also use a glow up.
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