Instant Sanity (later, not now)

An organized pantry not only saves time and frustration, it can actually have a calming affect to just stare at it. As what I consider a great shopper, I often stock up. The most important rule of stock up? Rotate. In order to do this better I write the expiration dates on the top of bottles. You may think, I am totally gonna' use fourteen bottles of ranch by next week, throw it all in your cart and soon what started as a bargain turned out to be one very expensive bottle of ranch and some trash. (Insert expiration date gurus commentary, that is not my forte).
Today I wasted a couple hours making magic, and I am going to share it with you.
I spent fifteen dollars at the Dollar Tree on bins. Quite nice sized, orange, bins. The lovely lady behind the counter asked, "What are you going to do with these?"
"I am organizing my pantry," I chirped happily in a totally uncharacteristic version of a Disney animal.
"With orange?" In an amazing fete she managed to raise her brows while lowering her lips. Seriously, I cannot do this.
"There's a door." I deadpanned. So much judgment.
Well, let me tell you I have good intentions when I go to the store. I am tired of the out there peopling and I think, I will finish organizing later. Then later I kinda' get it on the right shelf. And sometimes I don't even add the date, which helps later on.
So, you go looking for ketchup and there's none and you have ten kids showing up in an hour and run out for ketchup instead of putting batteries in the lamps and it's all just a mess. And pointless. Because there was ketchup. Behind the pasta sauce, because you didn't do it right.
Or, you plan a dinner with the neighbors and you know you have the ingredients, so you vacuum instead and lo and behold in the final touches you realize your dressing expired in July. 2013. Run to the store or ask them to bring some? You feel silly either way.
Finally, today was the day. It wasn't that I had nothing more pressing to do. No. Au contraire that is when I am at my finest. Working my way from the easiest shelf (cereal) I went nuts. Fifteen dollars and two hours of labor later, my bottles are dated (with some dressings rotated into the fridge now). The bonus I threw out less then three bucks worth of food, I know I should be sad, but really, It will be none by next year because I am organized! Plus, it was all candy. So that's bad for you anyway.
Cans were best fit on their sides, fitting a couple more per basket that way. Here you go, you read though all that and you deserve a peak:



I will be adding labels another day, I'm not Supergirl! Those smaller ones can be written on with dry erase markers, woohoo! Yes, I know you can do it better. So go. DO!