How to organize your pantry.

images (2)Organizing our pantry’s (or stores as we often call them) is one of those tasks that we rarely get motivated to do.  There is always one reason or another, too lazy too busy, its too much to do at once etc etc. Now let me give u a few reasons why it will be good for you to clean out that pantry this weekend

a)      It will save you some money

b)      It will save you time

c)       And it will help you learn exactly what you like to eat, what you use most, what you buy and don’t use.

This tips will help you even though you might not have a pantry per say but we all have food storage areas. So here is what you need to do this weekend.

imagesa)      Take everything out and take stock of what you have: by doing this you will see exactly what food items you have and also know what items should not be in that area.  At this point sort out your items into these categories

  • Items that you use frequently
  • Items used less frequently
  • Items that you have not used for a long time and can be given out
  • Expired items which you will throw out.

b)      Clean the shelves starting from the top most shelve down to the last one. make sure you remember the door knobs and clean out the corners well. After your done line the drawers with drawer liners or newspapers or whatever you normally use.

c)        After “a” above now categorise your items: You may want to categorise them as follows

  • Dry goods including sugar, rice, salt, flour etc
  • Dried foods including beans, lentils, pasta, etc
  • Spices
  • Boxed items like breakfast cereals, cake mixes etc
  • All vegetables not stored in the fridge

Another way  could be

  • Breakfast items
  •  Baking items
  • Snacks or kids items
  • Spices
  • Dry goods and foods

How you choose to categorise your pantry is wholly up to you and what suits you and your family.

d)      Arrange and organize your items in containers and in the pantry: images (4)Containers area a great way to store items that can easily go bad if exposed to air.  It is also good for items that you have bought in bulk e.g. if you bought a sack of flour.  They also keep pests and insects out of your foods and lastly they make your storage space look good.

Create zones in your pantry or cabinets and where you will store your items according to the categories you created in “c” above. Place the heaviest items at the bottom so that its easier to lift them. Place the items you most often use in the middle shelves or if your storing in the cabinets the place them in the cabinets that are most close to you. Put the spices away from the heat and at eye level.

If you are completely limited for space and are using like one or two cabinets place the spices at the front of one cabinet away from any heat. And place the oils and other liquids behind them. You can then put all other dry items in another cabinet.

Make sure you arrange your items in such a way that you can see everything in your cabinet or pantry that way you get to know exactly what you have at any given time.img_4_20100513174316_Pantry Organizer_300sIf you are using cabinets you may want to use cabinet dividers to create more space. (I will be selling cabinet dividers in a few week, please contact me if you want some)

 

images (1)Bins are also a great way to organize items. Nakumatt has a wide range of this

 

When doing all this remember  LAST IN LAST OUT or FIRST IN FIRST OUT organise your items by placing any new items to the back so that you automatically pick the ones at the front.