Can you believe it’s April? I’ve been on a decluttering kick, and just finished a pantry reorganization that has basically changed my life. This was my second attempt, and this time I got it right, so I thought I would share a few tips and tricks that I learned along the way. And if you’re looking for some bins and organizational goodies, I’ve sourced all my favorites at the end of the post.

First Step: Declutter

And I mean really declutter. The tragic flaw of my first attempt was that I pretended to declutter…I got rid of expired food items and a couple bags. And then my pantry quickly went back to this state…

No bueno.

So this time I got serious and cut deep. I got down to the basics and only kept food that I knew we would actually eat.

I store decor and cooking appliances in my pantry as well, and I did the “spark joy” test – if it wasn’t meaningful, in the “love” category, or used in a year, it went to the donation pile.

In the end I got rid of 17 bags that went to our church food pantry, donation and trash, and I felt 100 pounds lighter. I was amazed at how many things I had saved over the years, and moved multiple times, but never used.

The best part is that it’s been a month and my pantry is still organized, which is a record.

Much better, right?

After simplifying, it’s been so much easier to keep it tidy.

Pretty Up Those Shelves (optional)

One way to declutter is to remove everything from your pantry, and that’s a good time to add some flair to your shelves, if you want. I lined my shelves with clear adhesive liner and added some Heidi Swapp thick washi tape.

Group Your Stuff

Once you’re down to the basics, group everything to see what kind of containers and shelves you might need. I grouped by baking, dry goods, canned, snacks, breakfast, and condiments.

Contain It

Get rid of those cereal boxes and annoying chocolate chip bags and contain everything in jars and bins. I still have some snacks in bags, but it feels much more organized and less cluttered when it’s in a bin.

You can tell we needed to go to the grocery store – There is usually more in those bins, lol.

Label It

I love pretty labels, but my preferred pantry label is a chalkboard label. Here’s why: In my first attempt, I stenciled labels that I loved, but then sometimes I would need to change the jar contents and that just drove me nuts. So, chalkboard is the way to go if you want flexibility, and I got mine at The Container Store.