Pantry Organization
When we moved into our new house I was in awe of how much bigger our new pantry was- you could actually walk into it (which is good since it will also serve as our tornado shelter) but oh the possibilities...yep the possibilities of it getting trashed very quickly!! It did not take long before I realized this area of the house needed some minor help quickly!!
I also realized very quickly that when all the neighborhood kids gather to play in your driveway/yard they get hungry and thirsty and you are the closest vending machine!! Our snack supply was dwindling quicker then we could afford! So within a couple weeks I knew we needed some sort of system to save our lunch snacks from the neighborhood kids- and my daughter who loves to share her snacks!!
I went out and bought a large basket to put on the top shelf where the kids couldn't reach- here we store chips and snacks that are only for lunch. This also helps my daughter from always asking for chips as her snack- because once it is out of sight she forgets! I also bought a smaller basket at the bottom- this is where we put random snacks when we get close to the box being empty- this is also where the kids can choose snacks from should they get the munchies while at our house.
Before: Our pantry was twice the size of our old one but twice as messy too! I found myself buying the same items again because I did not realize we had any in there!!
I can't even believe we had that much stuff crammed on our shelves- stuff was on top of other stuff, pushed behind - you just could not tell where anything was!
I gave everything it's own section- box stuff like mac & cheese, hamburger helpers, mashed potatoes were put together. Can goods were lined up so you could see how many of each item we had. Cereal has become a big favorite in our house lately so it needed it's own area too~ one that the kids could reach in the morning to make their own! All my cookie sprinkles, icing, food coloring, and cookie cutters are in a tub so when we are baking I can pull the whole tub out and find what I need.
It's still not perfect or what I have envisioned down the road but it will work for now. I would like to get a couple lazy susan's to put in there for the sauces and a couple tubs for the items I am using to cook dinner that week- we plan our meals out 2 weeks in advance so I need to make sure no one eats what I need before the date!
So let's recap:
BEFORE: 
~Elizabeth
looking good. My husband has taken on big-time couponing so we now stalk up on staples which requires me to keep it organized - and that makes me a happy camper.