One of the risks of renting a house without seeing it, was not knowing how the storage space would be. Since we’ve been blessed to have a basement in our last few homes, I was a little concerned about how we’d adjust to not having the luxury of a basement here in TN.
Well, when we got here and saw the house for the first time, I almost squealed when I opened up this door off the kitchen and saw this amazing PANTRY!!! I had no idea this house had a pantry, so this was an incredible bonus.
I know it might seem weird that I was so excited about a pantry, but because I spend so much time in the kitchen and like to buy in bulk, this felt almost like Christmas morning to me. (Yes, you can think I’m crazy!)
My sister and I unpacked the kitchen on moving in day and just got everything into the pantry — we didn’t worry about getting it organized since we were just on a mission to get all the boxes unpacked that weekend. But I knew that one of the first organization projects I wanted to tackle was the pantry.
Today, I had some time to head in there and organize. And it felt so good to get a sort of organized system for what I was going to store where.
Things are pretty sparse right now since we tried to eat down as much of our pantry as we could so we didn’t have as much to move. But I’m looking forward to getting it filled up — and maybe even adding a few more shelves so we can have more storage in here.
Eleanor B says
I found a helpful idea on pinterest when I was organizing our pantry. Those wire shelves aren’t the best of appliances w/ feet and other items and I was using random pieces of cardboard to make them flat. Then, on pinterest, I saw someone thought to use inexpensive stick-on tiles on the wire shelves! Problem solved!!! Our house actually came w/ about 3 boxes of said tiles as the previous owner used 2-3 colors to make a design in our entryway so it was a free project. I didn’t want to actually stick them to the shelves (and you wouldn’t want to as a renter) but they work fine just laying on top.
Courtney says
It IS nice to have a pantry. We have a large walk in one. However I absolutely hate wire shelving. Ours is bent and the bottom one ripped out of the wall when we had a renter. My next house will have wooden shelves in the pantry.
Danielle Spears says
Oh my gosh I love your pantry. We just recently moved and ours is smaller than a bookcase. it definitely has made me realize what i use and what I don’t. I do have nice storage downstairs. I’m hoping to can and store more down there.
My question to you is what do you buy in bulk? I keep thinking I should but don’t if it would be worth it. Where do you get your bulk from?
Also, do you use your bread machine a lot?
I love that your going back to more about you and your family. I will be reading more now.
Billene says
Trust me Crystal you are going to be much happier with the pantry than you would a basement. Basements are wonderful in the north, here in the south Kentucky/Tennessee they tend to be damp, soil in these state seem to retain large amounts of water. I would take a panty any day rather than a basement. So enjoy your pantry and smile everytime you walk in it to get a small appliance than you otherwise would have to dug through a kitchen cabinet to find. 🙂
Sarah @ The Teacher's Wife says
I would LOVE to have a pantry that big! Once we get some other projects knocked off our list, I need to tackle the laundry room (which is where we have a cabinet that use for a “pantry”) and find a better way to store things. It’s such an awkward layout! So glad you have so much space!
Candy Rae says
Awesome pantry! We too have always had a basement until moving to Texas last year. Fortunately, we have some good closets in our current rental home and a small pantry (not walk-in like yours, but still… it’s a pantry!) We are still going through all our stuff that used to be in our basement and getting rid of it so we can reclaim the garage!
Candy Rae says
We THOUGHT we got rid of a lot before we moved. It’s amazing how much STUFF you realize you have once you no longer have a basement to hide it in.
Simple, Easy, Frugal says
I think I’d have the exact same reaction to having a pantry!
I mean, you should have seen how excited I got with our first ripe strawberry this year! A pantry would put be over the top. 🙂
Right now I have a makeshift “pantry” which is really just a large cabinet I got for free.
It does the job, but is a little clunky in the kitchen. I could move it to the basement, but I’d always be running downstairs for things (which wouldn’t be entirely bad since I could stand to exercise a bit more).
Christine says
Crystal – do you have some kind of clear mat on the shelf tops ? If so what is it/where did you find ?
I have same shelving and find things don’t sit/stay aligned with the wire racks – drives me crazy and looks messy.
I’m planning a pantry re-org and am looking for ways to overcome this challenge. Tried a Pinterest hint that was foam board covered in contact paper but that warps with heavier items.
Thanks for sharing !
Crystal Paine says
It was already here when we moved in. But I love this idea of using tiles that a reader left here: https://www.facebook.com/MoneySavingMom/posts/10152165930593227
Natalie says
I bet it sure feels good to get your pantry organized. My home doesn’t currently have a pantry and very limited cupboard space as well. My husband and I are planning to build one but it will probably be a little while before that actually happens. When it does finally happpen it may be about Christmas time. So I completely understand how it could feel “like Christmas morning”. I am glad you could find such a nice home to suit your needs! Thanks for sharing your organizing adventures.
Cathy says
You did a great job! God certainly blessed you with that beautiful kitchen and nice pantry. I can only imagine how beautiful the rest of your home must be!
Linda says
Thank you for showing pictures of your pantry. I appreciate seeing the brands of food that you purchase. It is most helpful for a visual learner to see actual brands that are purchased by those who are focused on eating a healthy diet. Please continue to post pictures as you fill your pantry! I would so appreciate it!
