Monday, June 22, 2009

Two of my blog friends, Kathy of A Field Lily, and Kristie who has a private blog, recently showed their neat, clean, orderly linen closets. Isn't it wonderful how blogs can even motivate us!!!! Well, their blogs did and I decided I had to try and get my food stash collection points in some better order.

I do not have a real pantry so I have resorted to storing my items in 4 different places in our house!!! Not the best, but the only solution.

Here are my 4 locations - before and after.



This was the bottom of the closet in our office. I know, it's a mess.

Here is this closet now. Yeah, all food stuff gone. It's still a mess and that is Mickey's meal worms he raises to feed his blue birds in the blue topped tub. One location completely gone and only 3 left. Double Yeah!!!



Two views of the one large shelf in a large linen closet we have. The trouble here had been that a large part of this shelf was taken up with two large covered cake carriers. You can only see the round one in front, but there is another square one behind that. These are wonderful items to have when you need them, but they take up a LOT of room and are not used that often.

Here is a partial view of the linen shelf. The cake carriers have been moved to the garage storage area. The canned vegetables on the right go for 2 more rows that you cannot see in this photo.

This is a shelf in a bookcase in our guest room that I use for canned tomato's of various kinds and 4 canned meats.

The area to the right was not changed at all. On the area to the left I moved some of the items back so I could add the large can of enchiladia sauce and the large jar of chunky salsa which had been stuck in with the other vegtables.

This is the bottom of my linen closet where I store paper goods and coffee and sugar.


Here is the re-arranged linen closet where I have added the two tall containers of instand oatmeal & whole oats.


So even though I still have "stuff" stored here and there, it is neater and the places have been reduced from 4 to 3. Thanks Kathy & Kristie!!!

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11 comments:

Barbara said...

Someone likes tinned peaches and tomatoes!
Always nice to get store cupboards sorted and what better motivation than to see what someone else has done.
I am intrigued by the box with the blue lid at the beginning. Fishing tackle maybe!

Tammy ~ Country Girl at Home ~ said...

Susan,

Everything looks nice and organized at your house! I desperately need to work on my upstairs bedroom and loft area in the organizational area. I don't really know how to start...there' so much stuff. A yard sale could make me some money to use on decorating, but it's hard to get people to come out here for a sale. I guess I should just give it away....that would be a great start! Thanks for the inspiration. I've been struggling with getting this done. I'm working on it THIS WEEK! :)

Tammy

Frazzled Farm Wife said...

Looks good! You must really like oatmeal...lol!

Charlotte said...

I've been inspired o do a lot of things by something posted on a blog. Looks like you did a good job of organizing. I'm so glad to have a pantry in this house. It's the first one I've ever had. It does get out of hand from time to time and has to be reorganized. I'm happy we have cabinets in our garage too where we store toilet tissue, paper towels, Tide detergent (that's the kind I always buy when it's on sale) I used to just buy it when I needed it and was always running out of something. Now I just go to the garage. It's really handy.
Have a great organized week.
Charlotte

Kathy said...

The nice thing about having a few spaces to store things is that each space can be organized in smaller steps! You did a beautiful job. Susan, I love your ways, and how you show the rest of us what contentment looks like. Thank you for the way you inspire us all on so many fronts. Blessings-Kathy

Anonymous said...

It just feels so good when organization hits. Great job Susan!

Oh, and I'm glad to know if I ever stay in your guest room that there will be a midnight snack of tomatoes and meat :)

Mari said...

You did great! Doesn't it make you feel good when you open a door and it is all organized?

Carole Burant said...

I agree with you how much blogs can inspire us:-) You did a great job organizing your canned goods. I have a pantry and it's always so full, every few weeks I organize it all but give it a week and everything is a mess again! lol xoxo

MightyMom said...

we don't have a pantry either...so I used a small bookshelf that fits against a wall in the kitchen and all our foodstuffs go on that....plus we have a large utility shelving in the garage that holds overflow (amongst other things) as the garage door opens into the kitchen this is very convienent!

Anonymous said...

All the areas are looking great!! =)

I'm glad my little pantry was part of your "inspiration"--although I cannot take all the credit... my little Francie helped me organize it a couple of days before I took those pictures of Jamey in there!! =)

I have a lot of those oatmeal canisters... I use the empty ones to store things like rice and other dry goods!! =)

Fitter After 50 said...

It's so much fun to organize and you've done a pretty good job. I'm almost finished my spring cleaning and the last two projects of the I don't know where to put it yet closet and attic. :)