The Affordable Kitchen Update That Makes Your Shelves Stand Out

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Sometimes, small-scale and inexpensive projects can really upgrade your kitchen. Take, for example, the dollar store hack to declutter Tupperware lids with a napkin holder ... cheap, effective, and, if you are as nerdy as us, a guaranteed dopamine boost every time you see your carefully-organized cabinet. Sticking a lazy susan in your fridge as an organization tool objectively shouldn't feel so good, but it's incredibly satisfying to see all your jars and condiments in one easily-accessible place. That's why we go so gaga for labeling our pantry shelves.

Not only is it annoying AF to have to rummage through your pantry in search of that one small item that's buried under tons of other misplaced, possibly-expired ingredients, but it wastes valuable time. Few people have extra minutes to expend when weighed against other obligations like work, school, childcare, and household chores. You owe it to yourself to overhaul your pantry. 

That means get ready to take everything out, wipe down the shelving, sift through everything to determine what's still good, and put it back in a way that maximizes common sense placement so that you can easily find what you need. Labeling your shelves afterwards is the cherry on top of this immensely gratifying project. What exactly goes on the labels depends on what kind of cook you are and the contents of your pantry, but some logical sections include: baking goods, table linens, oils and vinegars, sauces, canned goods, and coffee supplies.

Depending on what you choose in the way of labels, you can inexpensively update your pantry. A pack of 18 mini chalkboard signs is shockingly reasonable, and can be adhered to your shelving with poster putty so that moving signs to suit your current needs is easy-peasy and won't mess up your paint. For a slightly higher investment that will pay dividends in years of uniform labeling, we like a classic Brother P-Touch label maker. This is a great choice if you are in love with the TikTok pantry aesthetic of moving flour, spices, and grains into cute glass jars and containers ... you can label the storage and your shelves!

Another thing we appreciate about pantry shelf labeling is that it's a kitchen hack that plays well with some of our other favorite low-cost organization tricks. There's a clever reason to add a shoe hanger to your pantry, because you can use it to neatly accumulate packets and loose single-serving items. That plus labeled shelves? Love it! We also recommend purchasing some nice plastic baskets for concisely bunching together like items. This way, you can slide them in and out of your pantry for easy restocking ... make sure you label them! Having a perfectly optimized kitchen out of an aspirational social media homemaking reel isn't unattainable and it doesn't need to be expensive. Labeling the shelves in your pantry is one small step making your space both look and function better.