Crystal Paine says
Ha! Well, I wouldn’t necessarily consider all of this “healthy” but I’m all about keeping it real here. 🙂
Kellie says
I love getting glimpses into the lives of others — so happy for you to enjoy that huge pantry! But I had to laugh at myself, because the first thought I had (and in the other post where you guys were folding laundry on the floor) was Ack! She put the crock pot and mixer on the floor! Clearly, you don’t have a dog that sheds, like we do. 😉 If we had our mixer on the floor, the next batch of cookies would be full of black lab hair, even if I cleaned it out. 🙂
Terra says
That’s funny because that was my first thought too! I have a Newf, so we know all about the black dog hair everywhere too. 🙂
Crystal Paine says
😉 Yes, no dogs here… at least not right now! I hadn’t even thought about the dog hair and how it would change a lot of things about how we use our floors. 🙂
Ginger says
I love seeing the photos of your new house! I don’t blame you one bit for feeling giddy at the discovery of a pantry! 🙂
Crystal Paine says
My pantry is not anywhere near as exciting as your piano, but I was still pretty thrilled with it!
Lenore says
Happy for you that you got such a great pantry. The Lord is good. He cares about “little” things too.
Crystal Paine says
Yes! That has been so very evident in this move!
Amanda says
Oh I wish we had a pantry!!! We recently went through the kids room, didn’t get rid of as many stuff we wanted to! But we did pack up all the winter clothes and figure out which spring/summer items they needed (and then bought all of it for less than $20…thank you goodwill!)
Crystal Paine says
Way to go!!
Ashley says
hi! Just a quick question- do you guys have a reason why you rent over purchasing? We are in the process of selling our townhome and trying to decide if renting would be a better choice for us right now!
Crystal Paine says
To keep it simpler, we opted to rent for the short-term since we were moving cross-country and are new to the area. We’ll likely buy again, but we want to take our time and get a feel for the area and determine our long-term plans before doing so.
Judy says
Would love more details about how you found your rental house as my DH are considering moving from Pgh to Nashville! I thought the same thing about renting first to make sure we buy once we know the areas better.
Crystal Paine says
We found it online through Zillow. We talked to the landlords and then had some local friends go look at it for us. The landlords were so helpful (they’ve been incredible!) and our friends thought we’d really like the house, so we went for it. And we are so glad we did as we truly love it and it meets our needs and then some — and was a few hundred dollars less per month than we were planning to spend.
My advice on rental houses: know what your non-negotiables are (we only had a few; we stayed pretty open-minded since we knew the market is hot here and rental houses are snatched up quickly), know what your budget is, and get to know the potential landlords. A landlord makes a HUGE difference when renting!
Misty Nicole Overstreet-Roberts (The Lady Prefers To Save) says
I am spring cleaning/re-purposing three rooms in my home; I moved my grandmother from a guest room to the sunroom (as a way to keep her disposition more cheery), used her room as the new man cave, and then used part of the main room in the basement as a new craft room. This change will be quite a relief for me, the issue being it needs to be done in two and a half weeks, and the MIL is coming for a visit! As for your pantry, I love all of the space you have! Do you mind me asking if you use a certain brand of jars or containers for your organization? I use over the door shoe holders to hold a lot of small items in my pantry, like snacks, tea, etc. Thank you for your post!
Crystal Paine says
Sounds like you’ve been a busy bee! My favorite brands are typically whichever fit best, serve the purpose needed, and are inexpensive. 😉
Denise says
A walk in pantry would be a dream come true! Check out the rolling one my husband made me for our small places we’ve been living!
http://gallopinto2.blogspot.com/2012/11/my-birthday-present.html
Crystal Paine says
Oh, I LOVE this! What a brilliant use of a small space!
Terra says
It’s the little things! Although a pantry is a big thing too. I was so thrilled when we moved into our new house and got the pantry set up, although it’s much smaller than yours, but I was still happy to have it! The thing I was most excited about was having an office closet. I had never had a closet just for office supplies and now I do. I still jump for joy and get giddy every time I see it. It’s amazing what makes a house a home for us. 🙂
http://evolutionfromkansas.blogspot.com/2014/04/closeted-potential.html
Crystal Paine says
Oh, an office closet IS definitely something to get excited about!
Ashley says
You are NOT weird for getting so excited about a pantry! 🙂 I would love a pantry. These pics instantly and randomly took me back to age 11 when I lived in a gated neighborhood that oddly housed condos (which we lived in) with large single family homes on the other side of a pond. My best friend Katelyn lived in a house with a walk in pantry that had shelves lining every wall. Even at 11 I thought “this is FABULOUS”(Now that is weird)! lol Enjoy all your new storage space 🙂
Crystal Paine says
That’s too funny!
lori ballard says
As an Army wife of 17 years, I never know what I am going to get when we move. Sometimes I get blessed with plenty of space and others there is no pantry at all. I have just had to learn how to improvise over the years. Congrats on the great space. I have my list of things I want in our “forever” home and a massive pantry is one of them.
Crystal Paine says
Yes, learning to love and make do with exactly what we have instead of wishing for something we don’t is such a needed (and helpful!) skill. You’re an inspiration!
Karen says
Just moved back into our newly-remodeled home…. the whole thing is an organization project!
Crystal Paine says
That sounds exciting and a little overwhelming! 🙂
Amy says
Looks like you’re off to a great start!
Crystal Paine says
Thanks so much!
Michelle Murphy says
A pantry… Droooool. I have never had one… dreamed of one. What a blessing. Enjoy.
Crystal Paine says
Thanks so much!
Amy says
I would be excited for a pantry, too. We are living in an apartment, and our pantry is a tall bookcase. I am thankful to have a place to keep extra food, but I will be glad to have a pantry some day!
Crystal Paine says
Oh, how well I remember the small apartment days! We kept some of our kitchen appliances in the coat closet because they wouldn’t fit in the galley kitchen!
Anna says
Love your crockpot. I have the same one, or a similar model, and I love how easy it is to transport with the gasket and clamps!
Crystal Paine says
I love it, too!