Easy DIY Pantry Organization Ideas for Snacks & School Lunches

Are you overwhelmed when you open your pantry and fridge? Is it totally disorganized and you can’t find anything? This is how I was feeling! What you need are some easy DIY pantry organization ideas you can start today.

The kids and I were constantly searching for food and snacks we couldn’t find or letting food go bad because we didn’t see it. I decided it was time for some DIY pantry organization to destress my day.

Let’s make your mornings and after school less stressful with some simple & cheap pantry organization ideas for your kid’s snacks and school lunches.

Use these DIY pantry organization hacks for your refrigerator, cabinets, and countertops. Once you’re organized, the kids can get their own after-school snacks and school lunches ready for themselves. How great would that be!

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DIY Pantry Organization Ideas for Kids Snacks & Lunches

Easy DIY Pantry and Fridge Organization Ideas for small and larger spaces. Get your kids after school snacks and school lunches organized so they can pack it themselves. Simple storage solutions with Dollar Tree items. Stop stressing before and after school getting ready have it organized for an easy back to school year.

Pantry Snack Storage Organization

Every time I opened my pantry, I was overwhelmed by the mess. I wanted the kids to be able to go in and grab a snack by themselves to be more independent but that was not working.

Here is what my shelf looked like before I organized the kid’s snacks.

How to get Disorganized Pantry Shelves organized today! — My Messy Pantry

To fix this huge mess, I purchased some small containers to hold the snacks. Creating sections of different snacks so that they would be easy to find and easy to put away when adding more snacks.

I will be honest, I wasn’t sure if I could keep up with the organization. However, once the sections were created, we all seem to be adding things to the right container. It really is working.

TIP 1: If you want to have the kids pick specific snacks, you could add numbers with a label on each container.

Then let the kids know, for example, after school, they can pick two things from the #1 bin and one item from the #3 bin. This way, they are not only picking fruit snacks to eat for after-school snacks.

Make sure to fill the bins with healthy snack options that way you know they’re always making a good choice.

Here is what my now organized cabinet looks like:

DIY Pantry Organization Ideas for after school snacks and school lunches with small bin solutions. — Organized Pantry

Decluttering Tips – Find out how to declutter the rest of your home without feeling overwhelmed. Plus a free printable Decluttering checklist.

Fridge Organization for Kids Snacks & School Lunches

I love the idea of organizing the refrigerator with kids’ snacks and school lunch options. My hope is that if I have an organized fridge, the kids can be more self-sufficient and help make their own school lunches in the morning. I can dream, right?

My plan to accomplish this is by creating bins in the fridge with already prepared items. For example, I will add grapes & carrots in small zip lock bags that they can throw in their lunch or eat after school.

On Sundays, you can fill a week’s worth of small bags or prepackaged items such as cheese sticks and yogurt into the bins. Then during the week, you only need to make a quick sandwich in the morning.

I don’t know about you but our mornings are hectic and anything I can get done ahead of time will be a huge help.

You can also set up your after-school snacks in the bins. You’ll find tons of healthy make-ahead snack options in our 25 Healthy After School Snacks for Kids.

Here is a picture of how I organized my refrigerator. I again used the same small bins I bought for my pantry.

Fridge Organization for School Lunches and Kids Snacks. Easy organization ideas to help kids pack lunches and grab their own snacks.

All the bins are placed on the lower shelves so they can be easily reached by the kids.

TIP 2: If you want to save some money you can find bins like this at Dollar Tree too. I get tons of my simple storage solutions at Dollar Tree for my whole house.

Find more cheap organization hacks in 17 Genius Dollar Tree Organization Hacks.

TIP 3: Just like the pantry containers, you could label the bins with types of foods so the kids are encouraged to pack a variety of food in their lunch.

Weekly Cleaning Routine made easy with a Free Printable Checklist. Get organized and take the stress out of cleaning your house.

How to Organize Snacks Without a Pantry

Don’t worry if you don’t have a pantry you can still organize your kid’s snacks on the countertop. Try something as simple as adding a small snack storage container to your countertop. I love to use Dollar Tree bins for this to save money.

