Cleaning up the Pantry

This is my pantry, before I took up the challenge Rhonda at down---to---earth set last week to clean & organise the pantry. I was thrilled to find I had some things I didnt even know about ! In Qld its good to keep the pantry well stocked and  also have a bit of a stockpile of stuff, just in case we have a cyclone or a storm. The Bruce Hwy which is the main connecting road Mackay and Brisbane is very prone to flooding at this time of year so its nice to be prepared.


As you can see the pantry was in need of sorting and a good clean!So I set to work on Sunday when we were having a bit of a stormy day. It's quite a deep cupboard and as I am vertically challenged can make it difficult to see things so I wanted to organise it a little better so I can actually see what I've got.
Our pantry is quite small and as we live on a modest budget I buy no name brands most of the time and make a lot of things from scratch.

There are three shelves and on the top shelf I've put things which are easily seen and light. I had a lot of different types of Japanese noodles, which were just the right size for some empty pasta sauce jars I had in the cupboard. I have a couple of step shelves which are useful to ad an extra dimension so I have packets of pasta on top of them and some jars underneath.

The next shelf is the one which gets used the most this is where all the herbs and spices and sauces and oils go. The sauces/dressings are down one side and the herbs and spices on the other. Once again a step shelf is very handy especially in a small cupboard like this. I also have little shelves attached to the inside of the door for smaller things which might easily get lost in the cupboard. When space is an issue it pays to be organised.

 Finally the bottom shelf has all the stuff which hasn't been opened yet.  Its made such a difference when I'm cooking to actually be able to see what I'm looking for! If you're a person with a busy life or a mum or dad whose family rely on you to cook meals etc organization is the way to go! It gives you time for more important stuff, like going to the park, or taking the dog for a walk!

This is our little stockpile I always make sure we have extra milk and pet food, plus the ability to prepare a few quick meals. We also have a couple of large bottles of water in my wardrobe, 8 ltre bottles just in case the water is disconnected, and some cheap led lights from the $2 shop, and a little butane stove, in case we lose power in the event of a cyclone.
So now I'm all organised I can get on with more creative things. I hope you have a great day, thanks for reading.

Please remember comments are always welcome it lets me know someones reading.