Basement pantry

More fall cleaning/organization!

Our kitchen is fairly small, so there is not a lot of room for extra storage.  Soon after we moved to this house, Shannon built some shelves in the basement to store all of our bulk purchase and to be used as a pantry.  It is a great storage area. It houses tons of canned goods among other things.  I really wish I would have taken a before picture.  I need to start getting better at that.

I did have some sort of system for where the cans went and how they were stacked, but because the shelves are so large and kids help put stuff away, cans tended to topple and things got rearranged and then it would take a while to find what we needed.  Now, it is much better!

I went online (yes, again!) and scoured picture after picture.  I found some great, beautiful pantries with canned food storage, but I just knew I couldn't justify buying more baskets/containers for this shelving system that sits in our basement. :)  So, I just started looking around. 

I collect shoeboxes.  Well, I don't officially "collect" them, but I don't throw them away.  I was a teacher once and so the teacher in me always thinks about what could be built or stored in the shoebox. I get made fun of from time to time, but I saved a few fourth graders a couple years ago who needed boxes for their diorama projects!  

Okay, that was a tangent... but you can see where this is going!  Shoeboxes!  They aren't pretty, but man, are they super functional in this case!  I used both bottoms and lids and there you have it.  My cans are contained and it really helps with the boxes and jars as well.  And, things are really easy to find!

I did have a few containers/baskets being used in other places that worked better here, so I brought a few down.  Honestly though, the shoeboxes and lids worked the best in this situation because of the depth of the shelves.  It used the real estate in a more efficient way.

We store other random things down here as well.  Extra office/school supplies...

And bulk/extra toiletries and cleaning supplies...

Umm, the toilet paper spot is empty...that's in my Walmart.com shopping cart!

Can a basement pantry make you happy?  Absolutely.

My new special treat

Oh my.

I have found my new favorite treat when I am out and about shopping or running errands.  As a matter of fact, my mouth is watering as I type this.  

I so enjoy shopping at Target.  And now I really enjoy shopping at Target, because before I leave, I grab one of these sandwiches out of the deli section.  I plan my errands so that I am at Target around a meal time.  Or snack time.  Or when I am hungry time.

It is the most crunchy, sweet and salty party for my mouth.  The bread is amazingly good and the chicken salad is so creamy and good, too!

Please don't ask if this is healthy.  It is not.  Not even close really.  I was going to take a picture of the nutrition label, but the numbers were so big I decided that wouldn't make for a very good palm tree and flip flops post.  So, we will pretend that since is has fruit and nuts and rice that it is a healthy treat.  Deal?

Island coconut

I'm not a huge coffee drinker.  As a matter of fact, I have some coffee with my milk and sugar.  But this kind gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling when I drink it (still with plenty of milk and sugar!)  It's a limited edition so sometimes it is hard to find depending on when you are looking.  Imagine my delight when I was in Target the other day and was in the aisle looking for something else and Island Coconut caught my eye. 

Maybe it's because there is a palm tree right on the box...just looking at the box brings a smile to my face!  And I LOVE the smell of coconut anything, so double joy!

Retro Straw holder

Red and white straws complete the look!

RETRO!  Do we need a straw holder? Probably not, but it was just under $6 at Walmart and it reminded me of a 50s diner.  The kids love drinking with straws and it makes me happy every time I look at it on my counter!  I make sure to get the red and white straws from Meijer! ;)