I buy all my spices from the bulk bin because:
a. It's considerably cheaper than buying them bottled.
b. My grocery store's stock turns over incredibly fast, meaning they're fresh.
c. I get the amount I need.
d. Did I mention it's cheaper?
Without a good system for organizing my spices and regular upkeep, however, my spices tend to look like this.
Ugh. I really need to get better about having the cashier tare out the jar and not using baggies at all.
There was a flurry of blog posts about making your spice storage manageable a year ago or so. It was the hip thing to do to spend bajillions of dollars on jars and racks and labels. I didn't want to spend a ton of money on containers. I don't want to coat everything with blackboard paint. I needed what was going to work for me.
Sometime last year I went out to Bed Bath & Beyond in search of a budget-friendly solution. I picked up a ton of these jars, which I remember costing closer to $0.25 instead of the $0.99 shown on the website. I took the cardboard store display box, too. I cut labels for the top of every jar. Some of the existing bottles fit into the cardboard display holder, so I just left those.
A little tidying up and my spices are again neat and easy to find. I struggle with keeping it organized but at least tidying it up takes only minutes rather than an afternoon.
I'm completely out of my pumpkin pie spice mix, the recipe for which I found over at My Baking Addiction this time last year. Rather than buy premade mixes, try doing it yourself.
Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix
From My Baking Addiction
3 tbsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp ground allspice
1 1/2 tsp ground cloves
Combine all spices in a bowl, then transfer to your container of choice. I prefer to use a fork to mix the spices.
I buy all mine bulk too, and use glass jars I got cheap. The herbs I grow myself I just dry, then grind up and bottle too...
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