It pays to know what you have. You want to be able to access your goods, use your goods, and not run out and to be always prepared.
So get it organized!!!
My theory of doing this.....
Take everything out. Yep, this is time consuming and makes a mess! No doubt about it.
Go through your items and make a pile of things to donate. You know - those things you bought thinking you would like, but didn't! Or things you thought you would use, but didn't! Don't waste the goods or the money. Gift them to someone else that can use them. Donate to your local pantry or your church pantry or to a shelter/soup kitchen.
Clean the shelves. Wipe everything down - shelves and cans/jars.
Do you have packages that have been opened? Make sure that it is good and has no pests and then either place it in baggies or jars and label.
ORGANIZE as you put things back. Do you use baskets? Do you use dispensers? Or do you just stack things together. I use some baskets/tins and I stack. My main pantry has several deep shelves - so I can organize by TYPE of items.
Soups, canned veggies, baking goods, canned meats, pastas, fruit, etc.. I try my best to keep like items together. It just makes it easier to find things.
Of course we all know we have pantry 'gremlins' that mess things up often!!! LOL. Even living alone, they visit! I guess we all get in a hurry putting up groceries and just stick things in - and BOOM in no time, things are a mess.
Make sure as you put things back in after cleaning - you put back with the oldest items in the front. Use the oldest first. The old adage of first in - first out is WISE.
Just remember PLEASE - 99% your pantry items DO NOT EXPIRE!!!!!!! I can't say that often enough. The dates are "BEST if used by" dates and are listed by the manufacturer. They are not mandated by the government or any other agency. They are random. They are used to get you to buy MORE!!!!
Sure some things will lose a bit of nutritional value as it gets older or taste may change - but it is still OK to eat. Not all countries do this.
Things like oils will go rancid after time and they smell.
If your pantry items are sealed, not leaking or rusty, and are properly stored they will last AGES past those best by dates!!!!
It could mean the difference of being hungry at some point!
(Just remember the items in that can or package have NO idea what the date is!!! They don't magically go bad over night).
I have my main pantry, I have a pantry area for home canned goods, and I have an overstock area (my store!). They all need to be kept clean and organized.
I imagine we all have many areas that we consider pantry - health, beauty, pet, laundry, cleaning, food, etc.
Make lists of what you have, or label bins or shelves. Just know your inventory. Then you can fill in the gaps. If you don't have a good understanding of what you have - then you don't know what you really need! This enables you to buy what you really need and not overstock on things you have a lot of. You know that happens!!!
A full pantry is important for a lot of reasons. You never run out of supplies and you can fix anything and not make a store run. It may get you through lean times. It may help you and family if things get out of hand in the world.
We all need to keep plenty of supplies on hand for various reasons.
Organize, clean, and sort those pantry items. Inventory and list what you have. USE what you have.
A pantry is a wonderful thing!!!!!!!
Having a pantry IS a wonderful thing, indeed. The house we're in now doesn't have one, and the cabinets in the kitchen are small. But work is underway for our new house on an acre in another state; my husband is retiring at the end of the year. We'll have space again for more food storage!
ReplyDeleteIf, like us now, you have limited space, consider shelves in the garage, or of you don't have a garage, in an unused closet. My husband's grandmother lived in a studio apartment for more than 30 years and kept canned goods in bins that slid under her bed. Be creative.
I am glad you will have more space and congrats to your hubby on his upcoming retirement!!!
DeleteSo many places can be used. Under beds, behind furniture, under stairs, basements, garages, floors of closets.....
If there is a will there is a way.
being creative if very important.
When we started our pantry we put things wherever we could fit them like under beds, in the linen closet, and on a small bookcase we had. We recently bought a nice strong shelving unit and it's so nice to see everything right there. But we used what we had for a long time.
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing where you can find space. One needs to be creative and that will help in having a wonderful pantry.
DeleteYou said it could mean the difference between going hungry, and I agree. One of the teachers at school and I had cafeteria duty one day and we watched as students threw away perfectly good food still in the wrapper. I told the teacher that they must not have ever been hungry. The food waste is so bad and government red tape stops that from going to people who can use it. It’s very sad.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog post. Organizing our pantries helps us save money too.
