Dec 31 2008
Resolution solution … organizing your pantry
One popular resolution each year is to get organized. Organizing the home is usually high on the list for organization needs. An area that is troublesome is the pantry.
An organization solution for the pantry requires a few steps. Take inventory of what you currently have stored in your pantry. Discard whatever products are outdated. If there are canned goods that your family does not eat or will not use that are still within their use by date, consider donating these to the local food bank.
After you’ve cleared out the products you will not use and discarded the food that is past the expiration date, review what’s left.
Make some quick reference categories such as canned vegetables, pastas, sauces, spice packets, and soups. If you have the room, group each of these categories on separate shelves or at least organize these into separate sections of the pantry.
Go through your most used recipes. Make a list of the common ingredients you use in these. Type this list on the computer so that you can easily print out new copies as needed. Include what products you currently have in your pantry and what products you need to purchase. This should be your master list for your pantry.
Include foods that you use when you are entertaining guests as well, especially for holidays. There are a few staple items you can store in your pantry to host unannounced guests that will make entertaining easier.
Find a place to hang your Master List in your pantry, such as on a clipboard inside the door. When you use a product, make a mark on your Master List to remind you to replace this item on your next grocery trip. For example, when you use two cans of cream of mushroom soup in a recipe, denote 2 cans of this soup on your Master List so that you will get these the next time you buy groceries. This saves you time when you are making out your grocery list and keeps your pantry stocked and helps you get organized.
Reserve a section of your pantry for sale items. Review the sale ads each week, and if there are canned goods or dry products that you need or that you can use in a new recipe, purchase these at the sale price and easily and quickly store them in your pantry.
This takes a bit of time to start, and it will take some time to develop into a habit, but organizing your pantry simplifies your life and saves you time. Organizing your pantry will help you kick start your home organization project. An organized pantry also gives you more kitchen storage options. Once you conquer pantry organization, plan to move on to other areas of the home, such as the home library
