How to Create the Perfect Pantry to Pack Kid’s Lunches

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

School is in full swing which means the task of packing lunches is likely happening now five times a week. The NEAT girls are here to make a task that can sometimes feel like, "nails on a chalkboard" painless this year! Not all of our pantries can be as amazing as this one below but no matter how much space you have, there are a few things that you should implement that will make your life much easier moving forward.

 Katie Koentje, San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles, Manhattan Beach, home organizer, professional organizer, home organization, NEAT Method, NEAT, kitchen organization, organized pantry, kids lunches, clear canisters, organized food, pantry DIY, kitchen DIY, home design, home style, home decor

Get some Marche Baskets in your life… STAT. They are easy to pull out and help categorize "like" pantry items so you can pull exactly what you need for lunch. 

 Lauren combs, Michigan, Detroit, home organizer, professional organizer, home organization, NEAT Method, NEAT, kitchen organization, organized pantry, kids lunches, clear canisters, organized food, pantry DIY, kitchen DIY, home design, home style, home decor

Make sure all items that your kids can eat are down low so that they can grab them on their own. Use higher shelves for those items that you want to be in charge of limiting (think candy and sweets).

Brooke Ruder, Chicago, home organizer, professional organizer, home organization, NEAT Method, NEAT, kitchen organization, organized pantry, kids lunches, clear canisters, organized food, pantry DIY, kitchen DIY, home design, home style, home decor

Normally, we like items tucked away so you cannot see them. In the case of a pantry, we organize it exactly opposite! The more you can see, the better. You will likely buy less doubles of items and use what you have, instead of waste items that you forgot existed. 

Lauren Warner, Minnesota, Twin Cities, St. Paul, Minneapolis, home organizer, professional organizer, home organization, NEAT Method, NEAT, kitchen organization, organized pantry, kids lunches, clear canisters, organized food, pantry DIY, kitchen DIY, home design, home style, home decor

Keep lunch specific items separate! If you have particular reusable containers that fit within the lunchbag, keep those away from your other storage containers. This will make the hassle of finding matching lids to containers at a minimum. 

 Lisa Ruff, San Francisco, Bay Area, home organizer, professional organizer, home organization, NEAT Method, NEAT, kitchen organization, organized pantry, kids lunches, clear canisters, organized food, pantry DIY, kitchen DIY, home design, home style, home decor

Finally, label the heck out of your pantry. The more it is labeled the better the chances are that ANYONE can restock your pantry or pack school lunches, not just you. Now wouldn't that be a treat?!

Mika Perry, Scottsdale, Phoenix, home organizer, professional organizer, home organization, NEAT Method, NEAT, kitchen organization, organized pantry, kids lunches, clear canisters, organized food, pantry DIY, kitchen DIY, home design, home style, home decor

As Mika wrote in the image above, enjoy your new NEAT pantry and have a great week!

xx

the NEAT girls

BY NEAT METHOD | TAGGEDDIYkids lunchesorganized kitchenpantry