KITCHEN PANTRY MAKEOVER REVEAL – ON A SERIOUS BUDGET!

You guys. I did it! I can’t believe I finally did it. What I kept putting off – for years – I conquered in less than three days. Our kitchen pantry makeover is finally done! I was able to whip our completely unorganized and ‘scary-messy’ kitchen pantry into serious shape, for less than $300. I’m in such awe and feel like the heaviest weight has been lifted off of my shoulders! I’m not kidding one bit…talk about liberating and feeling so good about something. I organized, purged, painted, hunted down the best inexpensive items to pull this off.  I’m so excited to share this with you, so please, without further ado – let’s open that pantry door!

Don’t forget you can shop our home and more of our Christmas decor in both my Amazon Shop, and LTK Shop too! Enjoy our Christmas kitchen!

Affiliate links are provided throughout this post – see my full disclosure policy here. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

KITCHEN PANTRY MAKEOVERAn organized kitchen pantry that went from chaotic, cluttered, messy and overwhelming to streamlined, paired-down and perfectly organized - all under $300!

organized kitchen pantryAh… but first…a reminder of the before.

Rows deep of ugly boxes and expired packages. Plastic bags floating around. Piles of items stashed into the corners, and just a plain old-fashioned hot mess.

If you read my post last week, I walked you through this pantry and talked all about the stress and anxiety (no joke!) it has given me for years.messy kitchen pantryI had put this project off for so long, thinking it would be a ton of work and too much money to spend. I just didn’t want to spend $500+ on this little pantry, especially since I really couldn’t stand it.

Well, let me tell you, since taking this on with serious conviction and no looking back, I am a new woman! Had I known it would be this easy and feel so great, I never would have waited this long.

ORGANIZED KITCHEN PANTRYnewly organized kitchen pantry

And here is my newly organized kitchen pantry.

Baskets, wire shelves, glass jars, and the best part for this type of pantry, the door organizer.

It was the biggest investment, at $110.00, I purchased it from Canadian Tire (and have similar ones linked further down).

It is a life changer and allows me to keep the shelves clutter-free.

I removed the boxes off the shelves that I couldn’t empty into jars, and gave them their own designated area.

No more random box sizes floating all over.organized pantryAlmost everything else you see here is from the dollar store. Yes, the dollar store.

You wouldn’t believe what you can find there – items that you can pay three and four times the amount for, in other stores.

My cylindrical glass containers, tall pasta containers, and the small size baskets are all from there.

In case you’re wondering where the plastic bags and reusable shopping bags are from the ‘before’ shot, my oversized ‘bread-crock’ jar is housing the plastic and the reusable ones are on the very top shelf (not pictured).

We keep our weekly shopping bags out in the garage.organized jars I like the idea of the uniform look, so I purchased a plethora of these jars with metal lids in different sizes, to hold:

  • cereal
  • pasta
  • rice
  • nuts
  • goldfish crackers, and more

I’ll even most probably buy more of them, because I love their look, and I sill have plenty of room on this shelf if I need to add more.

The large ones were $3 each, the 2 medium sizes were $2.50 and $2.00 and the smallest size was $1.25.

If you look at the back of the shelves, the tall pasta containers, which happen to match my large bread-crock jar on the top shelf, were $4 each.

I spent a grand total of $66.75. For less than $70, this shelf looks like a million bucks ;)babycakes cupcake makerWe added a half-depth shelf at the very top, to house items I don’t use often.

Simple MDF (medium density fireboard) brackets and melamine shelves did the trick perfectly.

We happen to already have the materials, so there was no additional cost, but if you were to purchase what you’d need, it would cost around $20.

I also gave the entire pantry a fresh coat of white paint, in an eggshell finish, which I already had as well.

nut jars


SHOP GLASS CONTAINERS:


woven baskets

I already had these two natural woven baskets, and purchased the light grey ones and light brown ones (those are under the wire riser shelves) for $4 each – a total of $32.woven baskets woven baskets

I just love how clean and tidy it all looks and honestly, I have driven my poor family absolutely crazy with my, ‘You guys! Look at this pantry!!’ all weekend long haha.

My son said to me, ‘Mommy, the next time I get into trouble, I’m just going to open this door for you’.

He’s a smart cookie!organized kitchen pantry

The wire shelves at the back are perfect for taking advantage of the depth and the height of the shelves.

I purchased them for $7 each at Canadian Tire as well, totaling $28.

