I created a really simple rotation system for myself. I have the muscle shelves as well - and use button magnets for my rotation working row indicator... Example: if you have 5 rows of home canned ground beef - put the button magnet on the shelf support arm just under the first row. When that row is empty, move the magnet to the second row (this tells you which row is now your working row) and look for sales to refill jars and replenish the row you just emptied... when the second row is empty, move the magnet to the third row, etc. When your last row has been used - the magnet goes back to row one and start the process all over. I use this for rows of store bought canned goods as well. Works like a dream!
I had to relocate, it's different in an apartment now, but it's amazing how many places you can utilize. Under bed, couch, closet floors, etc. It's doable, but like Leisa said, label everything. I need a name tag on my shirt some days. 😊
FYI TSC price matches. So if rural king has those black and yellow totes on sale, but you don't wanna drive 1.5 hours to get them, or they have run out, go to your tractor supply, and they will price match it. I did that several months ago and saved myself a 2 hour round trip, not to mention a $5 savings on each tote.
My sweet husband cooks quite a bit, and does a fair bit of the shopping. I love that. BUT he has no concept of organization. I can only keep an organization system in place for a couple weeks. He means well, but it’s just not in his skill set. I’ve just decided to accept that quirk of his. Not that it doesn’t bug me, but he’s worth it.
On Amazon I found a roll of write on- wipe off heavy sticker that I was planning on putting right on some mason jar boxes on one end. But I just got some new metal shelves and I have a bunch of those square advertising magnets like for plumbing (a lot for plumbing!) Or hvac. I think i'm going to put the wipe off stickers on some of those.🤔
We purchased 5 used metal legal file cabinets from a thrift store. I Think may have been used in a dental or medical office They are 36” wide and have 5 drawers. This makes them super easy to rotate items stored in them. The drawers are deep enough to fit the Ball 1/2 gallon jars. They lock, look uniform on the wall and keep items clean and prying eyes out. Highly recommend as a way to store your food. We also have shelves but these are the best I’ve ever had for ease of use.
Dentists offices are contaminated withethyl Mercury from "silver" filling. You do NOT want dental file cabinets in your home, nor especially around your food. No other country in the world uses such toxic dental products as America.
OMG "any flat space around me is unsafe" just cracked me up...ME TOO! If there's a flat space, I'll pile stuff all over it (hence I have no flat spaces anywhere here. That includes my kitchen counter. 🙄 I am working on moving things out of my kitchen though.
I use clear shoeboxes from $ tree to stack on the top shelves of all the closets. These hold extra RX, the Band-Aids, the stomach bug meds, the vitamins, the scissors, tweezers, qtips, etc. I'm old and can't take a full box off shelf, but shoeboxes stack great and are easily managed. Label, label, label. 'Cause my mind ain't what it used to be! Don't forget foot care, and tushie care too!
My hack that I do is with a black marker, is I write the use by date on the front of my store bought goods. This way all I have to do is look at them instead of having to search for it. Plus I am 61 yrs old and it makes it easier for me to see it. Also then in Dec I do inventory. All can goods that expire the coming year I will put in a special place so I know that I should use them soon. This works awesome for me.
Love creating the zones. I have 5 shelves (turned my dining room into a pantry and put up barn doors to get in/out. Nobody knows what’s in there because of those doors. My zones are 1. Spices and condiments, 2. Baking items, 3. My home canned items, 4. Appliances and 5. Other ( foods from the grocery store). Heavy items like food grade buckets of rice, beans, flour, 5 gallon jugs of water and sugar are located at the bottom of those shelves. Cleaning products, paper towels, tissue are shelved out in the garage and medications, mouth care, soaps and toothpaste in the hall closet. I also keep an inventory book in the pantry too
Nice! I need to figure a place to store my 6 gal water storage containers…open for any ideas! Hallway seems like a bad (temporary) solution. Ha, my dining room is for seedlings set up under grow-lights….it’s a Zone, isn’t it? 🤣
I bought boot trays with a 2" side. Lined the floor of closets, along the back wall, with the trays. Put 5 gallon jugs in them. 3 per tray for the size I have.
