# Unorganized / Trashed



## Laura Zone 5 (Jan 13, 2010)

My 'pantRy' is in the basement.
The room that I have it in, is trashed.
Unorganized, and in utter disarray.
I am so ashamed to say that because I am SO OCD / Organized......

I walk down there and see it.....and know it needs tightened up?
And I walk away.

I am so overwhelmed.
Help.


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## BlackWillowFarm (Mar 24, 2008)

Maybe you could start with a trash can or bag and throw away anything not worth keeping, then pick one shelf to organize and go from there. Tell yourself you'll spend 15 minutes on it at first and see what you get accomplished. Once you start to see a positive change in there, you'll be inspired to keep going with it until it's just the way you want it. Also, ask for help. I would rather have a helper than do it by myself. Things always seem more overwhelming when I have to do them alone.


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

Oh, I feel your pain! (Although I call mine a pantry and not a panty, haha!) I've been working all week on organizing our storage area because it was so cluttered and unorganized. I had it all organized a year or so ago, but bought more stuff and didn't get it put away. So I had tomato sauce in three locations, opened cases of veggies in two places, piles of stuff I wanted to try in our BOBs, camping gear I had pulled out and used but not folded up right and put away, etc. All I can tell you is to start in one area and work your way through it. Do it in one or two hour blocks so you don't get burned out, and eventually you'll see progress. After 5 days of 2-3 hours a day, my pantry is starting to look pretty good now, although I still need to do more.


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## mnn2501 (Apr 2, 2008)

Determine to take 15 minutes a day to work on it -- (maybe less, but never more or you'll be overwhelmed) until its organized. You can commit to 15 minutes, don't worry about having a plan, just do something to organize it, then after 15 minutes are up -- leave it until the next day.

Oh, and I think you meant 'pantry' rather than 'panty' - I hope so at least :bowtie:


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## ovsfarm (Jan 14, 2003)

What helps me is to make the problem a bit worse first, then start to solve it.

I usually clean one shelf off completely, stacking whatever was there elsewhere for a while. I clean the shelf, then gather all of one thing, canned green beans, for example. Then I toss everything off of another shelf and pile that stuff elsewhere, then put something there in an orderly manner. Eventually the piles strewn around get smaller and smaller as I designate space for the items to belong.

I know this sounds sappy, but I wrote a few things out on bright neon 3x5 cards and taped them to the front of my shelves. "A place for everything and everything in its place.", "For God is not a God of disorder, but of peace. 1 Corinthians 14:33", and "Don't put it down, put it back!". That helps to remind me to take those extra few seconds to put things where they go rather than just dumping them.

I think one of the biggest problems is when I bring things in that I don't have or make space for. Life just seems to get going so fast sometimes that I try to skip some steps, but that always comes back to bite me in the butt.


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## Laura Zone 5 (Jan 13, 2010)

HAHAHAHAAHA
Yes PantRy
What a dope.
hahahahahahhahah


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## Mutti (Sep 7, 2002)

I know your pain....living in a century old farmhouse has the drawback of no storage. As an OCD person it drives me bats having my stores sitting out on shelves in three different rooms plus a storage room in the garage for long term stuff. I just never get a real handle on it. Don't like our stores visible to others at all. Don't know why I can't get a handle on this either as I can put my hands on any book,knitting needle or old receipt instantly....think I need more people eating the food???


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

What I do. I move everything out. Then put it back in place. Looking at the empty space before putting it back helps me feel like I acomplished something Halfway thru:icecream:


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## happydog (May 7, 2008)

I finally got my pantry organized after moving in (7 months ago!) and throwing everything in there all jumbled up. Here's a couple of ideas for you. 

Most people recommend pulling everything out and first cleaning it. Then start putting "like things" together. For example: I have dozens of jars of different kinds of dried beans. I put them all together on one shelf. Then I put all the spices on one shelf. Then I saw I had lots of xyz left, and I put them all together on one shelf. Repeat until done.

The other way to approach it is by area. (Which is what I had to do because my 5 year old would've had a field day with everything pulled out into the dining room.) Clean off one area at a time and then put all the things that go together in that area. I started on the top shelves and the bottom shelves because they accomodate certain things that can only fit there. 

For instance, the big canners, steam juicer, and ice cream churn will only fit on the bottom shelves. Things that are big and lightweight and infrequently used, like the turkey roaster and the cupcake holder go on the top shelves. Then work your way through the other shelves.

