It has not been that long since we painted and set up the current pantry but it has already needed to be reordered and straightened up more than once, thanks in part to bulk food stocking. We also cleared, sanitized, and reworked a garage shelving unit and defrosted the big freezer. This fix has solved many little problems and the spaces are working well again. No more giant brown bags of rice and oats and flour rolled up and spilling for one thing.
Covid lockdowns and grocery store outages caught us unprepared last year but I feel better now having built our usual stock back up. It's not going to last through a straight up Armageddon scenario but most minor crises could be weathered now.
I have researched different pantry systems but landed on sorting by type of item and similar container sizes as opposed to this sort of zone system. We apparently use the same items for multiple things so it was a mess trying to work it the other way. I would love to have designer baskets and cereal dispensers and any number of fun containers but our bargain dish tubs and Dollar Tree containers are working great. We have a good back to front system now so the oldest food doesn't languish in corners.
Like all homemaking chores this is not a once and done. All systems require continual maintenance and upkeep. The key is not overloading any given space. More can fit INto a space than can be easily taken in and out of a space on a regular basis. Easy access is really essential wherever you are storing frequently used items. This was our problem - more stuff crammed on shelves than we could work with easily. That wasn't by choice. There was a real problem getting food and supplies at different times, but here we are in a better place again.
Life is that way - the ebb and flow of challenges and solutions.
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