Declutter Your Pantry In No Time With This Cheap Storage Find

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Cooking requires organization, but it's hard to be organized when your pantry is a disorganized mess. Keeping your ingredients and other essentials in a jumble risks the success of your kitchen endeavors. But with simple wooden crates, you can bring long-term order to the daily chaos and unlock easier cleaning habits for the future.

Wooden crates are so basic that you could build your own with pre-cut lumber and a few common tools. But they're also easy to buy already finished. Amazon has multiple options for wooden storage crates, including a set in acacia wood for $39.99, or another set in famously durable bamboo for $56.99. For one of the least expensive options, try a set of basic white wooden crates for $27.60. Each is a set of three that nests for easy storage when not in use.

Online retailers are not short on choices, so be sure to shop around for both the best price and the best fit for your pantry. Also consider a common variant on wooden storage crates, stackable or stacking bins, , which feature at least one open end for easy access to potatoes, onions, school lunch bags, or any other frequently needed pantry item. Amazon offers a three-pack of Habau Wood Potato Onion Storage Bins for $34.99. This widely available concept could also be an easy DIY project.

Decluttering the pantry with wooden crates is not just an immediate time-saver; it also helps with one of Ree Drummond's favorite pantry organization tips. She reorganizes the pantry by breaking it into smaller, area-by-area jobs. With so many essentials in crates at the start, following Drummond's lead couldn't be easier. The separate areas make moving things around for your workflow as simple as shifting a few boxes.

Wooden crates in the pantry also neatly fit into another expert-recommended system for organizing a home pantry. Maria Baer, founder of The Baer Minimalist, uses labeled pantry zones to organize items similar to aisles in a grocery store, with the most frequently used items most easily accessible. Simply stick labels on your pantry crates and move them as needed for far more flexible storage than posting labels directly on shelves.

Finally, while wooden pantry crates are relatively cheap for the years of use you'll get, the price can add up quickly if you're buying a lot of them. Luckily, some of Dollar Tree's must-have items for decluttering the pantry include rectangular slotted baskets and plastic two-tier drawers with handles. They may not have that rustic farmhouse look, but affordable storage options like these can do much of the same organizing at a fraction of the cost.