I spent a lot of time on Pinterest looking at other people's pantries. That helped me get motivated and gave me ideas to use in my own pantry.

Here's a pic of how my pantry came out. It took me 7 months to get up the courage to clean and organize it. It was so bad I hated baking because it took me half an hour to find all the baking supplies which were stashed randomly.


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## bama (Aug 21, 2011)

i want a pantry so bad!

i need to reorganize my cabinets. as i buy, stuff just gets stuck wherever it will fit, and now it is a jumbled mess!


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## happydog (May 7, 2008)

A couple more things. Know the depth of your shelves. Then you can get lazy susans to store your oil bottles, vinegars, steak sauces etc. On smaller shelves I have smaller lazy susans for spices.

Here are some good inspiration sites:
a little of this, a little of that: Pretty Pantry {A Makeover Story}

Amber Lane Living

The House of Smiths - Home DIY Blog - Interior Decorating Blog - Decorating on a Budget Blog

One Perfect Room: Pantry makeover

Some good ideas for organizing here:
Homestead Revival: Simple & Beautiful Kitchen and Pantry Organization

Here's a cool closet-to-pantry makeover:
How to Set up Pantry Closet in your Home | In My Own Style

And if you're starting from scratch, designing your pantry yourself, this site is fantastic:
SHELVING for Kitchen Pantries/Pantry - We've Got IT!


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

I never get anywhere by pulling it all out. I get fed up part way through and just shove everything back in in an even more disorganized mess.

Pieces and short time frames work very well if you are ADD or ADHD. One shelf or 15 minutes at a time. Might take a few days/weeks but you'll do a better job of keeping it organized long term. That's how I keep the gardens weeded, a section here or there, half an hour a day or a couple times a day. Works for me. YMMV

Still trying to get my indoor garden set-up organized and cleaned up. A lot of junk got piled there when it was first brought in and over the summer when it wasn't being used for plants.


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## newfieannie (Dec 24, 2006)

i have an awful mess too. most of it is in this craft room. i started on it yesterday.it's coming along. i just had no idea where to put the extra tp. already had one small closet packed full. got the idea to use my jet tub that i dont use in the winter time. packed it to the gills and spread a sheet over it. i'll worry about what to do with it summer time when that comes around. ~Georgia.


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## Laura Zone 5 (Jan 13, 2010)

As you come down the stairs this is what you see.
The stuff on the white table is scrapbook / sewing stuff.
The stuff on the stainless table is where I dry stuff...










This is as you turn to your right.










This stainless table is where we clean our guns, and the book case behind it is where I keep my homesteading/ garden books.










On bottom are my zillions of empty Ball jars. On top is my back up food stuff.










Ok, that's the whole room.
Seriously. Just posting pictures makes my chest hurt.

I have enough wood that I can build a small storage type system to go under the 'food stuff shelf' on the drywall wall.

I don't know where to start. 
I just buy stuff and throw it in the basement.....
I am so out of my league on this one.

The total room size is about 30 x 30...maybe a bit more.
Help.


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## newfieannie (Dec 24, 2006)

sure that's not so bad. you wouldn't like to see pics of my den. still have boxes all along one side from where i moved 5 years ago. i usually just walk through the den coming and going. ~Georgia


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## Laura Zone 5 (Jan 13, 2010)

I need to get this area to make sense.
This is not 'prepared' this is 'trainwreck'


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Looking at you pictures this is what I would do (I'm not OCD but I enjoy the challenge of organizing)

First....make a HUGE mess, yep, you read that right. Take everything you don't need on a daily bases and pile it in the corner. Now toss a blanket over it and turn you back to that pile, you should see a clear clean space! 

Next....shelving! You have great wall and floor space to work with. If you have more then one basement space (IE room to do other things in other locations) then think grocery store. Make isles of shelving (buy, build it, what ever kind you want). Go floor to ceiling with different height shelves, if this is the only space for "basement work" then go all the way around the outside walls. If making your shelving, measure your "tools". How big is your caner(s), dehydrator(s), etc. Use those measurements when working out your shelves. If buying, mix and match the shelving types to fit the heights you need (hint hint....skip the put it together yourselves metal shelving for anything other then cereal and cracker boxes). 

