Organizing Made Simple: Kitchen Cabinets

Okay, so who besides me, loves to see anything organization? I swear, I'm obsessed with this topic! I get a thrill at just looking at before and afters, checking out other's ideas or just reading about it! My heart begins to palpitate anytime I see the word "ORGANIZE" in the topics of the blogs I follow.

So today I've decided to share with you how I organize my kitchen cabinets. The kitchen is definitely one of the rooms of the home that can get messy pretty quickly if one does not stay on top of things; especially the food storing cabinets!

But with a few ideas, thinking, rearranging and organizing, you can keep a pretty tidy kitchen that is always ready to be used, cooked in and enjoyed!

In this post you will see how I organize my kitchen cabinets and I will include tips and storage ideas!

Okay, let's move on to how I organize my cabinets...

My Cabinet Organization

First cabinet:

Top shelf: broths, soups for cooking and extra condiments.

Middle shelf: teas, soups for lunch and daughter's snacks already in containers for quick packing when we have to go out.

Bottom Shelf: snacks in stack-able containers and a few baking ingredients

Here is a better look at the bottom shelf (yes, I am running low on some of my baking supplies). Having my daughter's snacks all readily available in these two stack-able containers (purchased at the dollar store) makes everything look less cluttery and I know exactly where to look when she is in need of a quick snack (popcorn and applesauce on top and granola bars, crackers, almonds and raisins on the bottom).

Second cabinet:

Top shelf: all sauces

Middle shelf: tuna and canned veggies

Bottom shelf: all pasta

A closer look at the bottom shelf; all pastas are separated by glass containers making it easy for me to grab what I need when I cook.

Here is a closer look at the pasta items in my container. They stand up beautifully instead of being randomly thrown in and spilling everywhere!

Tip: Don't throw away your glass jars! I love using spaghetti jars for storing small pastas! I just wash thoroughly and spray paint the lid and I end up with a nice, sturdy glass storage container!

Third Cabinet:

Top shelf: ramen noodles and instant soup cups

Middle shelf: extra cereal (most of our cereal is on top of our fridge), and other boxed goods

Third shelf: beans, sugar, fishy crackers and random snacks in black container

A closer look at the black container that sits on the top shelf. Before I bought these containers (at  my local Dollar General) these food items would always get lost way in the back of the cabinet. Not anymore!

A closer look at the bottom shelf:

The black container that sits on bottom shelf holds peanuts, tortilla chips, instant side dishes and extra confectioners sugar ( I guess I should fill up my baking containers!!)

Fourth Cabinet:

Top shelf: coffee filters (I'm not a big coffee person but my hubby is) and toothpicks

Middle shelf: other baking essentials

Bottom shelf: 2 containers filled with extra spices (most are kept on a spice swivel next to my stove) and random extra things

The white container holds gravy mix, extra spices I purchased in bulk, chicken bouillons, taco seasoning mix package and a package of ranch seasoning.

I would always forget I had these since they ended up towards the back of the cabinet! But this bin keeps them right where I need them.

The black container holds more spices that would end up getting knocked over every-time I would reach in for one. Now, I simply pull out the container and grab what I need! No more fussing!

My main seasonings displayed and readily available for cooking time!

Fifth Cabinet (not food related):

Top shelf: my gravy bowl and vitamins and medicines in black container

Middle shelf: food storage containers I use to store leftovers

Bottom shelf: daughter's cups (most of them were in the dishwasher when this picture was taken) and in the container are her lids, straws and eating utensils

A closer look at the container that lives in the top shelf:

And at the one that lives on the bottom shelf:

So there ya have it; how I organize my kitchen cabinets! I didn't feel the need to include the cabinets I store my dishes in; they look like everyone else's: dishes stacked on top of each other and glasses face down..haha!

Tips on organizing your cabinets:

1. Don't overwhelm yourself; take it one cabinet at a time. If it helps, only organize one cabinet a day.

2. Take out all the items in your cabinet and thoroughly clean the shelves with a damp cloth; you will be surprised how dirty these shelves can get!

3. Take inventory of what you have; check dates and toss what needs to be tossed and donate the things you find yourself having an overflow supply of (you know, the things you keep buying even though you have never run out of that food item?)

5. Make a plan: how many food categories do you have and how many cabinets/shelves do you have available? Device a plan that will give each category a home (shelf), that way things aren't all mixed together and hard to find.

6. Store things according to how they are used. Example: my seasonings are in the cabinet right next to my stove, this makes cooking easier. Try to keep all food items as close to your cooking station as possible for convenience.

7. If you are tackling all your cabinets in one day (you brave thing you) categorize your items: canned veggies, snacks, cereals, pastas, sauces, soups, etc.. One you have all your goods categorized pick a shelf for them to dwell in (until you eat it up).

8: Use bins/containers to further organize your food items- this makes it so easy to grab things and keeps things from getting lost.

9. Add shelving to the inside of cabinet doors to optimize space.

10. Shop your local dollar store; they have an amazing selection of storage bins, containers, and solutions so you don't have to spend a lot of money!

Thank you so much for reading! I plan on continuing the "Organizing Made Simple" series with more kitchen organization solutions, such as drawers, fridge, cleaning supplies and cookware/bake-ware. So stay tuned!  Happy organizing!!!

Linked to these awesome link parties: