When I moved from my 4000 square foot home into my RV, friends and family thought I had lost my mind. My biggest concern was how I was going to downsize my kitchen and pantry. My family loves to eat and snack, but space is now drastically limited.
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I put my tidy skills to work and here is what I came up with...
Get Rid of Packaging
Packaging is so big and bulky. Manufacturers make it bigger so that we feel like we are getting more food. Bulky packaging can be a huge space waster when you are trying to maximize space in an RV or tiny home kitchen. As soon as the groceries are carried into the camper, all packaging is removed.
Cereal and snacks. Individually packaged snacks are sorted and placed into labeled acrylic compartments. These ones are my favorites.
Foods that aren't individually packaged, like cereal, pasta, chips, etc, are emptied into food canisters. No more stale chips or pretzels. No more cereal boxes with five cheerios in it. No more packaging! This is my RV pantry.
They come in packs of 4 so I measured the pantry space and discovered that my pantry can fit three canisters deep and four across. So, I ordered three packs of them.
For extra space for food storage, I added shorter canisters in a drawer like this:
These canisters have French's Fried Onions, mixed nuts, dried fruit and other bulk items that I want to keep fresh.
Juices and Milk. Since most RV and tiny home refrigerators are smaller and more slimline, it can be challenging to fit juice and milk bottles. I was SO thrilled when I found these plastic juice carafes. Not only do they look elegant sitting on the breakfast table, they fit so nicely into the side door of the refrigerator. It also soothes the tidy part of my brain to see all of the drink carafes neatly lined up- all the same size.
Produce and Eggs. Egg cartons and product wrappers tend to be dirty and they are also bulky. When refrigerator real estate is in high demand, the packaging has to go. Acrylic refrigerator containers look so tidy, are easy to clean, and allow me to remove dirty packaging.
I love this egg container. They are stackable for those times when I buy more than a dozen eggs.
I use a combination of different sized acrylic refrigerator storage bins to store produce, condiments, and any other cold item. My goal is to contain every item in the frig so clean ups are easy and the space is tidy. Using bins makes it so much easier to see what you have and know what else you need to buy.
Moving into a small kitchen can feel overwhelming. But with the right products and a bit of creativity, your small kitchen and pantry space can be tidy and functional.