I use pop 12 pk containers for canned vegetables. Cut another hole in the back ( opposite of the front..little duct tape around it stabilized it alot).. an almost free rotation product. For us on a budget.
Great idea. Thanks for sharing. I sometimes put a can high (or 2 cans high if that's what's on the shelf) piece of thin cardboard between the row of corn and the row of beans, etc. It keeps cans on one row from tipping over onto the other, especially if one is resupplying.
Love Muscle Racks, as long as it doesn't get too humid. I had them start to fail in my basement, but the set in my shop are still going strong for years.
If you have a few extra dollars, get the wire rack over the door organizer. You can adjust the shelves & hold heavier things. I use the plastic shoe one on the back of the pantry door for things that are small & turn over like oatmeal packs & gravies. Each of the bathrooms have the wire rack types that hold soaps, shampoos, cleaning supplies etc. We don't have a garage, pantry, coat or linen closets so we have had to be creative. What we call the pantry is a spare room. In the kitchen, we have 2 upper & 4 lower cabinets, so my husband built a tall cabinet. We have spices on smaller wire racks hanging on the 2 sides.
You can actually just shave a li'l off the top of the door to make them work pretty easy without harming the door. Also, if you can move your fridge over about 4 inches, you can either buy a rolling spice/pantry rack or build one really easily with cheap fence pickets from the hardware store & 4 casters. We used reclaimed fence pickets after rebuilding our fence & it turned out amazing... we now have several cupboards opened up!
@@leahrowe847 Got a little shelf there next to the fridge. I utilized everything and space I could. No basement as it's too swampy here. Can't enlarge garage without building up the land in the spot that floods but do enjoy watching ducks float around😆. Out of the budget.
We have curtains on our pantry, I bought those curtains that have the circular holes for threading onto a rod, but instead of a curtain rod I just left a bit of the upright part of the shelves so I can hook the curtain onto that. Works great, and its easy to fold it back out of the way for access. The downside is that the top of the shelving unit is visible, but if anyone's that upset by seeing my canners and my stock of toilet paper....well they probably shouldn't be in my dining room anyways lol. The Thrive pantry orgainzer rocks!! I bought my first set of their cansolidator rotation system (for the normal store size cans of soup, veggies, tuna, etc) way back when Thrive was called "Shelf Reliance". I don't remember exactly when I bought them, but it was probably 2005 or 2006. My organizer is nearly 20 years old and has been assembled, disassembled, reassembled and moved multiple times. It's still rocking and rolling. A few years ago I decided to order another set of the racks because I wanted more storage. The new racks are even better than the old ones, they're made of a much sturdier plastic and they're just phenomenal! Thrive frequently has sales on the Cansolidator racks especially for Black Friday in November, but usually another sale sometime in the Spring.
Hi Leisa, what an amazing coincidence! I have my shelving unit together today and have my water on the bottom, next shelf up is my home canned food, then there are 2 shelves are for my home canned food and the top is for extra thrive life overflow. Truly I will be stacking it to the rafters. Each shelf holds up to 300 pounds.
My wife calls the basement storage area "Basement Mart" I have everything sorted by categories or zones. One isle is paper and hygiene items. Next one is store bought canned goods. Next is misc packaged items. Next is pasta, flour, sugar etc. Next is spices, mixes, home canned, etc. Depending on what is it some items on the shelves are in plastic totes. A lot of items are removed from factory packages and put in Mylar bags. All items are list on an Excel spread sheet printed so as items are removed the quantity can be updated. I have a separate section for package processing that has the freeze dryer and chamber vac and vacuum sealer. It can also be used for food / meat processing. I have a totally separate kitchen sink and drying stand for cleaning dishes.
I made the effort in January to organize but find it a struggle to keep it that way. I did find shortcomings in some areas I wasn't aware of, so I am glad I made the effort.
For the can rack i used the long boxes from soda ( canada dry) cut the side off and stack the cans in so they roll to the next one when you take the first one out holds soup, vegetables,cans of that size
I will admit this here right now:. I am totally Type B now and I simply will NOT inventory and I am comfortable enough to admit that without guilt. In Florida the price of paradise is bugs, so we check weekly. Don't have to worry about mice with 6 dogs, 3 ratting breeds. They do their nightly checks for me
A hack I learned, just to share. I had a label maker, it disappeared. If you use scotch tape and a sharpie, write on tape say Rice 6 lbs date stored.etc. you can place the tape on containers, when you empty and wash containers rubbing alcohol will remove sharpie ink giving you a clear area to write whats next in container.
