Pantry Refresh and Organizing Update

My dad has always said,

If you have a home and a car, you always have something to do!

Like anything, a home needs constant maintenance. I think closets and pantries that are used every day need frequent refreshment. Things need to be reevaluated to know if the space is working at its optimal potential.

We have lived in our house for nine and half years and we are going through and slowly giving each room a fresh coat of paint. It feels amazing. This week the entry way, living room and kitchen were painted a lovely white called, Blue kiss. It’s a white paint with blue hues. As I was getting the rooms prepped for the paint job, I realized that my pantry was also a spot that had the “old” paint color. Soooo, I pulled everything out, put it on the kitchen table so it could get brightened up with the new white shade. It was a good bit of work, but I knew it was going to pay huge dividends!

I’m so thankful that we have found a reliable painter in our area. He works independently, is prompt, hard working and is conscientious about his work. He did a great job paining every nook and cranny of the pantry.

What I purchased: With the paint job alone I could tell that this space was going to look so fresh and clean! As I evaluated the empty pantry, I realized that I needed to utilize the corners better with lazy Susan’s. I already had two, but I purchased one more. I also found canned good risers at Walmart, Better Homes and Gardens brand that will hold my cans and let me see what I have available. All the other baskets that I put back into my pantry, I had been using prior to the update.

I purged food items that were outdated, items I didn’t use very often and then just clutter that had accumulated. I felt like my pantry had been in pretty good shape until after I reorganized my freshly painted space! Oh my goodness! I love it so much! Here it is today…

One more thing I purchased was an over the door organizer. My mom has one like this and I realized that it holds all the little items and keeps them at your fingertips, and also keeps it all organized. I found this at Walmart, too.

How’s that for a “Before” and “After?” It’s almost embarrassing! I’m so thankful to have the blessing of updating the pantry since I use it so much. I had to laugh at myself while the renovation was going on (several days). I turned to get something out of that closet numerous times! I’d stand there looking at the empty shelves, knowing that it was empty! It’s a space that is much used! It’s even more useable now!

Our daily spiritual lives need the same kind of maintenance. We need to purge the clutter out (sin). Fresh paint needs to be applied (the Word read and heeded) and then we fill it back up again (the Spirit of God anointing our hearts). Don’t neglect the most important part of your life when it comes to refreshment!

Here’s a challenge: If it’s been along time since you completely emptied your pantry area (whether it’s a cupboard space or a whole closet), do it.
~Empty it all and put it on a table or counter.
~Sort through and get rid of expired food.
~Get rid of things you aren’t using.
~Evaluate what you need to make the space work better. Do you need baskets? Bins from the Dollar Tree work great. Get the same color and different sizes. Whitney found chalkboard labels (see her post here there that you could use to label your baskets.
~When you put things back in, stop and make sure it’s easy to get to. I changed things around several times before I got the right spots for each item.

I’m so glad I took the time and effort to refresh this space. What area of your home do you need to focus on refreshing?