Pantry Makeover!

I started this project weeks ago and have been slowly completing it since then (not because it's difficult, but because I was trying to bum jars off of my mom).  There are still a few changes that I want to make, but, for now, it's ready for its debut!

I was pulling my hair out every time I needed something from the pantry.  I kept most of my bulk goods in jars, but I still had bags lying around on random shelves - there were boxes here, bags there, and cans everywhere...  Argh!!!

So, with very little to spend, and very little time to devote, I did a pantry makeover.  Best of all, the final cost was only $37!!

I started by buying 14 blue plastic bins from the dollar tree (only $1 each!).  They rotate their stock, so the odds of being able to match these are pretty low, but they almost always seem to have cheap plastic storage bins of some sort.  I organized the packaged, bottled, and canned goods into these bins (snacks, spicy, sweet, pasta, tea, etc.).

I bought regular-mouth quart canning jars from Walmart.  If you buy the Kerr or Ball jars, they're about $12 for 12 jars, but Walmart now has their own line of jars for cheaper.  They were $7-something for 12 jars.  I used these for my bulk items and anything that would normally come in a non-resealable bag (rice, beans, quinoa, corn meal, etc.).  I also used the new plastic lids for the canning jars.  They run about $3 for 8.

To prop up the back row of jars, I turned half pint wide-mouth jars upside-down and set the quart jars on top of them.  These jars are a little more difficult to find than the quart jars, but I ended up scouting them out at ACE Hardware.  You may be able to find them at Walmart, too.

I used 2 1/2 inch round mailing labels on everything.   I downloaded Blessed Day for the script font and Coventry Garden for the center wording.  If you're interested in the label template, click here to download it through google docs.  You will still need to separately download the fonts, though.

All done!  I still need to get the tomato cans taken care of, but I don't actually plan on rebuying canned tomato products after I use up what I have now.  Who knows what I'll do with the extra pantry space!

Oh, and, on one of the side walls, I hung little mug hooks to hold our aprons and onion goggles.