We like to use 2.5" wide, yellow library or duct tape to label boxes and containers. And then a purple sharpie or permanent marker for actual labeling. We use a consistent spot (ie centered, @ 4" down) on all the boxes and containers. Often when we re-label we just add tape over what's already there.
Omg! Thank you! I had to pause you to go take drawers out of my fridge! I never thought of that! Then I resumed, didn’t want to forget! You are my fave! Tks again🥰
I label all my canned goods with a maximum shelf-life code. I do pest control, and I have a placard from one of the food pantries I service. Anything packed in water or broth is good for five years past the code date. Anything with a tomato component in it is good for three years past the code date. I've also figured out that cardboard boxes from pest control supplies are great for stocking medical supplies. Mouse glue board boxes are a perfect fit for ten-packs of 4 x 4 gauze sponges. I can fit 10 units to a box. And for 4 inch by 5 yard Velcro Ace bandages. I can fit 12 to a box. Mouse trap boxes hold 12 rolls of Kerlix gauze.
That’s exactly the same labels on my black and yellow totes 🤣 plumbing, electrical, garden, etc lol. I’m still reusing old kitchen cabinets and bookshelves for my pantry, but I’m working on it. I’ll get there. I’m still stacking jars x2 and it keeps me awake at night 😂🤦♀️
My kitchen cupboards have some blind corners...where groceries go to die...because you can't see them! To remedy that situation, i took small amazon boxes & cut the flaps off & use those to hold things like those envelope packages like the Knorr sides, or bear creek soup mixes, that way I don't have to go hunting & climbing on step ladders to see what is in those spots. The box can be easily accessed when needed & nothing gets the chance to hide. I have even put an empty one on the top shelf just to prevent anything from getting pushed into that blind spot.
Oh the dream to have a whole true pantry. Mine is scattered throughout the house. I love your channel & all the knowledge you have. I'm very OCD & love all your tips, tricks, reminders, recipes, stories, but most of all your attitude! This world needs more people like you who are so caring & humble! You teach everyone, no matter their financial status, location etc. You make those of us who are not as confident in ourselves, more comfortable in our own life in general. Every video you do has the utmost value. Thank you for that!❤❤❤ You are a BLESSING to many!😇
I have one of those black and yellow totes and I was able to store 12 #10 long term foods. I made labels and marked what I have in them. On top of those I have two under the bed clear totes that I was able to store a shit ton of pantry cans from Thrive life (get the tomato powder and milk on sale folks) and have them stacked next to my sofa with a pretty cloth on top.
Great timing! I listened to this while I was out in the garage, going through unmarked boxes to find the spare space heater. If only I had taken the time to organize when I put this stuff in.
You'll get there! Just take your time. What has helped me to organize is to ask myself "where would I look for this item?" Then that is where I make room or put it.
I have had my current apartment for more than two years. It took me probably 1.5 years to figure out a system that works well. I can never move?🤣 I have a “pantry cabinet” with one or two of everyday food items. I have a small bookshelf next to my fridge (open to light and dust) with vinegars, drink mixes, boring stuff that I use often. From there, items to use first are in easiest to access (a dresser), and the more difficult access places are best by dates further and further out. Those black & yellow totes fill my closet with beans, rice, pasta & ramen. They are much more space-efficient than round buckets. Buckets hold flours and salt. Mason jars are under the bed and bottom shelves of kitchen cabinets (earthquakes). I maintain that inventory most closely, as it is the most complex (jars in flats, newest mix with oldest). My commercially canned meats have a dedicated space, then overflow in more and more places as I shift my priorities. Condiments and pickles have finally landed together, sorted front to back. I use these often, but they will be first to go with hyperinflation. I could hold hundreds of cans of tuna (was $.68, now $1) in the condiments cabinet.
Love your ideas. My pantry is open in my dining room with a cube shelving so I added a matching curtain and it disappears. Love your channel ❤ you’re awesome.
