The last time I made chocolate chip cookies, I almost got a concussion.

You see, half of my “pantry” is located in a cabinet high above the microwave that should probably be housing vases or somesuch.

When I reached up and opened the door on Saturday afternoon to get some flour, an avalanche of items – sugar, baking powder, black beans, lentils and a big, Costco-sized bottle of vanilla extract – came crashing down on my head.

That was the final straw. For months I had been eyeing a few glass jars online, dreaming of storing the items I used most frequently right on my kitchen counter, nicely labeled & easily accessible. Just like those beautiful jars in Honey & Fritz’s very organized pantry.

So I asked Hollie, our Resident Picasso, to help me whip up a free printable that I could use as a “blank” for the chalkboard labels.

She did, and the rest is history!

First, I ordered the basics.

– 2 Slom jars from Ikea at $4.99 a piece
– 2 gallon-sized ones from Amazon that were $13.99 each
– A set of Wallie Stikers on Amazon for $16.44.

Then I put it all together

All I had to do was cut out the labels, stuck them on the jars, and dumped the offending avalanche ingredients in them.

This simple step has saved me literally dozens of headaches and precious minutes over the past few months. I absolutely love having the ingredients out on the counter where I can see them. Not only do I love the look – but I always know when I need to reorder and even better, I am more inclined to base meals on the healthy basics I already have on hand. It also makes buying in bulk more sensible, as I have a place to keep them.

It never ceases to amaze me how some simple labels always seem to make life better.

Do you keep basic ingredients in glass jars? What made you start? If you don’t, is it something you’d consider, or do you find it frivolous?