For those that have read about our home, we own a 2 story 1900 home. The storage is a bit.. uh.. lacking. I have made the best of the storage space that we have. My most important area in my home, is the kitchen. We do not have that much cabinet space and when our home was built way back when, there was not a pantry built. can deal with this. When we moved in this house a year and a half ago, the fridge was in an area what (according to the original 1901 house plans) used to be a small porch that was built in. There is a door in this area, which I have screwed shut and bolted a wooden shelf in front of it. We have our fridge in the kitchen area and I have converted this old porch area in to a full pantry with added shelves and extra wall shelves added, as well as I am utilizing plastic bins for misc. kitchen needs.

If you are looking for expand your kitchen for storage needs, be sure to explore all of your options. Home renovation is very expensive, but using what you have around the house can save you thousands of dollars. I had 3 extra 3-drawer bins in the kids’ playroom that we weren’t using to their full ability, so I moved them in the pantry last year. I added shelves that were in our old bedroom before we moved in to this house and I used extra wood to make shelves on the wall where the food is at. All were of no additional cost.

See video for before and after of our pantry. And yes – I am addicted to organization and labeling. It’s my weakness.

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I truly believe in utilizing every spot in your house for what you need it for. I have been collecting Tupperware for over 10 years now. It really comes in handy! Each trip to the grocery store, we get home and empty all boxes into Tupperware containers.

1. It helps you see what you ‘need’ to buy before you go to the store, so it will save you money. I used to go to the store and buy what I didn’t think we already had. Well, I got home only to see that I already had that item, so I basically double spent on something I didn’t need.
2. Taking things from boxes and putting in storage containers will keep bugs out of your food. It is not the food that attracts bugs, it is the glue on the boxes that attracts. I learned this by working for Tupperware umpteen years ago. I found it to be true.
3. Last, but not least, it looks pretty. Doesn’t it? My lid colors don’t match, but who cares – it works!

Happy Organizing in 2010!