Looking for small pantry organization ideas and tips to organize a small pantry on a budget? Check out my affordable pantry makeover before/after with the best affordable pantry organization products from Amazon and Target!
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Hey everyone! For the past few months I’ve been on a serious mission to organize my home and today I’m excited to share the first post in a new home organization series.
Today I’m sharing my Easy and Affordable Pantry Makeover with small pantry organization ideas and tips for those of you looking to organize your own pantry.
I’m also sharing all the affordable small pantry organization products I used to organize my pantry and a step by step guide on how to achieve your own small pantry makeover even if you’re on a budget.
Head over here to see all the Amazon products I used in my pantry makeover.
Be sure and save this post to Pinterest for later if you’re planning on doing your own small pantry makeover, as it’s chop full of helpful tips and small pantry organization ideas.
How Do I Organize My Small Pantry on a Budget?
If you’re reading this post, it’s probably because you keep asking yourself “How do I organize my small pantry on a budget?”
Thankfully, I’m here to help get your small pantry back on track with 6 easy tips and the absolute best small pantry organization products that are effective and affordable.
I’ve linked all the products I used to organize my pantry over here on my Amazon shop, and this small pantry makeover was super budget-friendly and cost me less than $150 total.
This is WAY less than what you would spend hiring a professional to do it for you, and it’s super easy to implement these small pantry organization tactics.
Shop Small Pantry Organization Products Used:
- Stackable 36 Can Rack Holder
- Extra Large Food Storage Container Set w/ Labels
- 12 Piece Storage Container Set w/ Labels
- Tall Cereal Storage Containers
- 2-Tier Spice Rack Lazy Susan
- Deep Lazy Susans
- Small White Baskets
- Medium White Baskets
- Farmhouse Wire Bins
6 Small Pantry Organization Ideas + Tips
Small Pantry Organization Tip #1:
Pull Everything Out + Throw Away Expired/Unwanted Items
The first step in any pantry makeover is pulling everything out and sorting through it all.
This is definitely the most time consuming part in organizing your pantry but it’s well worth it.
I recommend clearing off your dining room table so that way you have plenty of space to work with.
Go through each and every item, check for expiration dates, and throw anything away that is expired.
Now’s the time to also relocate items that don’t belong in the pantry and to purge any items you no longer want/need.
I was so surprised to find several items sitting in the back of my pantry with expired dates.
Instead of assuming that everything is still in date, take the time to check every single item so that you don’t have expired items taking up precious pantry space.
Extra Tip: Clean & Freshen Up Your Shelves
While you have everything pulled out of your pantry, clean and wipe down all the shelves and vacuum up any debris or crumbs.
If needed, you can paint your shelves with a fresh coat of paint. I personally love this zero-prime white chalk paint that I used in my DIY Chalk Paint Dining Table Makeover.
You can even add some of these gorgeous shelf liners to add some color/style to your pantry. They come in a ton of prints/colors to match your aesthetic.
Small Pantry Makeover Before Photo
Here’s a look below at what my small pantry looked like before the makeover.
It was filled to the brim with boxes with no space to spare, and I disliked having items sitting on the bottom of my pantry.
All the clutter and mess was stressing me out and I also disliked having to always move boxes around one another to get items in and out.
Small Pantry Organization Tip #2:
Sort + Categorize
Now that you’ve trashed and purged expired and unwanted items and freshened up your shelves with paint or liners, it’s time to sort, categorize, and group items in how you want them to be organized later.
Here’s just a few small pantry organization category ideas to get you started:
- Baking Items
- Canned Foods
- Grains
- Pasta
- Snacks
- Breakfast Foods
- Chips
- Fruit/Nuts
If I could offer one important piece of advice here, it would be to make sure you organize in a way that best serves you and your family needs, otherwise you’ll drive yourself crazy.
I personally used to try to organize my pantry shelves by specific meal groups (breakfast, lunch, dinner, etc.) but over time I found for our family it was better to just organize like items and not worry so much about only one meal group being on a shelf.
Figure out what works best for you and your family and go with that.
Related: 10 Busy Mom Hacks to Make Life Easier
Small Pantry Organization Tip #3:
Measure Your Pantry Shelves + Make a Plan of Action
Another important step in your small pantry makeover is measuring the width, height, and depth of all of your shelves.
This will be very helpful in knowing what size storage bins, baskets, and organizational containers you can buy to organize your pantry. (Shop The Best Amazon Pantry Organization Items Here)
I recommend either writing these measurements down on a piece of paper or putting it in a note on your phone so that you’ll have it handy when you are shopping.
It’s also important during this step to develop somewhat of a plan of action on what you want to achieve from your small pantry makeover, because it’s not a one-size-fits-all situation.
There’s a lot of gorgeous small pantry makeovers all over the internet for inspiration and ideas, but don’t just pick it because it’s pretty.
Instead, focus on what’s actually functional and figure out what will work best for YOU and your pantry.
Some great questions to ask yourself include:
- What items take up the most space in my small pantry?
- How can I minimize clutter?
- What items need to be easily accessible and how can I achieve that?
- Do I want bins that are see through or ones that hide clutter?
- Do I want plastic containers or glass jars?
- Do I want to label items in my pantry?