An organized kitchen pantry that went from chaotic, cluttered, messy and overwhelming to streamlined, paired-down and perfectly organized - all under $300!
SHOP BASKETS FOR SHELVES:

An organized kitchen pantry that went from chaotic, cluttered, messy and overwhelming to streamlined, paired-down and perfectly organized - all under $300!

I love the use of the space underneath the shelves and I have more small glass jars inside the baskets.

This small size is perfect to corral small things you don’t want sitting loose.

An organized kitchen pantry that went from chaotic, cluttered, messy and overwhelming to streamlined, paired-down and perfectly organized - all under $300!

Next up, are my mix of vintage-inspired jars for the baking/candy shelf.

I have kids and yes, they have candy. From one holiday to the next, there is always a stash in here, although they’re pretty good about eating it, I have to say.

Cocoa mix, peanut m&m’s (a favorite in our house) and dark chocolate (mine and my hubby’s nightly treat) are beautifully contained in these jars.

The two in the center I already had, and the four others with the labels were $2 each from the dollar store – $8.

I haven’t written on the labels just yet, I haven’t decided what to put yet…candy, chocolate, treats, hmmm, such a dilemma ;)
An organized kitchen pantry that went from chaotic, cluttered, messy and overwhelming to streamlined, paired-down and perfectly organized - all under $300!

Really though, just look at my pantry! I still can’t believe the difference. I purged so much from this little space, I was in shock of what I got rid of.

Not having it organized was cause for a collection of expired food, things I didn’t even know were in there.

Some were years old. Really shocking stuff!

Even pasta expires, so one of the tricks that I find useful is to label the bottom of your jars with the expiration dates so you know when to throw things out.

Everything in our pantry is what we use. I don’t have an overabundance of packaged food.

The kids eat one or two kinds of cereal at a time, and I don’t purchase a dozen cans of something at once.An organized kitchen pantry that went from chaotic, cluttered, messy and overwhelming to streamlined, paired-down and perfectly organized - all under $300!

We tend to cook mostly meat and veggies on a regular basis, and what we have here is for our use.

The amount of pasta I have in here is actually much more than I would normally use. I only cook it maybe once a week for the kids

I talk a little bit more about our diet and how we eat in this post – all about my daily tips for an organized life. You may find you need more baskets for example if you have more boxed items that you keep on hand.

Or you may need a full shelf dedicated to canned goods – find the solution that works for our needs to have a pantry that functions for you.An organized kitchen pantry that went from chaotic, cluttered, messy and overwhelming to streamlined, paired-down and perfectly organized - all under $300!


SHOP CANISTERS:
 

An organized kitchen pantry that went from chaotic, cluttered, messy and overwhelming to streamlined, paired-down and perfectly organized - all under $300!An organized kitchen pantry that went from chaotic, cluttered, messy and overwhelming to streamlined, paired-down and perfectly organized - all under $300!

Lastly, I used two large woven floor baskets for the large items that I also don’t want sitting on the shelves.

They were another small splurge at $20 each, also from Canadian Tire, for a total of $40. Open chip bags and extra cereal boxes now have a pretty and organized home.

Again, because of the depth of the pantry, (about 23″), I used the floor behind the baskets as well as on the sides, for the larger items that I don’t need or want to have visible.

Clearing the clutter keeps me sane and stress-free. What a therapeutic exercise this has been!An organized kitchen pantry that went from chaotic, cluttered, messy and overwhelming to streamlined, paired-down and perfectly organized - all under $300!

There you have it – my fully organized kitchen pantry for a total of $284.75.

From top to bottom we purged and kept only the necessities (including m&m’s), added shelving and yes, a place for everything and everything in its place.

I am so happy and ready for my next organizing adventure.An organized kitchen pantry that went from chaotic, cluttered, messy and overwhelming to streamlined, paired-down and perfectly organized - all under $300!

An organized kitchen pantry that went from chaotic, cluttered, messy and overwhelming to streamlined, paired-down and perfectly organized - all under $300!


SHOP FLOOR BASKETS:

SHOP DOOR ORGANIZERS:


An organized kitchen pantry that went from chaotic, cluttered, messy and overwhelming to streamlined, paired-down and perfectly organized - all under $300!

PIN THIS  IMAGE FOR LATER!An organized kitchen pantry that went from chaotic, cluttered, messy and overwhelming to streamlined, paired-down and perfectly organized - all under $300!

Even though my dream is a walk-in pantry and this is only a simple little closet, there’s no reason it shouldn’t be clean and organized.

