Pantry Organization 101
A well organized pantry can help busy women, especially moms, keep their sanity when it comes to grocery shopping, meal planning, cooking, and of course- snack time! An organized pantry can also save you time and money, because you’ll know exactly what items you have on hand, you’ll be less likely to over-buy duplicate food items, and you’ll waste less, because less food will expire before you eat it.
Speaking of expired foods, your first step is pull everything out of your pantry and check for expiration dates. A pantry is a great place to store some bulk items of your most commonly eaten foods, but sometimes, we can overestimate the amount of food our family can eat before it expires.
Or if your family is like mine- once you stock up on your kids’ favorite treats, they suddenly won’t eat them anymore!
Your next step is to categorize all of your items. You’ll need to not only sort out your food into categories, but also any paper products, appliances, overflow pots and pans, or anything else that needs to be stored in your pantry area. While organizing your food, keep in mind the types of meals your family typically eats and the foods that are often eaten together. A pantry functions better when the pasta lives near the tomato sauce!
Once your pantry has been sorted through, you’ll need to determine the different sections. Keep in mind your family members and the frequency of use for each section of your pantry. I recommend keeping healthy snacks on the bottom shelf for your children to easily grab and go. However, those occasional snacks (or mom’s snacks) that you don’t want little hands getting into, should be stored on a higher shelf. Simple ingredients for meals that older children can prepare by themselves can also be combined in their own bin.
After you’ve determined what you have and where everything should go, the last step is to use containers or baskets. Clear containers are the most practical, especially if you have several members of your family in and out of the pantry multiple times a day. Pretty baskets with labels can also work and give your pantry a sophisticated look. Be sure to measure your shelves and find bins that will hold all the items you have for each category. It’s also a great idea to leave some extra room for foods you may be out of or low on. And definitely leave room to try new foods!
If your shelves seem crowded, try using a pantry door organizer to reclaim some of the vertical space. Extra back stock can be stored in larger containers on the floor, on the top shelf out of the way, or even in the basement or garage.
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