FREE SAMPLE
WORK PLANNER!
Organize Your Spice Cabinet With These Fun Jars!
We've all been there – you're in the thick of cooking dinner; kids are yelling, dog is barking, phone is ringing – and just when you go to pull the oregano out of the spice cabinet it happens: a spice jar avalanche.Â
It's time to get that spice cabinet under control. And we're here to help you do it!
Here are our favorite ways to organize your spice cabinet (or drawer using THESE AMAZING SPICE JARS) and some tips and tricks to keep it manageable.
We spotted two different types on sale today – one is a slightly larger set, but they're both GORGEOUS!
DWTS Glass Spice Jars, 36 pk – $36.99 (Reg $38.99)
NETANY Glass Spice Jars, 24 pk – $29.99Â
Clip the $3 off coupon
Pay just $26.99!Â
P.S. If you follow the Home Planner, organizing your spice cabinet is the weekly home project in January + July!
How to organize your spices
-
Get Spice Jars with Labels
If you really want to organize your spices and have the space feel clean and fresh, consider changing to uniform, labeled spice jars. PPP team member, Laura, recently grabbed this matching set of jars and said it has made an ENORMOUS difference for her. (Note: the “before” picture above was her stress-inducing spice cabinet).
-
Get rid of old spices
First and foremost, go through your spices to find what is expired. I can almost guarantee there is something! Expired herbs and spices just don't add the taste they need to in your recipes, so chuck 'em.
Make a list of the expired spices you're throwing out and put it with your grocery list. You may not need to replace every spice on the list, and you shouldn't! A spice may have expired because of lack of use, so only replace the ones you'll actually be cooking with.
Next, gather together your most-used spices. I find I use things like Italian seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, etc waaaay more than I use things like poppy seeds and white pepper. If you're really tight on space in your cabinet, only keep your go-to spices in there and find an alternative location for your lesser-used (but still needed) spices.
Want to make some of your own spices like Ranch dressing mix & taco seasoning?
Here's our list of Homemade Pantry Staples! (It's easier than you think!)
Laura swapped her spices to a drawer that previously held baking supplies (and the baking stuff went into the cabinet – easy peasy!).
Before starting, all the spice jars and plastic lids went into the dishwasher and were sat out after to dry completely.
It may seem like a daunting task to switch all the jars, but it only took about an hour altogether. That included cleaning the drawer (there had been a spilled jar of molasses…) and moving the baking supplies.
This set comes with a silicone funnel to easily transfer. Then, you apply the provided sticker labels (there are over 160 different spice labels!) and you're all set.
A major concern Laura had was how to keep track of the expiration dates WITHOUT having to write on the pretty label. Here's what she came up with:
Grab some blank dot stickers (like the ones you'd use to price things at a yard sale) and pen and write the expiration date! Then, you can stick the dot to the bottom of the spice jar so it's functional but doesn't ruin the *aesthetic*. How smart is that?!
Because these were going in a drawer, Laura grabbed a set of spice drawer organizers so that the spices are slightly raised for easy storing and reading. She loves this set because it is shallow enough to fit the drawer, and easily adjusts to fit the width of your drawer.
Spice Cabinet Organizers
If you're using a cabinet, here is a really handy organizing tool to stack spices without risking a spill when you grab one.
Laurie has this shelf for her spices and absolutely loves it. The height is adjustable and would work seamlessly with the jars above!
For other miscellaneous items, a great storage option is this plastic caddy from the Dollar Tree. It fits things like gravy mixes, taco seasoning, and bouillon cubes.
I don’t have any new ideas for you….but I did this to one cabinet that held smaller things for exactly the same reason…head-bop! I also put all cake decorating stuff in a basket, and all those pesty little baking containers in another basket (so when I am baking, it’s all in one place)
What I did want to pass on and support you is to do it sooner than later—it makes such a great difference when you are already paddling upstream!!!!! Just do it!
Great tips Ruth – I may try to add baskets like that in our cabinets here!