Pantry Make-Over on a Budget!

What good is a pantry if you can't find anything in it or forget what you have?  Soon after we moved in, I knew it was time to kick my pantry organization into high gear, but THERE WAS NO WAY I could afford the fancy canisters and bins in those magazines!  I love The Container Store as much as any other type A momma. So here's what I did:

1.  After measuring the height between my shelves, I headed to the nearest dollar store.  In my town it was a DEALS.  Although I had never been in there before, I was pleasantly surprised by the choices of bins and baskets.  Goal: Find the largest ones that will fit on my shelves comfortably!  These baskets and buckets were only $1 each!  You can't beat that! I bought about 20.

2. Next, I decided I love the little chalkboard labels.  You can buy the stickers at Hobby Lobby for $3.99.  Add a 40% off coupon and you're talking junk change!  Since my baskets are not solid, I put them on card stock, punched holes through the corners and tied them on with some jute I had left over from a previous project.  

3.  I labeled them with a white chalk pen, also found at Hobby Lobby for a couple dollars.

It may not be in a magazine, but I was pleased with how it turned out.  My kids can read the labels and help unload groceries too, which is a huge plus!