Third....install shelves. Use your empty shelves and start sorting out that pile pf mess behind your back (you remembered not to look at that pile at all during this process, right!? If you peek at the pile before you shelving is done you will get detracted and start wanting to sort mid project...DON'T DO IT!) You will be amazed at how much you can fit now. You may even have empty shelves!!


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

Laura - that's not so bad! You should have seen mine when I first decided to organize it! We're talking stacks you couldn't walk between, outgrown/offseason clothes, tarps that needed folding, a ton of empty pasta type jars, and empty cardboard boxes "I might need some day" and the food. :whistlin:

I agree with Ohio Dreamer - get shelving. Lowe's usually has those metal shelf units on sale in January, and you might find them on sale now. I just bought two of their biggest ones a few days ago at almost half price and free shipping. They're heavy to haul home myself so if I can get them to delivery, yay! I like them because you can select the shelf height and even take them apart if you (sob!!) move. I have mine set up all along the wall and several rows in the middle like a Costco. We have home canned food on one, camping/survival gear on one, and various cases of food and other stuff on the others. 

Clear one wall, set up some shelves and start grouping things together. Throw out stuff you've decided you'll never use or that is too badly expired, and just keep going.

Show us an "after" picture to encourage all of us who have huge organizing jobs to do.


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## Mutti (Sep 7, 2002)

Least you have a room so you are way ahead of those who have to find places for storage wherever they can. Instead of the wire shelving on the one wall I'd build attached wooden shelves sized to hold the items you want to store. In our previous house in MI one whole wall of basement was stout shelves of 3/4' plywood and 2x8" construction.....didn't want it to every collaspe!!! Several sections with shelves sized to hold just pints or qts. since at that time I was doing jars in the hundreds with 4 children at home.

If I had all this space I'd have food storage on one wall, household storage on another and remember that lots can be stored high up if seldom used. Right now I have some stout shelvesbuilt in the tractor shed....but the canners,giant kettles,squeezo,apple peeler,noodle machine,empty jars, etc.etc f don't care and I don't have to look at them in my small kitchen year round. 

In our small 10x10' storage room in garage we only store long term stuff so we built the first set of shelves high enough off the floor to be able to slide buckets of wheat,beans,rice under them and out of the way. DH husband built that room like Fort Knox and have never had any mice or even a spider in there!My ocd wants to come help you so bad...oh,for a basement again.


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## belladulcinea (Jun 21, 2006)

Honestly I would start with the smallest area, like in the first picture, take everything off that doesn't belong there and rearrange it. Then tomorrow, go to the next area. One of the things I would probably do is move the craft table over to a wall for a short time and work only on food preps. Your area doesn't look :run: it just needs some organizing. I tend to over think my organizing and then get too messed up to continue, so I do it in small pieces. I clean one area to the wall, so to speak, then move to the next area!

Sometimes dragging everything out can work to, but I use that method for small closets and kitchen cabinets!

Have a trash bag and a couple of boxes for things no longer needed to donate or toss. 

I so understand, we are downsizing. :run:


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## dlskidmore (Apr 18, 2012)

It doesn't look so bad. I think part of the problem is the room is so multi-purpose, whatever you're down there for you have something irrelevant in front of you. Enclosed boxes or shelf units with doors would help visually with that.

As far as the metal shelves go, my mother would buy two identical, and use twice the number of shelves for just one set of uprights to hold canning goods. Jars are heavy and only so tall, and don't stack well...

As you organize, set things up for stock rotation and expansion. What's your goal for numbers of cans of beans to store? Leave room on the shelf for the ones you plan to add. Otherwise next time you buy beans you're got to reorganize to keep things neat. Also figure out if you're doing stock rotation front to back or right to left, and organize by expiration date, so you use things up before they expire. Always put the new food on the "new" side, and use from the "old" side. If the "old" side gets too old, then you're restocking that item too fast and just buying expensive chicken/hog/compost food.


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## happydog (May 7, 2008)

One word - shelves. You can build them or buy them, but you can't get organized till you have space to put everything. Look on craigslist. I found industrial stainless steel racks that came out of a nursing home for $25. 

You'll be amazed at how fast you can get organized as soon as you have shelves to fill up.


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## TheMartianChick (May 26, 2009)

I tend to work in small sections at a time. How often do you scrapbook? If you don't do it often, then I'd pack that stuff away in a couple of bins. The bins could be stowed under the table.