If you have more than one child you could label each snack box with a child’s name. Then I fill each bin with after-school snacks for the week for that child. This way the kids don’t fight about who ate the better snack option because they each have their own snacks.

It will also let your kids be responsible for their own snacks while letting them feel like they have a choice in what they eat.

Here is an example of the bins I have used on our counter.

Small Space Organization for Kids Snacks when you do not have a lot of room. Use bins on your Kitchen counter to organized after school snacks.

Fun storage bin ideas for you.

Have these easy DIY pantry organization ideas inspired you to organize your kitchen? I will say that having the children help with their own snacks and school lunches makes all the effort worth it.

Get more great pantry and Kitchen organization ideas in my 25 Clever Kitchen Organization Ideas, Hacks & Storage. It’s really is easier than you think to have an organized and stress-free kitchen.

Do you have some great DIY pantry organization ideas, too? Please leave them in the comments for all of us to learn from or ask any questions you may have. I love to hear from my readers!

Easy Snacks and School Lunch Ideas

Now that you’re organized, do you need a few new kid snacks and school lunch ideas?

Get inspired with our 25 healthy after-school snacks for kids. Filled with quick snacks to eat after school or throw in your kid’s lunch. Tons of snacks you can have ready ahead of time to make after school less chaotic.

Try one of these three snack ideas below that are no-bake recipes you can whip up in minutes and taste delicious.

Peanut Butter Energy Balls - Easy Snack for Kids & Adults — Peanut Butter Energy Balls

Try the popular No-Bake Peanut Butter Energy Balls

Apple Slice cookies are a healthy After School Snack Idea for Kids. Easy to make at home and they taste delicous! — Apple Slice Cookies

Yummy Apple Slice Cookies shown above.

Yummy Nutella & Peanut Butter Banana Sushi Kids Snacks. A healthy after school snack for kids. This filling and quick snack will become your child's favorite after school snack. #kidssnack #bananasushi #peanutbutter #nutella #banana #healthysnack #afterschoolsnack — Banana Sushi Rolls

Fun Banana Sushi Rolls with Nutella or peanut butter, banana and tortilla.

If you need a fast lunch for picky eaters, try these simple Lunch Kabobs. The kabobs are rolled up deli meat with cheese and are completely customizable to each child’s taste.

Bonus, the kids can quickly make these themselves in the morning.

Get organized for after-school activities and sports with a free printable activity checklist. Stop forgetting everything at home!

Back to School

Are your kids headed back to school or did you start the year on the wrong foot and need to get organized? Check out our Smart Back to School Organization Hacks & Ideas for Busy Moms.

Find quick things to do to get organized for the new school year. You’ll learn easy ways to create a homework space, backpack stations, create an after-school routine, and more.

Plus FREE printable organization checklist to help you remember everything your kids need to do with before-school and after-school checklists.

Back to School Coloring Pages

Get kids excited about going back to school with Free Printable Back to School Coloring Pages. Plus All About Me sheets to remember everything you child liked before the school year starts.

Just print them out and start coloring!

Check out More Great Organization Hacks

Visit our Organization Page or check out some fan favorites.

11 Habits of an Organized Moms to Start Today – Steal these organization hacks and become a stress-free mom

How to Declutter Your Home Room by Room -It’s Easier than you think! – Bonus Get a Free Printable Declutter Checklist for your home.

25 Clever Kitchen Organization Hacks & Tricks – Find simple & easy ways to get your kitchen organized again.

17 Genius Dollar Tree Organization Hacks – You’ll be amazed at all the storage solutions you can get for $1.

How to be Organized for School the Year – Tips & free printable checklist to help remember everything you kids need for school & after-school activities.

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Free Printable Weekly Meal Planner and Grocery List. Make your week less hectic with this simple organization tip. Click to download for free. #freeprintable #mealplanner

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Easy DIY Pantry Organization Ideas for Snacks & School Lunches

This post contains affiliate links. If you choose to buy something using my link, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. For more information, see my disclaimer here.