Our Budget-Friendly Pantry Makeover

You don’t have to break the bank to give your pantry a fresh look and some organization. Here’s our budget-friendly pantry makeover! 

I can’t believe that I finally get to share a finished pantry with you all today. I’ll admit I was beginning to think I’d never get around to redoing it. It’s been a long time coming. When we bought our home a couple years ago we had so much construction going elsewhere in the house that the pantry was one of those places that we just closed the door and tried not to think about. We cleaned it and that was the extent of it. Fast forward almost three years and I’m happy to report that it’s fresh and organized and all for under $100!

Here’s what we were working with before –

was dark, grungy and for some reason had a bit of green spray paint on the back wall. The shelves were spaced far apart and there wasn’t very many of them. It made it hard to keep things organized. I will admit this photo was taken before I cleaned it out somewhat.

First, we removed all of the shelves and the brackets that were holding them. We purchased an 4’x8′ sheet of bead board for about $20 and cut it to size and nailed it to the back wall. I’ve always loved bead board. It’s such a simple upgrade that continues to be timeless and so classic.

We decided to reuse the shelf brackets. We also were able to take two of the shelves and cut them in half length wise to make more shallow shelves to go on top. This allowed use to use the upper portion of the pantry that was once useless. We cut the shelf brackets in half to make enough for the extra shelves.

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We figured out the placement of all the shelves and nailed them in place. The shelves are a little closer together now to allow for optimal storage. We filled all of the old holes, the bead board seam and painted the pantry in Dove White by Benjamin Moore, the same color as out kitchen.

Here’s our pantry today –

The extra shelves at the top of the pantry created a space for canisters and more narrow items. I used four baskets that I found at TJ Maxx for less than $7 each to store baking supplies, chips and snack foods for Charlie and one for granola, nuts, etc. We got rid of as many boxes as we could to make more shelf space. Having items designated to a particular basket has allowed us to keep things tidy and in their place. It makes finding things much easier.

I’ve used glass canisters from Target and Hobby Lobby to hold pastas, rice and baking ingredients that we use often. I keep larger canisters on my counter so the smaller shelves are the perfect size for smaller jars. Instead of looking for matching containers I used what I had on hand and found items that had a different purpose to hold hard to store items. For instance, our hot chocolate pouches ended up in a ceramic bread pan that I rarely use. It holds them perfectly!

With just three of us in the house, we don’t keep a large amount of food in our pantry. Depending on your family’s size will determine how many shelves are right for you and how you should go about organizing your pantry. However, I think we’ve created a simple look that’s easy altered to meet your family’s needs.

Our pantry was complete until we under a hook to hold my aprons. I used to have it on the wall in the kitchen but I prefer it here much better. I keeps things tidy looking in the kitchen and I like being able to just shut the door and know everything is in its place.

This little makeover was extremely budget-friendly. We reused all the shelves and brackets and used paint from the kitchen that we had on hand. With a few inexpensive baskets and a couple extra canisters that were half off at Hobby Lobby, we spent about $50.  I just wish I had done it a long time ago. With the holidays just around the corner there will be loads of holiday baking. I’m so glad that our pantry is up for the challenge!