Parents' Pantry Organized

Happy Spring Everyone!  Well, for some of us anyway!  They are calling for snow again this weekend, yay.  Hope everyone enjoyed their last holiday weekend!  We traveled up to see both of our Families, but while we were at my Parents' house, I wanted to make use of a few hours to re-organize their pantry.  I gave it a first attempt a few years ago, but since I didn't have the supplies I needed, it slowly devolved into this:

While this may scare some people, it gives me a little tingle!  All that stuff to organize!!  ;-)  Yeah, I'm weird...
Anywho!  I bought them two battery powered, motion operated lights for this dark closet and I had to install them before I got started just to get some light in there for pictures.  I purchased them at Lowes here.  They are small and unobtrusive, turn on automatically when you open the door and automatically turn off in 30 seconds after you close it.  They also come with 3M velcro strips to hang them!  Perfect amount of light to show off the newly organized pantry!

I purchased the over-the-door shoe organizer from Target here.  This thing is doing A LOT of heavy lifting in this pantry!  Seriously, if you do not have space for crab mallets, party utensils, grilling utensils and other odd shaped items, this piece is a life changer.  I was able to organize many of their smaller storage needs with this one item.

My previous attempt to organize wasn't terrible, I just didn't have the proper materials to corral everything and KEEP it organized.  This time, Mom gave me the measurements and I hit Target with my handy tape measure.  I wound up with 6 clear shoe bins and one under bed storage bin.  After I got into the project, I realized I should have picked up more shoe bins.  Doh!  Mom had a few empty bins in the basement though, so it worked out fine!  
I also snagged their old lazy susan that was destined for the trash and used it for their canned goods...

I labeled everything with my new Dymo MobileLabeler.  This model has an app for your IOS or Android phone that connects with Bluetooth and prints directly to the labeler.  It is awesome!  You all know how I like to label ALL the things!  Look out if you stop by my house, you just might get labeled...  ;-)  LOL!  And look how cute and portable it is...

Since this pantry closet is still "graced" with the builder grade wire shelving, I used the lid of the larger bin to keep vases upright and other items from falling through.  I mentioned to my Parents that taking the disposables out of their packaging when they get them home from the store makes them that much easier to grab when you need them.  And - bonus!  This simple step also makes the pantry more visually pleasing...

They wanted to keep their Crockpot, popcorn popper and other gadgets in this pantry as well.  That is where the larger bin came into play.  It easily slides on the vinyl flooring so they can pull it out and grab what they need...

I also picked up a folding step stool for my vertically challenged Mother, 'cause that top shelf with the coffee is WAY too important not to reach!  ;-)  The fire extinguisher lives here and I kept one reusable, insulated bag for them in here as well.  As I was cleaning out the pantry, I asked how often they used all of the multitudinous reusable bags and the answer was, "Never, we re-use the plastic grocery bags for the cat's litter."  Oki doki then!  Out they went along with three bags of expired items and useless packaging.  Here's one more look at my Parents' re-organized Pantry:

While my dream is to tear out the wire shelving and install a more efficient system in this closet for them, this isn't bad for a few hours worth of work!  Let's just hope they stick to the system.  At least I know Mom has been enjoying it!  She has been opening the door just to see the lights go on and gaze at the cleanliness!  ;-)
I hope this little project inspires some spring cleaning vibes for you all!
Have a great weekend!
Cheers!
M J