"Spicy" Organization

It seems that everytime I needed a spice to add to a recipe, I found myself fumbling around my spice cabinet, trying to remember what shelf I put it on.  My husband's Christmas gift of a label maker was the little bit of incentive I needed to get my spice cabinet organized! 

Here is my cabinet emptied out.  I need to clean my "lazy Susans"!  The one on top is from my mom...maybe from the 70's?  The white one is relatively new.  I love how they just fit perfectly.  But--without proper organization they were not working to their full potential.

Here they are all cleaned up!

Here are my unorganized spices, eagerly awaiting their proper place in this kitchen.

After alphabetizing the spices, I then divided them in half.

(A-F) on the white lazy Susan, and (G-Z) on the yellow.

I made labels for my cabinet.  SOOO Fun!

A-F on the bottom shelf and G-Z on the top.

This is some information I found in a magazine a while back.  I taped it to the inside of my spice cabinet door. 

Here is the info in case you have a hard time reading the words in the picture:

spices, ground: 2-3 years shelf life

spices, whole:  3-4 years shelf life

seasoning blends: 1-2 years shelf life

herbs: 1-3 years shelf life

extracts: 4 years shelf life, except pure vanilla, which lasts indefinitely

I try to always add the date on my spices the first time I open them. 

Have a blessed day!

Letha