Spice Cabinet Makeover

Back on the organizing front, the next project on my list was tacking the spice cabinet. This cabinet holds a bunch of random things - mostly basics for cooking like spices, oils, sauces, etc. It was pretty functional for me, but the longer that we're living here and the more things fell into the cabinet, the more I saw a need to get it in order before things got out of hand. Here is what we started with before..

Not too bad but you can see it looks pretty full/cluttered. Actually there was still a bunch of space for things, but in the back. So much wasted space! Time for some bins and an excuse to head back to the Dollar Tree..

I had gone with a plan but when I got there changed my mind a little (I didn't like the clear bins as much and found a bigger size in a solid). So I had to reconfigure a bit but like this end product much better.

First I emptied the cabinet of all contents and wiped it clean. I also cleaned all the new bins purchased. Then, I separated all the items into categories: beverages, baking basics, misc. baking supplies, larger spices, and smaller spices.

The top shelf holds items used less frequently. One bin is entirely for beverages (tea and hot chocolate mix), while the other holds random baking supplies (cupcake liners, chocolate syrup, nuts, chocolate chips, vanilla, sprinkles).

The middle shelf holds a medium bin for larger spice containers and another for cooking basics (baking soda/powder, salt, cornstarch).

I had two of the small, green bins left over from the medicine project, and they happen to fit perfectly. One is for smaller spices, while the other keeps our salt, pepper, and butter salt shakers.

I really want a label maker so I can label the lids of everything (so you can see what they are without having to life them up), but this is a great start. This project took less than ten minutes. I spent more time standing in the dollar store trying to decide which bins to buy than I did actually organizing the cabinet. Again, only a $6 project! I'm scoring.