What NOT to Buy If You Want an Organized Pantry

A (Mostly) Satiric Organizing Intervention

I have some good news and some bad news: The good news is that an organized pantry is very attainable regardless of the amount of space you have to work with; the bad news is that if you want to maintain that organization, you may need to give up the industrial-size chips.

I totally get it: Those huge bags of Lays, Tostitos, or my personal favorites, those fancy-pants Terra Chips from Costco or Sam’s, are irresistible. You’re convinced you’re getting soooo much for your money, and they truly are delish. But those giant bags of chips, and to be completely honest, most bulk items are incredibly difficult to store unless they can be decanted or put away in smaller, individual units.

If you use containers or bins, most storage options available on the market won’t easily contain these bulky bags. One XL bag of chips often takes up most of even the roomiest of pantry bins and baskets. If you have a narrow, cupboard pantry and have to use an even narrower storage option, storing these huge chips is nearly impossible. You find yourself shoving or trying to squeeze them onto the shelves, and you pretty much end up with an entire shelf dedicated to just one Godzilla-size bag.

My friend, this is an intervention. It’s your colossal bag of chips or a neatly organized pantry. You must choose.

Sadly, unless you have a huge space with lots of extra room for larger items or some extra backstock storage elsewhere in your home, the big bags of deliciousness may have to go.

You do have a few options, though: Buy the big bag and throw a party or eat them all in one sitting. Or, more realistically, buy smaller bags or several single-serving size ones (this might also help with portion control if that’s something you’re into).

Or you can also accept the fact that that section of your pantry is never going to look picture perfect. And, yeah, we’re organizers, but we’re also chip lovers, so if you choose the last option… well, we’ll understand and promise we’ll still be there for you.