Now that we’re in February I think it’s safe to say that all of us have our holiday decor put away by now. Except for those two boxes that are still sitting by the attic door. Those don’t count! My house is still in its resting phase. That time after the holidays were things look a little bare, but instead of immediately filling it back up I’m letting it breathe. I’m evaluated what stays, what goes. And what does make the cut needs to make my life easier, not harder. Who else is organizing or looking for ideas on how best to organize spaces in their home? There are a few spots in our house that I’m happy to say have been organized well and have taken home the organization gold medal. By that I mean they have actually stayed organized. Some spaces even going on almost five years! Staying power and being able to maintain it with ease is what you want when organizing. Otherwise it was a waste of your time. Here is some organization inspiration from my home to yours.

Pantry Organization

The most common pain point in any home is the pantry. It took me a few attempts to figure out the best way to organize our awkward little kitchen pantry. But, now that we have a system that’s truly functional and easy to maintain, it’s a breeze.

My Top Kitchen Pantry Tips:

• Clear Containers – It is a bit of an investment (I kept cost down by picking mine up at Homegoods) but clear food storage containers made the biggest impact on our pantry. No more fitting in awkward shaped boxes of different sizes that never stay sealed. These containers keep everything fresh and are easy to grab and stack. There’s a set amount of space they take up and you can easily see how much you have left of an item. Restocking after a trip to the grocery store is fun. Weird but true.
• Smaller Baskets vs. Larger Baskets – I originally had large bins to store like items. That just leads to having to sort through the entire big basket to find what you need. Not helpful. Go with smaller baskets so you’re not digging. And you can even divide those up further by using smaller containers inside like I did for granola bars and fruit snacks.
• Turntables – Life savers those little things are. Not only do they corral items together, but you’re not pulling things out to get to items in the back. They’re also invaluable for corners.
• Matching Spice Jars – Not going to lie, I wanted these mostly because they’re appealing to the eye. But, what I discovered was that it was significantly easier to find what I needed. These pretty little containers make cooking easier.

Check out the full pantry makeover here.

Kitchen Drawer Organization

I went far too long without good kitchen drawer organization. You don’t realize how good it can be until you’ve made the change and are wondering how you lived without it for so long. I really like these drawer dividers because you can customize the spaces.

Tip: To make the most out of one set of these drawer organizers I divided it among two drawers and used double sided tape to keep the moveable dividers from sliding on the side of the drawers.

School Lunch Station

I repurposed one drawer in our kitchen to hold everything I needed when making the kids their lunches for school. The food storage bag containers are so handy. I used two of the sizes for plastic cutlery since we don’t use those size of bags. The bamboo piece with the serrated teeth on the far right holds cling wrap and foil, my most used food cover items. Not having to deal with the little boxes these items come in and the tops not staying shut has been amazing.

Laundry Room Organization

A few years ago I switched my cleaning supplies over to all-natural Thieves. It cut down hugely on the number of cleaners I had in cabinets and under the sinks. Once I tossed the old cleaners I focused on organizing what I had left in our laundry room cabinets. Clear bins and turntables to the rescue. I no longer feel stressed out when I open the laundry room cabinet and everything I need is easily within reach.

Tip: This organization set is the absolute best value out there. You get two large bins, two small bins, and a turntable for under $25.00. I used two sets for our laundry room cabinets. They also work great under sinks too since the bins are stackable.

Kid’s Closet Organization

Builder grade closets are not functional. Last year I ripped out the rods and shelves in my daughter’s closet and replaced it with a new system that was completely customizable and a breeze to install myself. She is in organization heaven now that she has tons of shelves, drawers, bins, and even a built-in hamper. See all the cool details and customizations in the full makeover here. I’m currently designing my son’s closet with this same system because it’s that good.

Master Closet Organization

We were blessed with a huge walk-in closet in this house, but again with the builder grade. It’s just not functional. Five years ago I ripped it out and saved money by installing an IKEA closet system myself. A good closet makeover can completely change how smooth your mornings go. Adding the before photos was shocking, I almost forgot how bad it was. You can see the full makeover here.

Affordable Organization Containers

Little acrylic containers can be so expensive. I’ve been using these little containers and bins for inside drawers and under the kids’ sinks. You can’t beat the price. I’ve found that in drawers used by multiple people it’s helpful to label each container. Just to make sure everyone knows exactly where things are supposed to go.

I hope you found some ideas to help get you started in on your organization goals for the year. Stay tuned because as I mentioned earlier, I’m in the process of designing my son’s closet makeover right now. I cannot wait to get his closet organized and functioning in the best way possible for him. Happy organizing!