The functional spaces in our home need to be pretty and organized, in order to function well, and I think I’ve mastered this one. I hope you found this useful and inspiring, to go and tackle those eyesores behind closed doors.

I never imagined a simple little pantry makeover could bring so much happiness ;) Tell me what you think in the comments below!

Did you find it useful and are you ready to take on the challenge and get your spaces overhauled? You can totally do this and as you can see, it doesn’t need to cost a whole lot either. xo

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41 Comments

  1. tamaraanka says:

    Jen thank you so much! That really means a lot to me…I can’t tell you how amazing it feels and how happy I am to open this door!! Happy organizing!! xoxo

  2. tamaraanka says:

    Anita I’m so happy you can relate, you have no idea!! And I’m even happier you’ve found some ideas :) Thanks for stopping by!! xo

  3. tamaraanka says:

    Thank you so much, Marie! I’m thrilled you like it!! xo

  4. Your blog write up sounds just like me. You would think you write this about me. Lol
    You did a great job and gave me some ideas.
    Thank you for sharing.

  5. Tam!!!! I’m soooo impressed! You did a fabulous job of making it organized AND beautiful! After seeing this, I may be finally motivated to get mine done!

  6. tamaraanka says:

    Thank you so much, Tara! You just made my day! I can’t believe how happy this little pantry makes me now, it truly is amazing! Now to get the rest of those spaces tackled! Than you so much for stopping by!

  7. tamaraanka says:

    Thank you so much Trace! Well, I do like looking at my pantry lol! Much better than feeling that stress before!!

  8. This is actually very pretty. I bet you love
    Looking at your accomplishment all the time. I know I would. Great place to put cookbooks too! Nice job xo

  9. Oh my gosh, this just makes my heart happy! I love how your pantry looks, Tamara. Your whole home is gorgeous, of course – neat, tidy and not overstuffed – but I know how rewarding it feels that even the more “private” spaces (typically behind closed doors) are just as beautiful to look at, neat, tidy and well organized. Great work!! Thanks for sharing.

  10. tamaraanka says:

    Thank you so much Janine!! I got these at Dollarama, which is a local Canadian chain near my home :) I’d be willing to bet either of those stores you go to will have some great solutions! You never know what you can find!

  11. Janine Coleman says:

    Beautiful! When you say you got the glass canisters from the dollar store, do you mean the Dollar Tree or Dollar General? Which dollar store?

  12. tamaraanka says:

    Hi Ginny! Actually it is disclosed, right below the photo. I purchased it at my local Canadian Tire and it was $110.00 CAD, all the info is written there, as well as an explanation that similar ones are linked further down :) I hope that helps! Please let me know if you need anything else! Thank you for stopping by!

  13. your over inside door shelving is not disclosed. I have checked on line the it did not come from BB&B. I would appreciate knowing where and the cost of this shelving.

  14. tamaraanka says:

    Bree, thank you so much my friend! I’m thrilled you like it :) The risers are great, I’m so happy I went with them! They really help with the depth in here. It’s amazing how such a small space can get so out of control. It feels so good to get a handle on everything! So happy you’re inspired!! Thanks for stoping by! xoxo

  15. Tamara, it looks amazing and now you’ve inspired me to jump on the band wagon! I really need some of those risers to get my pantry in order as mine is about the size of yours…they are perfect!! Thanks for the inspo, friend!!b xoxo

  16. tamaraanka says:

    Hi Donna, your welcome! You’re so lucky to have double doors, I’m jealous! I think the door organizers would be great – just make sure you can affix them if the doors are glass :) Thank you for popping in to say hi! Good luck!

  17. The pantry in our house is actually a double closet. We used French doors and I’m thinking that the door organizers would be great to attach to the doors. Amazon actually had a pretty good selection. Thanks for sharing!

  18. tamaraanka says:

    Thank you Joni! This was a challenge but I’m so happy I did it. Thank God for the door organizer! I did not plan on paper. I just knew what look I wanted and wanted to see what I could find without spending too much, and that I needed to find the right tools so it could all function properly. I actually forgot to mention that I had purchased different types of baskets before deciding on which ones to use, then ended up returning what I didn’t need. I’m so happy you like it and always thrilled when you pop in! Much!! xo

  19. joanmechlin, joni says:

    Love the door organizer, Tam. I’m curious about your pre-planning and did you draw your plan on paper first. You sure have mad organizing skills. 💙

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