Raise your hand if you are obsessively organizing each room of your house thanks to “Getting Organized with The Home Edit” on Netflix. Show of hands if you are dreaming of organizing your home while watching that show with a big bowl of ice cream on your lap *sheepishly raises her hand.
Okay, yes, I admit it, while I do love a good organizational purge, or “edit”, as Joanna and Clea have cleverly termed it, the doing is much harder than the planning!
Shows like “Getting Organized” and companies like The Home Edit, which is solely devoted to organizing all the things, have made the color-coded, hyper-organized life the latest must-have.. While we all dream of the perfectly organized and labeled life, all the ways and products to get us there can be a little overwhelming.
Never fear – I’m here to help!
Finding the Best Method
My personal philosophy on organization is this: you don’t need to subscribe to one particular method or brand of products. I prefer to mix and match to find what works best for each person and each area of the home.
I’m not sure how the ladies from The Home Edit would feel about hearing this, but no matter how visually appealing I find the rainbow method of book storage, my kid just is not having it! Those books are going back on the shelf where he can fit them and that’s not a fight I’m willing to have. I’ll be happy if the books make it back to the bookshelf at all!
However, we can whittle away some toys with a Marie Kondo approach. My son responds much better to getting rid of the toys that no longer bring him joy and make him happy. He likes the idea of passing these toys on to another kid who would get more pleasure out of playing with them than he currently does. See, every method has its place!
With that said, I am a sucker for bins and storage boxes of every shape and size. I find that having items arranged and tucked neatly in their place really does bring me a feeling of satisfaction. When something makes me feel good, there’s a greater chance I’ll keep doing it, and that means the space will stay orderly.
It seems that the main area in the home that people are set on turning into the ultimate example of organization is the pantry. Read on for tips on creating the pantry (or snack cabinet) of your dreams. Just know, these are coming at ya from equal parts interior designer and busy mom!
Take Inventory
This is the part I dread and the part that often holds me up in tackling organization projects in my own home. Don’t judge!
But I really have found that the best way to get started is to pull everything out and take inventory.
You really cannot effectively organize everything in your pantry if you don’t know what’s in there. When dealing with food items, this step is particularly important as it gives you a chance to check expiration dates and dispose of out of date items. I’m talking to you, stale Halloween candy and box of cereal nobody likes.
Categorize
Once you’ve taken stock of all your items, it’s time to categorize them. I recommend using a complex system of colored pens, Post-it® notes and an excel spreadsheet for this. Will it help you keep track of things? Perhaps. Will it satisfy that weird craving in your brain? Absolutely!
But in all seriousness, divide your food into categories. I like to keep all the breakfast foods together, canned goods in a group, baking supplies in one area – you get the idea.
Break it up into as many categories as you see fit. This is where personality comes in. 
If you can only handle a couple categories, go with it. If you need things to be categorized in a 100 ways, color-coded and alphabetized, this is your moment! Do whatever works for your household.
Organize!
Now comes the fun part! Hop on Amazon or peruse the aisles of your favorite store and you will find bins, baskets and jars in every shape and size.
Clear acrylic bins are fairly cheap and a great way to keep your pantry organized. They provide easy access to snacks, allow your family to easily see what’s in the pantry and provide you with that perfectly stylized pantry.
The Home Edit even has their own line of bins. Check these out at containerstore.com.
Baskets are great for the things you don’t necessarily need to see everyday. I’m thinking of baking ingredients or items used for grilling. These are also useful for storing extra items until you need them. If you stock up on your favorite protein bars but only want to open one package at a time, store the others in a basket at the top of your pantry.
Glass jars are a great way to store things in the pantry and they come in such cute styles! I love this type of lids to keep dry goods fresh.
Location, Location, Location
Okay, now it’s time to put everything back. The prime real estate is going to be in the center, eye level. Snack foods typically go here. Things I buy specifically for my son go on the shelf below where they are front and center for him.
I may have a little bit of an edge on this due to my background but at the end of the day, I’m just a mom trying to have a semi-clean house…and keep my kid out of my secret chocolate stash!