Next time, I'd work on the shelves that are in the 3rd photo. Those are nice shelves, but they are wasting a good portion of your storage space because they are spaced too far apart. You could never stack a lot of heavy stuf on them to take up the wasted space because you'd run the risk of the shelves crashing down. So...if they were remounted a bit closer together, then you could probably fit another row of shelves on the wall. The floor space could be utilized for bins and boxes.I think I saw a dehumidifier in one of the photos... if you are uncomfortable with storing things right on the floor due to dampness, you could put together a riser shelf made with boards and a few concrete blocks to keep things off of the floor.

Do you use your picnic/summer coolers as storage bins too? I do. I store 5 and 10 lb bags of sugar and flour in my coolers. I seal them in 2 gallon ziplock bags before putting them in there.

Sometimes, I need a bit of inspiration to spur me to do a big job. There are some great examples of what others have done with pantries on Pinterest. I may have just found my inspiration for the ideal pantry in Happydog's photo since mine is about the same size. Of course, I'd love to have the amount of space that you have to work with, Laura!


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## sustainabilly (Jun 20, 2012)

Laura, that area has _alot_ of potential! Great inspiration in above posts. I agree about perimeter shelves and with doing it in pieces. Manageable pieces. How do you eat an elephant? And, maybe one area where you can slip unused tables under the shelving?


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Personally I would do away with the wire shelves attached to the walls and go with real wire rack shelving. Look at your current system and all the wasted space between. Use a tape measure and buy racks that fit what you want to accomplish. You can even use long and tall ones to separate the areas into manageable zones. Building a partition between your storage area and crafting/gun cleaning area might be a good idea. 

Move all the food stuffs away from the water lines. If you ever have to work on the lines it's a real problem to move all that stuff. And what if you spring a leak? Several places sell folding laundry racks, that would be excellent for hanging herbs on. 

Same sized stackable storage totes would be nice too. Make sure to either get transparent ones or label them.


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## wagvan (Jan 29, 2011)

happydog said:


> A couple more things. Know the depth of your shelves. Then you can get lazy susans to store your oil bottles, vinegars, steak sauces etc. On smaller shelves I have smaller lazy susans for spices.
> 
> Here are some good inspiration sites:
> a little of this, a little of that: Pretty Pantry {A Makeover Story}
> ...


Ooooooooooh! Pantry porn!:happy::goodjob::hysterical:


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

I'm so jealous of that space.


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## Laura Zone 5 (Jan 13, 2010)

Please.....don't be!!


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## Sparkie (Aug 16, 2012)

Oh wow, that really isn't bad at all. Perception is everything. You perceive that it's messy so it's stressing you out. That space is neater than most of my actual house. We have a serious problem with disorganization and it's making me crazy. I don't even know where to start  So obviously I have no suggestions to help in a physical way. But mentally you can choose/control what you allow to stress you


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

I don't think it is that bad at all. You should see my storage areas! LOL
You do need to keep stocking up though. I know you have mentioned a few children. You need more in storage in case the economy goes south.
I personally would just start on the one table, or the floor. Just do one thing at a time. It's really not that bad at all. A couple of hours, and you would be completely sorted and organized.


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

Wish I had a basement....I have the nice wire racks from home depot...like 6 of them...hint the shelves are adjustable...so first shelf is "bucket height" next shelf is #10 can height next is quart, then pint....I have my big pots/pans on top (10ft ceilings) or TP/papertowels

The legs on mine can also take shower curtain hooks for hanging type things....hats/mittens, rags, light wt type of stuff in clear bags

My room also has the furnace and oil tank and freezer to work around...its FULL!


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## shannsmom (Jul 28, 2009)

Count me as jealous of the basement as well! Before I decided (had) to organize our food storage, there were literally a couple of hundred grocery store bags of food or other preps I would just dump on the floor in front of the 1 set of shelves I had. So, I built shelving for all the walls of the room and started putting things on there, because the bag pile in front of the original shelf was over a foot deep, I couldn't see what was on the bottom 2 levels of the shelf! And I found lots of things I had to throw out because they had been hidden and expired during the years I was too tired to put things away properly after work ( boy, that's hard to admit!). It was not all pleasant building those shelves and going through things, but now it is so easy to put things away, get things I need, and keep everything rotated, it is so worth it! And I do occasionally put a bag or 2 in front of the shelf the things will belong on, but they never sit there long lol!


