Are you tired of opening your pantry and feeling overwhelmed? Maybe it’s the three bags of sugar, opened, yet placed sporadically throughout the shelves that seem to be driving you crazy, or it’s the food pushed to the back that contains questionable expiration dates. It could even be that one thing you insisted you owned, yet can’t seem to find without pulling every item off the shelf. Whatever the root of your chaos might be, it is evident that your pantry needs a do-over. Here’s how to begin a much-needed organization of your pantry:
First, Let’s See it All!
In order to start organizing your pantry, I think it is most important to pull everything out. By laying out all the contents of your pantry, you can get a visual for everything you own and begin the process of discarding, combining, and keeping.
Discarding, Combining, and Keeping
Once everything is pulled out, start by discarding items that are expired and donate those that are still good, but you no longer want or need. Once discarded and donated items are removed, start looking for what can be combined. For example, sugar. How many bags of sugar do you have just lying around? Could they be put in a single container that is easily accessible? Of course they can! Combination is not only a space saver but a stress saver as well.
Prevent Any Future Chaos
Once you’ve successfully discarded and combined, you can now see what has to go back into the pantry. The best way to prevent future chaos, or repeating this process every few months, is to try analyzing the best way to organize what you have in front of you. I start by putting items that make the most sense to me and my cooking habits together. Once I have an idea on how I want to organize my items, I then arrange them in clear, plastic pantry bins that can be labeled and placed inside the pantry. You can find these bins practically anywhere, such as Target or Bed Bath & Beyond.
Though it may be time-consuming, and a bit frustrating, organizing is a must when it comes to your pantry. Especially heading into summer when all the children are home, sifting through, and rearranging your pantry. By dressing up your bins with cute labels, it helps the little ones learn where to correctly put things back, while keeping you sane. Hopefully, these tips are helpful in re-organizing your pantry and can bring back joy in your cooking adventures. As always, we’d love to hear from you. So, if there is anything you found particularly helpful in your own organization process, we’d love to know!