Household 6: Organizing Your Pantry

Have you ever spent a few minutes rummaging through your pantry? Maybe even the very back of your cupboards? Did you forget you even bought that box of cake mix from 1998 or perhaps that jar of sauerkraut from 5 years ago? Then maybe this segment will help you! I know what you are thinking, “Wow! A cake mix from 1998, that’s just wrong! I mean they only cost a buck. Toss it and replace.” Anyway, back to the topic, we all have busy lives and anything that can keep us on task and make meals a little easier is great for me.

We want to share with you 3 tips to keep you from asking “What is this, and where did it come from?” the next time you walk into the pantry.

Tip 1: Purchase inexpensive bins or baskets and place all dry food items in them for one meal. Keep these on the shelf. Perhaps have 7 bins, one for everyday of the week. This way you will know which meal is each day and have all your ingredients except those in the fridge ready to go. It also helps your family to know what to expect in advance too!

Tip 2: Keep dry ingredients such as: sugar, flour, rice, oatmeal and others of the sort in see-through labeled containers. You can easily identify the item and it keeps bugs and pests away. You can also get a better feel for how much you still have at home before heading to the store for shopping.

Tip 3: If you have children (or really if you have a hubby with a sweet tooth) create a snack box. Repurpose an old Rubbermaid bin – without lid for easy viewing- to keep the “can eats” in. These are items like chex mix, fruit snacks, granola bars, etc that are okay for having as an after work or school snack without interfering with your meal items. Let your family know that these items are okay for the grabbing. You may want to use the same strategy for EMERGENCY foods. These are things like water, can goods, maybe even a few MREs in case of tornado, hurricane or other circumstance. It never hurts to be prepared.