I have been able to get pasta VERY cheap this past year and I have put them in 1/2-gallon jars and gallon jars Vac sealed them, and taken the label with what it is, instructions on how to cook, nutritional info and taped it with shipping tape to the jars, easy peasy. BTW don't forget to check your seals every so often, aka monthly and simple task a simple flick of the finger on the top of the lid and you'll HEAR a ping or a thunk, then you'll know which ones need to be resealed. Some lids just aren't as good as others YMMV
Leisa, have you thought about earthquaking your shelves? You may not have earthquakes there, and neither do we, but we took rope like you hang clothes on and wrapped it around the post on the shelves. Then, we wrapped it around the shelves where our jars are. We all know in these days, bad things are happening, and I would hate for you to lose all your jars. Our wooden ones downstairs we nailed to the rafters. I love your videos. Keep up the good work, and God bless
I did the traditional college shelf thing 4 cinder blocks on edge then a 16 inch board then 4 more cinder blocks n so on. I bought 2 4x8 sheets plywood n cut them into 16 inch wide boards n that save money. Then i organized my pantry between thr 4 ccinder blocks that gives me 3 sections on each shelf plenty of room for all. Like on one shelf i put pasta on one section then tomato soup that i use instead of Ragu then potatos then the next shelf above ill put canned green beans n next section canned soup n so on. Its sturdu movable cheap
You and I think alike. I have almost all of those systems in place in my long term storage. I was nice to see someone else who thinks as I do. Take care.
The shelves I have look just like yours and work the same, but I think are not as long. I bought them at Costco & Sam’s. Anyway, I did the same thing as you and made 4 into 3. I ended up with 4 extra shelves I made into two tables with a shelf under each. Makes a good “drop point” for purchases to wait until I sort them properly.
Love your ideas of making zones and working spaces. Bug Out Bag! Great Tip. In my efforts to take an inventory I discovered a bunch of past dated food. Not all bad. It lead me to donate food to the pantry and I figured if I'm not using in the past 2 years I probably never will. Your planner is nice but, I discovered an APP that is easy to use because I just scan the QR Code. It alerts me when something is about to expire. When I'm shopping I can check the APP on my phone to see what my supply looks like at home. This App has different zones you can label like: refrigerator - deep Freeze - Pantry 1 - Kitchen cabinets.
I started my pantry in 2020. I pressure canned quite a bit while I was waiting on my son to build shelves. I saw someone in a video who was using a the stainless steel shelves and went with those. I started out with 4. That was clearly not enough. They hold a lot, but I can a lot. So I ended up getting at least 15 and rearranged everything so I have end caps doubled as well as the other shelves. I was able to fully utilize a small area to the max all shelves are zip tied together. They are extremely strong and stable. Long story short, you can fill up shelves quickly. So if you buy more shelves up front, you will not have to rearrange like I had to. 😮
So right about distance between shelves. Have heavy duty plastic garage shelves in pantry. Had a few when I moved and just added more in pantry to “match”. I have to get creative on way to double stack. Totes fit do fit in them, but can be a pain to get things out. WILL REMEMBER THE MUSCLE RACK HACK when I can replace.
I'm using stuff up and decluttering before adding. Older stuff to clear out before adding new unless long term when I get more room. Trash is stuffed to declutter more. Finding things I was missing then lost cat nail clippers again stuffing the junk into a garbage bag 😂.
I have storage bins, 5 gallon buckets, shelving. The price of 28 gallon heavy duty black storage bins for food at Costco are under $8 but Walmart buckets WITHOUT lids is now $11. So, guess who is buying more 28 gallon black storage bins? ME! I love your project planner which I bought last year. I do not have the e-version, I have the actual physical book. My girls do NOT tell me when they get things or use the last of something so i keep up with it myself.
Have you seen the movie "Blast from the Past"? ...you should, it is a comedy but my food storage room is based on it!!! The Mom has a shopping cart and walks around her store in the basement!! Thanks for the video, made me think of what I need to do!! You are amazing!
