Deciding to put more food in jars started simply as an effort to organize my shelf space, but has resulted in several positive benefits.
I was feeling frustrated by the stuff hiding in the back, the amount of plastic and the overall cluttered feeling.  Around the time I did my closet cleanse, I also sorted through my storage bins in the garage (yes, I was in full declutter mode) and found a couple jars that had belonged to my grandma.  I had always loved the jars and thought, “I should be using these”.  And thus began my shelf full of jars.
I started (and my roomies helped) saving used jars and filling them with items formerly stored in plastic bags and containers in a rather jumbled fashion.  Soon enough, most of one shelf was full of jars and the other shelf easily holds other items, such as boxed granola bars, oils, pasta and canned goods.
So, what am I storing in the jars?  Right now, I have 18 of them and they hold pancake mix, brown rice, quinoa, wheat berries, oats, black beans, cashews, peanuts, slivered almonds, sliced almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, chocolate chips,  chocolate covered ginger, raisins, dried cranberries, dried mangoes and goji berries.

For me, here have been several benefits to having food in jars:

It feels more simple and clean. And that was my original intent, after all.  Being able to simply shuffle some jars around and clearly see what is in them all feels like a breath of fresh air compared to my old shelf.  It also enhances my effort to cut down on plastics.

Reuse makes me happy.
There is something about being able to reuse that just feels good.  I smile when I see my grandmas jars and wonder where they originally came from.  🙂  Also, did you know that glass takes a loooooonnnggg time (I’m talking a million years here) to break down?  Being able to reuse or recycle it helps the environment!

I am eating more healthy.
You can see from the list of things being stored in the jars that they are mostly healthy grains, nuts, seeds and dried fruits. (non-processed foods)  When I open my cupboard and see these things, I brainstorm meal ideas with them in mind.  When I feel like snacking, I often end up reaching for nuts and fruits.  I have been making efforts to eat more clean and this has only helped.  And…

I am saving money.
Most of what I buy for the jars comes from the bulk container/pay by the pound section of the store and I have absolutely concluded that it is cheaper to buy this way.

The other thing I love about my jars is the variety.  For me, there is something about having organization with a twist of randomness that puts my creative self at ease.  I look at my shelf of jars and take a deep breath because it is easy to see everything  and retrieve anything.  And then I smile because the jars are different shapes and sizes and the lids are different colors.

Having a shelf of food in jars might not be for everyone, but for me it has been fabulous and I highly recommend it!