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

shannsmom said:


> there were literally a couple of hundred grocery store bags of food or other preps I would just dump on the floor in front of the 1 set of shelves I had.


You have seen my pantry and storage sheds, haven't you? Cause that is how they look.


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

Laura Zone 5 said:


> Please.....don't be!!



Can't help it. I've always wanted a basement for extra storage. Hubby wants to get one of those big metal freight boxes to bury out back but I don't think the county will let him.


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## OnlyMe (Oct 10, 2010)

You have a nice space to work with and a lot of options for organization.

I'm not sure what your budget is but the can racks from Shelf Reliance (I have no connection, just bought one years ago) may be something to consider. Canned goods are super heavy and these racks are impressively strong.

If you are a visual person, I would reposition the white shelves you currently have so you can create 3 levels. These would work best for lightweight items such as paper goods (paper plates, cups, napkins, bandaids etc). If you want to get decorative, use some baskets and hang pretty tags with labels on them to identify the contents. I would then purchase shelving to position around the perimeter. The different shelves will have a weight rating to give you an idea of their strength. If you have empty boxes, they can be used along the back of the shelf to provide a riser so you don't lose sight of, and forget, items placed toward the back.

If you are not a visual person, and want to make a larger investment, cabinets with doors would make the room look more streamlined.

If you'd like to make it more decorative, you could start with painting the walls. Once you set it all up, this option is pretty much hindsight LOL.

Lastly, I really like the stainless tables. Perhaps you could create an "island" of some sort in the middle of the room for your projects. I think I saw a rolling card in youor pics that could be used underneath for craft storage. Perhaps a cord could be strung along the bottom of one, tacked to the table with binder clips and used for drying herbs.

Have fun with this project - once you set it up in a way that works for you, and you like it, it will probably be easy to maintain.


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## SageLady (Jun 10, 2008)

happydog said:


> I finally got my pantry organized after moving in (7 months ago!) and throwing everything in there all jumbled up. Here's a couple of ideas for you.
> 
> Most people recommend pulling everything out and first cleaning it. Then start putting "like things" together. For example: I have dozens of jars of different kinds of dried beans. I put them all together on one shelf. Then I put all the spices on one shelf. Then I saw I had lots of xyz left, and I put them all together on one shelf. Repeat until done.
> 
> ...


This is BEAUTIFUL!!!


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## dlskidmore (Apr 18, 2012)

OnlyMe said:


> I'm not sure what your budget is but the can racks from Shelf Reliance (I have no connection, just bought one years ago) may be something to consider.


I don't consider myself a prepper, but they seem downright reasonable for a prepper website. Their calculator has a max plan duration of 24 months (which I consider the max reasonable storage myself, capable of withstanding a year of total crop failure) They encourage you to set a budget, rotate your goods, and help you pick out a reasonable variety of foods to meet your caloric needs.


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## dlskidmore (Apr 18, 2012)

happydog said:


>


Where did you get the jars you used to organize various odd ends? There's the squarish ones with side lids up top, and the bigger round glass lidded ones on the bottom...


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

Walmart has those jars in the canister section of the kitchen utensil aisle.

It is a beautiful pantry but I could fill it about a dzn times over!


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

mpillow said:


> Walmart has those jars in the canister section of the kitchen utensil aisle.
> 
> It is a beautiful pantry but I could fill it about a dzn times over!


me too...plus, I have plenty of "store bought" stuff (veges, spam tuna oil vinegar mayo etc) that is not attractive like home canned goods


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## dlskidmore (Apr 18, 2012)

mpillow said:


> It is a beautiful pantry but I could fill it about a dzn times over!


Yeah, but it's nice to have a selection of things close by the kitchen while the majority of the stores are away in the basement. Then "go shopping" in your basement every couple weeks and refresh the pantry.


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## Melissa (Apr 15, 2002)

You need to set the room up into zones. One area dedicated to food storage, an area for empty jars and supplies needed for food processing, an area for your guns etc... and an area for crafting/scrapbooking/ reading supplies. I am itching to come to your house and help organize this!!!! It would be so much fun~


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## Laura Zone 5 (Jan 13, 2010)

1. Packed away all my scrapbook stuff. 

2. Put all my seeds in one container with a lid.

Today I am gonna put the lemon balm and comfrey away. 
I am gonna seed all my sunflower heads too.
That will clear off the stainless table.

