The new year is a great time to complete tasks like cleaning out your pantry. After all of the holiday cooking and baking and treats that come into the house, it’s a good idea to clean out, reorganize and rearrange. It’s also a good idea to go through food items that may have been sitting for awhile to see if they are still good or not.
Pantry-BEFORE
As you can see, my pantry is not huge but it is effective! I generally clean it out at least twice a year so the pantry was not in bad shape. Many items are already contained in bins which is helpful to not only keeping like items together but also makes it easier to see what you have and/or need.
However, when the pantry gets over-full it becomes not just messy but I lose things and can’t always tell what I have!
Having a clean and organized pantry is also a good budgeting tool. If you can see what you have (and use it), then you won’t buy items that you already have.
An organized pantry is also very helpful for meal planning. When you can see what you have, you can plan meals around those items also saving money so that you don’t purchase unneeded items.
Pantry-BEFORE
When I clean out my pantry (or closets), I like to pull everything out so that the space is empty. I toss what is no longer good, set aside items for donations and group like items together.
While I did’t make many changes during this latest clean out, I did change the location of some items. My baking items were housed on the 3rd shelf and my pasta/rice items on the bottom shelf. While it’s true that I prefer sweets to rice, the reality is that the pasta/rice section gets more regular use and should be easier to access.
I also lessened the amount lunch bags I stored in the bin on the top shelf. I use a tote daily for breakfast and/or lunch items but I was really only using the same few regularly. The other perfectly good totes will be donated. I’m also donating some cookbooks as well as a large thermos and water pitcher that have not been used in at least over a year! My other goal is to keep food items off of the floor! My pancake mix and vegetable oil are now on the top shelf.
I also like to take some items out of their original containers. This can save space and helps you to see how much you have of some items. I have nuts, popcorn, flours, powdered sugar, and cheez-it’s in clear containers or mason jars. I have my cereal in a really old Tupperware container. The new cereal is underneath the container. I usually change the cereal I eat so that’s why it’s not added to the cereal container.
Pantry-AFTER
There you have it! My first home project for 2019 completed!!
What projects are you working on? Share in the comments!
