Hello everyone!
Today I’m going to talk about I guess what’s called a “homemaking hack”? What is that anyway? Well, I’m going to call it an apartment improv because I like how that sounds better. This will certainly not apply to everybody, but maybe it can be helpful to someone.
We love our apartment! When we moved in here, it felt like a mansion. However, there are some space challenges that you have to work with. I wish I was better at figuring it all out, but it’s a fun process.
One thing that has worked well for me is dividing the coat closet by the front door into a half closet, half pantry.
Disclaimer: these pictures are grainy. = \ I’m trying to shoot only in manual with my point-and-shoot; I thought these turned out pretty good as I’m also playing around with exposure and iso (whatever those are), but alas, on here they are just grainy. Good news, though! I found the manual this week and can maybe learn more in all my spare time. = )
Our kitchen is right across from this, and while there is plenty of space to keep dishes and such, there is no space for… food!
I have no idea where I got this little wire shelf, but it occurred to me one day that it would fit perfectly in our little coat closet.
Several months after that idea, I was gifted with a Bed, Bath and Beyond gift card and I knew just what to do with it. This hanging door organizer gives me even more storage! Granted, these are expensive for what you’re actually getting. But for what they do for you, I think it’s worth it. I was so excited after putting it up that I entertained the idea of getting one for every door in the house. = )
So there you have it. Our half closet, half pantry wonder space. That’s a little dramatic, I know.
The basket on top holds placemats and cloth napkins for when I feel like using them.
The middle keeps our coats, Awana vests, and tablecloths orderly. (I think the tablecloths wish they could go out as often as the coats.)
The bottom holds typical pantry staples and random wonderful boxes of chocolate.
And the door holds every last thing it can. Not always neatly.
Works for us!
What solutions have you found, oh pantry orphans?
small steps, big picture 
Nice Job! Our house (which we bought as a rental 3 years ago but didn’t really have the intention of living in…God had other plans) is tight (under 1400 sf with 9 people) and it had no space for food, either. We stacked the washer/dryer and Ben, Whitney & Truett build amazing shelves. I wish I had put more time into planning out the shelf heights, but time was of the essence. So far they have worked great and I am amazed that even though I had a whole little room for a pantry at the old house, we now function just fine with our new space. We do have a shed that I have the chest freezer in and keep bulk items (extra food, paper products)in, but so far it works great. Where there is a will, there’s a way!!