S-L-O-W-L-Y but surely.


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

dlskidmore said:


> Where did you get the jars you used to organize various odd ends? There's the squarish ones with side lids up top, and the bigger round glass lidded ones on the bottom...


Amazon has good prices on storage jars. Both glass and plastic.


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## happydog (May 7, 2008)

dlskidmore said:


> Where did you get the jars you used to organize various odd ends? There's the squarish ones with side lids up top, and the bigger round glass lidded ones on the bottom...


I found the round ones at walmart when I used to make kombucha. They come in 3 sizes I think. Love them, they hold everything, were cheap(ish) and look pretty. The squarish jars came from Ikea. 

I also buy half gallon and gallon Ball/mason jars whenever I can find them on sale. They make perfect matching canisters. I put everything in them from spaghetti to beans to rice and wheat. I like having everything in glass. I never have to worry about getting pantry weevils, I can see what's in them, and I can see when I'm getting low on something.

The pantry is 8x8. One set of shelves swings out from the wall and there's a good size room hidden back there.  And yes, that's where I "shop." We raise, butcher, and can all our beef, chicken, and pork. What we don't make here I buy in bulk, like coconut oil, olive oil, and grains. I also have a root cellar/storage room connected to the house and a buried 26' diesel tank that dh converted to food storage. 

We've been homesteading/farming for 3 years now, and I've learned that processing and canning all our animals and vegetables takes up a whole heap more space than I ever dreamed. 

Melissa had a great idea. Break your space down into zones. Have you ever noticed how a kindergarten class is set up? I love how organized they are. Everything is in it's own zone so it's easy to find things and easy to return them. Have one zone for craft supplies, one for food storage, another for canning supplies, etc.

Just keep working on it and pretty soon it'll all be done. Be sure to add good lighting. And I think it's important to add some pretty touches so you feel happy when you go in.


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## fordy (Sep 13, 2003)

Laura Zone 5 said:


> I need to get this area to make sense.
> This is not 'prepared' this is 'trainwreck'


....................You can build some relatively cheap shelving out of 2x4's and 1/2 CD(exterior grade)plywood ! Since you have a concrete floor you could even attach some rollers so they could be moved around if needbe . Make'um 4 feet wide and 5 feet high so YOU can stand flat footed and still access the top shelf . I helped a lady build some shelving for her basement , per the above and I angled the shelves to the back just a tad so the jars\cans were always sliding backwards . She had wheels on all her units and everytime she moved them around the items would slide back and she never had anything accidentially fall off a shelf and create a mess . She had a little stool she could move a round and she would realign her various items into groups . , fordy:cowboy:


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

I've found something recently that's been helping me, and making me feel good about what I get done.. .

I keep my head down and don't look at anything but the small task I'm taking on at the time... Say cleaning off one shelf... Or picking up trash in one area... 

When you get done and stand back and look at that one little area, you feel proud.. 

Then I move on to the next project. Only look at and focus on that one particular thing... Once you get it done, you feel like you accomplished something.. 

After a while, it all starts to add up, and once you do finally look up and take everything in, it's no longer quite as overwhelming..


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## Pam6 (Apr 9, 2009)

Happydog, your pantry is gorgeous! 

LauraZone5, that is more than a pantry it is a craft room too. 

I am like mpillow. I do not have a basement so my preps have taken up half of the spare bedroom, half of my bedroom, the closet shelves in both of the boys rooms (canning jars), and I have 5 gallon buckets stashed behind DD's bedroom door and empty canning jars stashed under her bed so I am at a total loss for organizing all of my preps!


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## meanwhile (Dec 13, 2007)

Happy Dog: I notice you live in Western NC and so do I. I think I am just going to come move in your pantry! What a nice pantry! 

My whole house is a wreck with piles of stuff stacked up everywhere. My husband just retired last year after an illness. He lived and worked in another state. We had to suddenly move him and the whole office into our house! Now, things are stuffed to the ceiling. 

I finally decided to just do one bit at a time. Today my younger son was asked to unload his closet and drawers of anything and everything he did not need. It is now piled on the porch to donate. I was able to go one shelf in the laundry room. It is a start and I am motivated to keep going.

Try to just tackle any one thing you can each week. Hang in there!


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