It is so sad the waste. Kids and others waste food and then parents get in trouble if they send cookies or something for the kids to eat with lunch. Just crazy.
DeleteThanks - yep - organizing saves.
Cheryl,
ReplyDeleteWorking on this right now thanks to you. Got a little scared with the Delta Variant and decided I should be prepared for another lockdown. Have all the goods now and trying to organize into a workable pantry. I do have a pantry area but have out grown that now. I am not willing to spend extra money at this point for shelving. I have decided to use a dresser in what used to be my grandsons room. Can make drawers for canned items, pasta, flour, sugar, oils, spices and mixes of all kinds. The closet in that room is good for TP, paper towels, trash bags, freezer bags, foil and like items. The other closet will be the pet closet where I store dry food and treats for my 3 dogs. I need to get all 3 to the vet for check ups and shots/medications, that is on the list for next week. I need to get to the hardware store to stock up on various things, Light bulbs, storage buckets and the like. Laundry room storage will go to normal things we need there. I have all the supplies to make my own laundry soap now. You have taught us so much about cleaning with vinegar and baking soda. Maybe another lesson might be in order.
I hope you are well and looking forward to fall as much as I am.
Thank you for your blessings to all those not as strong and resilient as you are. I lost my husband over 10 years ago and still am not recovered mentally but your determination and joy have made me want to do better so I send you sincere thanks!!
You are really doing good. SO proud of you. Make sure you get some Bay leaves to throw in with flour, pasta and other dry goods to keep buggies at bay. It really does help.
DeleteI am looking forward to fall and cooler temps!
Hon, we all have moments for or sadness and depression. I miss Glen terribly every day - but I know I have to keep trying. Thank you for your sweet words.
Heck we are in life thing together. We help each other and support each other. HUGS
Thanks Cheryl, did not know about the bay leaves, I have some but they are old. I will get more next time I am shopping, may be awhile but I will do. Another lesson learned, Thanks!!
DeleteThey really do help. I keep a couple in my flour canister and with rice and pasta. Adds no taste - but they sure do help!
DeleteGlad to be of service.
I agree with everything you have written! I usually do that big clean out and re-0rg about twice a year and then do quick checks once a month or so. I repurposed my coat closet as my pantry - its a small 1 bedroom apt. so only a few more steps to a large bedroom closet where all the coats & jackets have plenty of room.
ReplyDeleteThis closet already had a set of shelves on one side with the hanging rod on the other so I made use of the shelves, added an old bookcase and have a metal cart (3 tiers high - 10 inches wide by 30 " long) and it holds about 14 large glass storage jars full of flour, sugar, rice etc. I hang some bags from the rod to hold my reusable grocery bags, my thermos bag etc. The shelf above the rod holds paper towels. I group like with like and rotate faithfully.
I am so well stocked at the moment that I plan to halve my grocery budget for the next couple of months in order to save up for some other items. I will concentrate on fresh & frozen foods.
I will also have about $50 worth of Loyalty Points saved up by the end of Sept. so that money can go towards some "treats & extras" that I normally wouldn't spend money on - but which make life in the kitchen a bit more interesting!
I have managed to convince a few fiends & family members to do a better job in this regard but others still think that living in a large city means that they can always just pop into a local store and find what they want. They seem to have forgotten those empty shelves already!
Isn't it sad that so many have already forgotten?
DeleteGood for you - you really show another lesson in utilizing the areas you have. Pantries can be anywhere.
It is always nice to have some extras or fun things for the kitchen. The holidays will be here be you know and those fun things will be appreciated.
I am glad you are preaching it and have managed to convince someone to stock. I will never understand people!!! LOL
Margie, I did the same thing. Our living room coat closet was never used except to store the vacuum cleaner and as a catch all. It had two shelves above the rod. I took out the rod and put in a shelf unit. That is where i store my appliances e.g. canners, dehydrator, vacuum sealer, etc. plus other items not used regularly such as cookie presses, extra plastic bags, large bowls, etc. We also made the closet in the laundry room into a pantry that holds extra flour and sugar and canned goods. We also have a rack attached to the inside of the door for extra items. This is in addition to the roll out shelves I have in the kitchen which holds, pudding, jello, herbs, cake mixes, baking supplies, etc. To my way of thinking, I can never have too many pantries. All my canning jars and home canned foods are stored in the basement. I also have an old Hoosier in the kitchen which stores my old Oster Kitchen Center (which still works perfectly), hand mixer, crock pot, baking pans, etc. My grandmother's old Norge refrigerator (used to be gas powered)now holds my Corning Ware and cast iron pans.I guess if I had to, I could make our whole house a pantry! LOL!
