Bubby and Bean ::: Living Creatively: How To Easily Organize Your Pantry and Fridge

This post is in partnership with Rubbermaid.

During this time at home with my family, I'm usually feeling one of two ways: (1) completely unmotivated to do anything or (2) overwhelmingly inspired to tackle home projects. Well last week, after trying to cram shut the doors of my messy pantry and refrigerator for the hundredth time, I suddenly felt the latter, and experienced an intense drive to make both my pantry and my fridge organized and pretty. With the right storage containers - like my favorites, Rubbermaid Pantry Containers and Food Storage Containers - and a little planning, it was much easier than I thought, and my entire family has been appreciating the results ever since.

Right now, we're all stocking up on food in an effort to avoid excessive grocery store trips. We're also all spending a lot of time at home. And that means most of us could benefit from an organized, efficient pantry and fridge. So today I'm going to share how I gave both of mine a makeover in hopes that my tips might help some of you out as well!

(Here are some before shots of each so you can see how things were looking before the organization process. Lots of hot mess going on. Lots of it.)

1. Take everything out.
I actually did a mini pantry and fridge overhaul about a month ago, but I wasn't really happy with the results, and I attribute it to the fact that I mainly just moved things around instead of actually emptying them out first. This time, I removed everything and set it all on tables and counters. This allowed me to (1) wipe down all of the surfaces and (2) evaluate the situation. And I can tell you this: if you're anything like me, you probably have a lot more expired stuff (especially in the pantry) than you think.

2. Install and/or adjust extra shelves or racks if necessary.
During my initial pantry organization, I realized that with the way we're grocery shopping these days (less trips and buying a lot more at once), our tiny pantry just wasn't going to cut it as it was. So I purchased a wire rack for the back of the door for canned goods, jarred sauces, etc. This was an easy way to free up quite a bit of space. I also adjusted some of the shelving in both the refrigerator and pantry to make the spaces more efficient.

3. While items are out, organize into piles by category before putting back.
Once you've thrown away expired items, start grouping items by type. For example, I put all of the pasta together in a pile, all of the breakfast items together, all of the canned beans (we eat a lot of canned beans, man) together, etc. I did the same thing with the fridge items.

4. Transfer items to Rubbermaid Brilliance Containers.
If I could only give you one tip for making the most of your pantry and/or fridge space, this would be it. You can tell by the pictures alone what a massive difference it made once I moved items from their packaging into these truly fantastic, modular, stackable, simply glorious containers.

Rubbermaid Brilliance Pantry Containers have an amazing 2-latch system with a 100% airtight seal. So in addition to making organization super simple thanks to their compact, crystal clear design that allows me to easily see what's inside, they keep all of my pantry staples - from pasta to grains to cereal to snacks - fresh.

With Rubbermaid Brilliance Food Storage Containers (also with a 100% airtight, 2-latch design), I can neatly stack and store everything from sauces to soups to leftovers with no mess. They also have handy built-in vents that allow steam to escape, so we can easily and quickly microwave food without having to remove the lids first.

And all of Rubbermaid Brilliance Containers are thick and durable, stain and odor resistance (a must in this house), BPA-free, safe for the freezer and top rack of the dishwasher. Did I mention that they're really pretty too? Mark my words guys, I will never go back.

5. Place items on shelves by type.
In the past, I've put groceries away in the pantry and fridge wherever they fit. I felt like this looked the best, but in the end, it just wasn't practical. This time, I arranged by type. For example, I put all of the pasta and grains on one shelf in the pantry. I put all of the snacks on another shelf. In the refrigerator, I put all of the produce items on one side of the fridge. I put all of the cheese and meat in one drawer. I even tried to arrange condiments by type. It has made things much easier when we're preparing meals, and ultimately, it's visually more pleasing as well. Being able to see everything at a glance thanks to the crystal clear design of Rubbermaid Brilliance Containers has also been a major plus.

6. Keep the most used items at eye level.
We have been eating our weight in pasta around here lately (judge away!), so I put all of the pasta at eye level in the pantry for easy access. The Rubbermaid Brilliance Containers make it easy to quickly see what I'm working with too. (Will tonight be linguine or spaghetti?) I used the same method of thinking for everyday fridge items as well.

7. Consider kids.
This is more of a life tip than an organization tip, but if you have young kids (or fur babies who like to get into things!), make sure you take that into consideration when organizing too. The first things I put away when redoing the pantry were alcohol and candy, which I put on the top shelf in the back. Maybe this seems like common sense, but after more than too many times of catching my 4 year old with handfuls of chocolate, I finally moved it out of reach. On the other side of things, you might want to consider putting healthy snacks at their level so they can grab them themselves. (This is why we keep fruits and veggies nice and low in the fridge!) Rubbermaid Brilliance Pantry Containers and Food Storage Containers are perfect for kids' snacks because the 2-latch design makes them spill proof. Woohoo!

8. Add bins to the pantry.
I am a basket lover, and use them around the house for everything. So for non-food items and miscellaneous items that usually get pushed to the back, I grabbed a few baskets and bins to store them within the pantry. They look nice and add an extra level of organization - sort of like built in drawers.

During these uncertain times, I have realized more than ever that bringing a sense of order and organization to our home makes a big difference in the way we all feel and operate. Small projects like these organizational makeovers of our pantry and fridge didn't take a lot of effort, but the end result feels huge. From a practical standpoint, it's so much easier now to see what we need when it's time to make a grocery run. And from a visual standpoint, it is comforting to look at a space that is orderly - and pretty too.

If you decide to makeover your pantry or fridge using these tips, send some before and after pics my way. I'd love to see!