Pantry Woes

For the first time, I may be in over my head.

I have 2 big boxes of pantry goods and a very small pantry.  One of the requirements of every place we've lived in since college is that it MUST have a stand alone pantry.  Luckily, those have been easy to come by...until now.

The biggest challenge will be some of the bulk shopping we've done since I have discovered the heaven that is Costco.  I finally live near one and it more than lived up to the hype.  The only problem is that I know have 4 large bags of nuts, a large tub of dates, and a giant container of pancake mix.

There are 4 shelves in my pantry.  My guess is that they're slightly more than a foot deep, a foot tall and a foot in width.  I remind myself constantly that these are not meant to permanently house a family of 5 and that it will take a bit of creativity to get things organized.

(An hour later)
I got the first box of pantry supplies in there.  It's a really good thing that I am good at Tetris.  The only things left in this box are 2 large bags of nuts.  The only thing that concerns me is that the pantry is now about 3/4 full and I have another box.

(Another hour later)
Well, it's done.  There are now pantry goods on the shelf under the table (where the girls sit, so they won't be kicking it.  There are also some pantry items under the area where the bunk beds overhang.

A few notes about RV pantries and full-time RVing:

• They are surprisingly large considering how small they look.

• Remove items from their box to maximize space (crackers, cereal, cookies, etc...)

• Use bins to make accessing goods in the very back of the pantry easier.  It will be easier to slide a bin out to get the canned goods in the very back, than to remove the things in the front over and over again.

• You wouldn't think I'd have to say this, but I ended up having to re-do mine after using it for a few days.  Organize your shelves with frequently used items at the front.  This may mean separating items your would otherwise store together.

• Utilize space outside of the pantry for larger items. (under the dining room bench, under the dining table, under the couch, small niches and cubbies.