Hi Lisa! Love your channel! Got a grocery store under my basement steps! I’m so proud of it and it’s organized a pretty! Your tips have really helped! Thanks!
hi lisa 🤗 all of your videos are spectacular. i loop them when im working in my pantry, garage and garden...and then re-watch specific topics when im planning or doing that thing. im a visual learner as well and have to see my inventory. i label the name and/or use by date on everything. i have a notebook and spreadsheet. i was tired of buying items i already had in the house because i couldn't see/find them. yes to zones, placing like items together and not stacking front items too high. my goal is to get rotating shelves. i have a grab-n-go bag but need to check it. i check, maintain and clean my areas every 3-4 months and after a major purchase or donation. tfs
I've been working on the pantry removing the really heavy glass jars and using the plastic ones I got from Amazon with a very nice snap lids. My shelf doesn't look so sad it looks so much better
The shelving units are awesome. 2 of mine I put heavy duty utility cart wheels on. Load wisely: heavy on bottom light weight on upper shelves. Pull out to fill from back. (Easy to wrap tightly & roll if I ever move).
I like to put classes of items together, such that the individual items are interchangeable in recipes, and I organize horizontally and vertically, depending on cooking time, and shelf life. In one shelving unit, I have grains - all the grains; in another unit I have nothing but beans, all the beans. I sort from left to right, according to cooking time. So, soybeans, pinto beans and black beans are all the way to the right, and lentils are all the way to the left. For the grain shelves, I have flours, pastas, and white rice to the left of the whole wheat berries and oat groats. I also organize vertically by shelf life, such that short-lived items are on top, and long lasting items are at the bottom; brown rice and oats are nearer the top, white rice and wheat berries are on the bottom. As long as I stick to that general rule of thumb, the shelves are self-organizing.
So, last night I went thru my pantry to start determining zones. I found that ugly creatures (mice) have devoured 2 pounds ! Of hazelnuts that I did not store properly 😒. I ended up throwing out 8 lbs of food due to poor planning on my part. I am motivated now 😂 spent 3 hours last night putting all my first aid stuff in one place and will be going thru the process of zoning everything. I'm drinking the kool-aid, Ms. Leisa..thank you!!
I bought an Origami brand rolling mini island from the Container Store. It folds up, is super sturdy and when I need to move or reorganize a zone it holds heavy cases of my canned and home canned foods and I can move them so easy. It has a top, middle and bottom shelf which is handy to move things off and onto a space. I get what you mean about no flat surface being safe around me too but at my age I cant tote all that heavy stuff so this is a real practical addition to my pantry and it helps me mark up my store cans. Thanks for all you do. 🙏🏻
Great vid! I have a closet size kitchen pantry & use a hanging rack on the door for teas & vitamins etc. I also have a small 9x9 pantry room with a long closet. I’m short so I put light things on my top racks & have a folding step up that goes out of the way when I’m done. I use the metal zips for things because they last longer than the plastic ones. I’m always reorganizing this room as I inventory because I get new ideas from people like you. So helpful. Much love ❤️
Just got your pantry inventory book. So on the days I don’t have my 20 month old granddaughter I’ll be reorganizing and inventorying everything again. I have so many things to organize items with.
Thanks for the great ideas...as for the show bags every door in my house seems to have one ...bathroom=oral care, soaps, shampoos etc... kids room=rolled up socks , tshirts, underwear, rolled outfits etc... craft area=yarn, craft supply's etc...
Ok! You hit upon one of my obsessions - toilet paper. Ikr! How weird! But tp was one of the first shrinkflation items. Back in the late 70's I was newly married and we were struggling. I started buying groceries by the price/ Oz, lb, whatever. (Still do, mostly 😂) Anyway, tp was 225 square feet in a 4 roll pack for $ .99. It had been that way as long as I could remember. Check out the sqare footage now. It's on the package. And the price is certainly nowhere near $1.
I am constantly struggling in this area. We have been starting over in our food prep journey and busy learning new skills as well. My plans and my mind get so jumbled. Add to mix that I am blind and well, things get really fun! We will get there though and I appreciate your channel and all the help you give.
My dad made me two peg boards. Toothbrush’s and floss. One for razors. They hang on the ends of my shelf. Back when you got all that stuff free couponing. I had 100 toothbrushes and hand them out to family. I have seven of those shelves. They have been good for years