- Do I want to line my shelves and/or add decorative wallpaper?
Small Pantry Organization Tip #4:
Invest in Storage Bins, Baskets, and Organizational Solutions
Next, it’s time to invest in some storage bins, baskets, and containers to eliminate bulky boxes and bags and minimize clutter.
The good news is there are so many affordable pantry organizational items out there nowadays that will help make life easier without breaking the bank.
I scored so many great finds on Amazon, Target, Walmart, and even at Dollar Tree that have made all the difference in organizing my pantry, so don’t get too caught up in thinking you have to spend a ton of $$$$ to achieve an organized pantry.
Tap Here To –>> Shop 15 Best Pantry Organizers on Amazon
Small Pantry Organization Tip #5:
Reload Your Pantry + Organize
If you really want to maximize space in your pantry, then you NEED a canned goods organizer.
If you’re like me and keep a lot of canned foods in your pantry, having a can organizer is a MUST-HAVE.
I absolutely love this stackable can rack organizer that fits perfectly in the bottom of my pantry.
It holds a total of 36 cans, plus I’ve even been able to stack some additional cans on the top rack.
This organizer was a game changer in freeing up a ton of shelf space for other items, and it’s also been very helpful in knowing when I’m running low on a specific canned good.
Oh and did I mention it’s super affordable?! Grab it here
Next, I recommend taking snacks and convenience items out of larger boxes and placing them into easy access bins/baskets. You also want to put items that you most frequently use within easy reach.
Doing this alone freed up SO much space in my pantry and makes it look so much nicer and more organized.
Next, place bagged items like baking items, rice and grains, and pasta into large storage containers. Not only does this save space and look nice, but it will also keep items fresher longer.
I purchased these extra large storage containers for storing baking items like flour and sugar.
I also grabbed this 12 Piece Storage Container Set for things like pasta, rice, pancake mix, and cookies.
Vtopmart Airtight Food Storage Containers 12 Pc with Labels
$65.99 ($5.50 / Count)
03/25/2024 10:25 pm GMT
Lastly, I love these tall containers for storing breakfast items like cereal and oats.
All of these sets came with airtight seal lids, measuring scoops, and cute black labels with chalk pens.
They’re definitely a great investment for freeing up space and I seriously love how they look in my pantry.
Another pantry organizational must-have?
I purchased these larger white baskets for storing pasta jars and boxes as well as large bagged items like chips, and then these small white baskets for storing snacks, breakfast items, and condiments.
I love how clean and chic the white baskets look and now everything has a rightful place instead of just being throw on the shelf.
Lastly, don’t forget about organizing your spices!
I don’t know about you all, but our family has a TON of spices and seasonings and I was beyond over having to spend 5 minutes looking for one seasoning in my cabinet.
The solution? Lazy susans!
I ended up purchasing a few for the cabinet I keep beside our oven, and it has made my life so much easier.
I love being able to quickly see all our seasonings and with a quick spin I can find exactly what I’m looking for.
This two-tier lazy susan is perfect for storing all our spices, salt, and pepper, and then I love this deep lazy susan for storing taller seasonings, jars, and cooking sprays.
Small Pantry Organization Tip #6:
Leave Extra Space For Growth/Changes + Stay Committed
One last important tip I’d like to share for anyone looking to organize their small pantry is to not over-organize to the point where it’s not usable or feasible for the long run.
Having an organizational system in place is great, but it’s also important to leave a little extra room for additional items when you go grocery shopping, and to also take into account your family who uses your pantry daily.
Lastly, make sure you take the time to show everyone involved where everything is located and provide clear expectations of where things should be put back to.
In order for your small pantry makeover to truly last, you’ll need everyone on board and willing to remain committed.
My entire family actually loves all the changes that I made in our pantry and I think everyone likes having the easy access to items in open baskets and bins, instead of having to search through a bunch of boxes and bags.
It does take a little extra time to unbox everything when we go grocery shopping, but at the end of the day having a nicer, more organized and functional pantry is well-worth the effort in my book.
Small Pantry Makeover Before/After
And without further adieu here’s a look at my small pantry makeover before/after.
My biggest goal with this small pantry organization process was to figure out how to have both a nice looking pantry and a well-functioning pantry, and I think I found the perfect balance.
I’m SO happy with all the changes and not only love how it looks but love how it functions for our family.
Shop Small Pantry Organization Products Used:
- Stackable 36 Can Rack Holder
- Extra Large Food Storage Container Set w/ Labels
- 12 Piece Storage Container Set w/ Labels
- Tall Cereal Storage Containers
- 2-Tier Spice Rack Lazy Susan
- 2 Pack Plastic Lazy Susan
- Small White Baskets
- Medium White Baskets
- Farmhouse Wire Bins
Shop All My Affordable Pantry Organization Favorites Here
What do you think of this small pantry makeover? Which of these affordable small pantry organization tips would help you the most in your own kitchen pantry?
Hope you enjoyed today’s post and found my small pantry organization ideas and tips helpful.
Feel free to leave any questions below and be sure and save this post for inspiration later if you’re ever looking to organize your own pantry!
Thanks for stopping by! – Cara
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- Gorgeous Chalk Paint Table Makeover
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