Why You Should Organize Your Pantry Now
This time of year, is great for organizing the pantry. It gives you a chance to organize your food items to see what is on hand for the increased cooking that comes with the holidays. The purging of unneeded items as well as organizing what you are keeping will open up space for the extra items you bring in for special holiday dishes.
An organized pantry saves you time, reduces food waste and will lower your stress level and frustration. No more digging through all the cans looking for that can of green beans that you were sure you had only to discover that it is not there. No more buying an item that you need for a meal only to find out that you already have three in the pantry.
It doesn’t matter if you have a very small pantry of only a few shelves or a large walk-in pantry, after a year things will have gotten out of order and need restoring.
Organize your pantry like a grocery store. Have all pastas and grains in one area. Put all canned goods in another area, separating vegetables, fruit, soups, etc.
If you have more than one can of green beans or tomato soup, put the newer cans behind the older ones in order to keep your food rotating.
While going through the process of organizing the cans and condiments, take a look at expiration or “best used by” dates. Discard cans that are past their expiration date and donate cans of items you bought some time ago but have no plan of using soon. This will open up your shelves for the holiday shopping.
Think twice before you stock up on large quantities on a sale. Will you really use all those cans before they expire? Do you have space to store the cans in a usable manner? Are you saving enough money or time shopping by buying in bulk to make up for the inconvenience of cramming your shelves or having to look elsewhere to store the extras? Next year will you find 10 cans of pumpkin in the garage along with the 20 rolls of paper towels?
I personally only buy what I need for the upcoming week. I have a few extra basic cans on hand for items that I use frequently or that I might need if I want to make a menu change for the week.
Once organized, you will be surprised at how much space you now have for your holiday shopping.
An organized pantry is more than just neat shelves. An organized pantry is a strategic tool that saves time, reduces waste, lowers stress and promotes healthier eating.
If you want help or just some accountability in organizing a space in your home or working any other organizational plan either outside or inside your home, join Diane Quintana and me on our Clear Space For You clutter support group.
Jonda S. Beattie, Professional Organizer owner of Time Space Organization, and co-owner of Release, Repurpose, Reorganize. She is based in the Metro-Atlanta area. As presenter, award-winning author, as well as a retired special education teacher she uses her listening skills, problem solving skills, knowledge of different learning techniques, ADHD specialty, and paper management skills to help clients tackle the toughest organizational issues. Jonda does hands on organizing and virtual organizing. For more of Jonda’s tips connect with her on Facebook.
My favorite time of year is when I organize the pantry. While I have stopped overbuying things unless they are on sale, I do have some items that need to be finished up before the end of October. Creating unique recipes with these items helps me feel like I'm not wasting the food I have stored for months. It's also great to go through my baking zone since we do more baking during the holidays each year. This area isn't part of my pantry; it is in another area of my kitchen. But it's worth a look to see if any dried goods have gone bad. Thanks for the reminder, Jonda.
Thank you for the nudge. While our small pantry is organized, this is a good time of year to go through it and check for any expired foods. With the holidays coming, I want to make sure the pantry is stocked and up to date. I went through the cabinet not that long ago, but still.
I've noticed that some people have some anxiety about food and pantry staples. They are afraid of running out. I imagine this is from past life experience, or maybe even the result of having lived with someone with similar fears.
Stocking up on what you use frequently is smart. Stocking up things that you might use, or that you only periodically use, often results in waste.
I do think the COVID years made people more inclined to keep things on hand. Before COVID, I used to keep almost nothing I didn't need. After that experience, where my grocery shelves were empty for a long time, I've kept more. I do try to limit it to the stuff I know I…