Pantry Remix

One key of thriftiness is having a well-stocked pantry.
We scratch cook and don't eat out much,
so we save a ton of money,
and the bonus is that we feel we are eating as healthy as we can.
Knowing what you have on hand ensures that meals can be quickly prepared,
which makes life so much easier.

before

We posted about organizing the pantry a while back.
You can read that here.
With the house on the market again,
I've been tweaking some of our most used spaces,
including the pantry and baking/spice areas of our kitchen.
Not only will an organized pantry make our home more appealing to buyers,
it's more motivating for us to whip up something delicious.

The main reason for tweaking the shelves in the pantry 
was to separate the gluten-free items from
the other baking ingredients.
Cross-contamination hasn't been an issue,
but it just seemed like a good idea to keep these things apart.

after

Now those items that are safe for Lil' Guy are on the second shelf,
and the other flours and conventional pastas are on the bottom shelf.
We love using jars to keep everything fresh and easily visible.

Another area where we keep ingredients for baking is one of our cabinets.
It houses things like spices, baking soda, baking powder,
pear sauce that gets added to all of our gluten-free concoctions (it keeps things moist),
and the gf flour mix we use. 
There are so many cabinets in this kitchen,
we have ample room for all of our goodies.

before

after

It may not seem like much of a transformation,
but I like the streamlined effect.
Adding the spice racks onto the inside of the doors
really does free up space elsewhere
and makes it easier to see just what you have.
(You can make photos larger by clicking on them.)

It is such a blessing to have a kitchen so well stocked
with good things for my family to enjoy.
Hopefully, the new owners will feel the same way.

All this week we've been focusing on our home being up for sale.
Tomorrow we'll show you a new way we found to market it!

Other organizing posts on Maple Hill 101:
Kitchen Organizing Ideas 
Organizing in the New Year-Kitchens 
Kid's Menu 
Pantry, Organized 
Kitchen, Organized 
Recipes, Organized
Baking, Organized 

One Simple Thing-Bulk Buying

I'm not a shopper.

What I mean is,

you won't find me spending time at any mall

looking for trinkets or tchachkes,

or of all things, browsing...

UGH!

Can't think of much I'd like less to do.

While I don't enjoy shopping as the hobby it has become

to so many, it is necessary for us at this point.

Part of simplifying is making the best use of

your time, energy and resources.
I'm not a frequent shopper,
but I am a smart shopper.

I shop for groceries once a week.

Thanks to my menu-by-the-month system,

I know exactly what I need for the week's meals.

Each Friday, I scan the online grocery site

for the current week's deals,

make my list accordingly, 

and print out any coupons I can use.

Another way to simplify your shopping is to buy in bulk.

We love our grocery chain and miss it each summer

when we venture up to North Carolina.

(The good news is that they are opening stores there soon!)

They have so many great "Buy one, get one free" deals

on many of the items we use regularly.

So, along with using coupons for these items,

we really save big and it pays to buy

as many as you can reasonably house and use.

We eat pasta at least once a week,

so this is something we always have on hand.

 

Any time I can find good deals on organic items,

I stock up. 

This pear sauce is wonderful to keep in the pantry

in case we run out of fresh fruit

or to take along on a picnic.

Rather than having to make a special trip to the store

and wasting gas and time,

these hold Lil' Guy over until the next shopping day.

Stocking staples like rice or other grains,

as well as beans and baking ingredients

ensures that our kitchen will always be able

to provide our family with

nutritious, cooked-from-scratch meals.

A bit of planning and organization

once again makes life so much easier.

One Simple Thing

One Simple Thing-Pantry Door Rack

We are so fortunate to have a pantry in our kitchen.

Ample storage in general was one of the selling points

of this house when we bought it,

as it will be when we put it on the market.

Our pantry contains most of our dry goods

including staples like flour, sugar, pasta and cereals

accomodated on four shelves.

Plenty of room, right?

Well, one thing I never turn down is

a chance to add storage.

This lil' door rack adds tons more space for jars,

boxes or other containers.

When items are on sale, we buy in bulk,

so having storage saves us money, time and effort.

You can never go wrong when adding

a more efficient way of storing needed items.

One Simple Thing

Pantry, Organized

We're blessed with lots of cabinets in this kitchen.

A small pantry also helps to keep our menu staples

easily accessible.

It could use some tweaking...

We tend to buy some of Lil' Guy's gluten-free products

in bulk, so they end up on the topmost shelf.

Canned staples and condiments are on the next shelf down.

I stock up on these items when our grocery store

has them "Buy One, Get One" free.

The lower shelf contains baking ingredients

as well as some gluten-free items.

We keep pasta, coffee, soup and crackers

and canned tomatoes on the lowest shelf.

I got this beautiful jar from our co-op.

Big enough to hold all that lovely bread flour!

We are making the transition from plastic to glass.

One designated area for gluten-free items

assures that no contamination occurs.

This is one of the greatest space savers on the planet.

It has tons of storage and takes up the unused space

on the inside of the pantry door.

Brilliant!

Anyone else in love with jars?

They are the best for freshness,

and they look clean and simple.

It just took a little bit of rearranging

to make this pantry work even better.

I'm still on the hunt for the perfect storage rack

or basket for the floor.

I try to use every available inch provided.

Some day, my pantry will be filled with treasures

from my first canning foray!