[Day 6] Pantry/Food: Kitchen Clutter Clear Out

It’s Day 6 of the 31 Day Series, Kitchen Clutter Clear Out.  

Do you have a pantry or kitchen cabinets that are full of food, yet you have no idea what’s really in them?  Let’s get a handle on our pantries.  This is your opportunity to dump the expired food.  It’s also time to clear out food you bought but no longer use.  Maybe you bought it because it was on sale, you were hungry and it looked good or you were eating differently due to a special diet.  We have ALL done this so don’t beat yourself up!

Here are the steps to organizing your pantry.

• Attack ONE shelf at a time.  You could spread this project among several days, especially if you feel it’s too overwhelming.
• Have a trash and recycle bin handy.
• Remove one item at a time.
• Look for an expiration date.  If you can’t find a date and you think it may be more than one year old, toss it.
• If it’s a jar or can that needs to be emptied, put it next to your sink.  Empty all the cans and glass containers after you finish with one shelf.
• Recycle the containers if possible.
• Donate food you no longer want to eat and is not past it’s expiration date.  Food pantries are happy to receive your excess!
• Repeat this process until you have looked at all of your food.
• Now you have de-cluttered your pantry and it’s time to group food into categories that make sense to you.  My pantry has several groupings: breakfast, spices, snacks, starches, tea, condiments and canned/jarred goods.

This is my pantry.  It’s not “Better Homes and Garden” perfect but it works for us.

Think of all the time you will save once your pantry/food cabinets are cleared out and organized.  You will be able to find your ingredients, without much effort, and you will know exactly where your new groceries should go.   Labels on the shelves will help you and your family members keep it organized.

Simply,

Jill