Pantry Organization
The pantry is the place half-open bags of snacks go to die, right? Until I recently switched everything non-perishable into glass jars, there was no organization method on the planet that could keep everything on an even field, if left in their original packaging. No matter how tediously I re-closed packages to keep the food air-tight, it often went stale right away. My pantry looked like one giant care package, minus the packing peanuts. Enter glass jars.
Start with an array of sizes to fit the various items; the large 64 oz. for flours and grains, medium ones for chocolate or tea bags, and small ones for nuts, seeds, and dried fruit. The bonus to having glass jars for food storage doesn't end with the pantry, which I have found to be super handy. We use them to store leftover soup, to freeze extra sauces, or for smoothies and milkshakes. Let's be honest, we now use the medium wide-mouth ones for water glasses. Costing around less than $11 a case, it was a total budget win for our family because they are re-usable, dishwash-able, and nearly indestructible though they are glass. Now, stores are even selling lids that double as straws, shaker lids for herbs and spices, and plastic tops for convenience.