DeleteKris I LOVE THIS! You gals are all so creative. I know my closets have a hanging bar and a shelf - but there is a ton of room above the shelf. I added an extra shelf in each closet.
DeleteYou lucky girl on having a Hoosier!!!!! I would love one. Oh, and the old frig - OMG!! How cool your kitchen must be.
I have an old upright freezer in the basement that quit working years ago and I use it for storing all kinds of goods. The old non-working chest freezer in the garage holds seed and critter food.
We make anything a pantry.
I love everyone's ideas!
That’s a great idea for storing animal food supplies!
DeleteThanks - I didn't really have a way to remove it - so I figured I would utilize it for animal supplies. It is mouse proof!!!
DeleteI hope to do some reorganizing of my pantry next week, or perhaps on Saturday when I put away the items I buy to stock things up a bit.
ReplyDeleteI always seem to have to search for the oldest cans so this time around I am going to make sure they are in front.
God bless.
Great idea. Always put your newest items in the back - I know that isn't always something we remember. I am guilty too!
DeleteGood luck!
Excellent, timely post! We don't know when the shelves may be empty again or sparsely filled. I have the Urban Farmer "trained" to mark the expiration year on any packaged or canned goods we buy. He does it voluntarily when we bring things home. The freezer is always a mess. The Farmer tucks things in where they fit, not in any order. When the weather cools down I'd like to do a reorganization and see if anything needs to be used right away. I did find two partial bags of the same veg so we combined them.
ReplyDeleteWe had a little rain with some thunder and lightning at 4:00 this morning. My little dog sounds the alarm when it is storming.
It is easy to let things go. I often do the same thing in the freezer. 2 or 3 times a year I reorganize it. Crazy since it is just me! It is always good to find things you forgot about.
DeleteAs I boiled a pot of chicken bone broth tonight--I can't seem to throw bones away w/o making broth first--the thought of "freezer pantry" came to mind. I always keep (plastic) jars of homemade broth in the freezer door; well-washed peanut butter jars or frosting tubs fit nicely. Dated, of course. It's easy to overlook the freezer when sorting or rotating your pantry items.
ReplyDeleteYes mam it is. The freezer is just as important - as things can get freezer burn. Things tend to get buried - and it is so important to have things in order.
DeleteI have a pantry, freezer and under the bed list, stuck on the front of my fridge. I do occasionally forget to cross items off:(
ReplyDeleteI am currently trying to ensure I can make whole meals from it.
Good job. I always start those lists - then start 'forgetting' and then I get angry at myself and rip it down!!! I am not disciplined about those lists. I wish I was.
DeleteYou are doing great.
I remember seeing a video on You Tube of a young woman who was cleaning out and reorganizing her kitchen pantry. The counters were loaded with stuff (as would be mine). But then she proceeded to look at the dates and threw everything in the garbage that was older than that day!!!! I clicked off her channel and never went back! All I can say is that I'm glad I was born when I was. The younger generation has my stymied!
ReplyDeleteAaaaarrrgghhhhh! That just agitates the crap out of me. People can be so stupid!!! Yes, I said it!
DeleteI have asked people before "how does the food inside the can know the date?" I hear crickets.
"Does the company put something in there to make it go bad that day?" Again crickets.
Forrest had it right - "stupid is as stupid does!"
I would not have ever watched her again either.
We are well organized at the moment but have been taking inventory of what we really have on hand. It has been surprising in some areas and I need to stop buying some things until they are eaten down. Pasta is on sale this week for 66 cents which is the best I have seen in a good while so we took stock and good grief, we have about 40 pounds on hand. If I still had 5 kids at home this would not be too much but for two this is a lot. I have been seeing holes at the grocery stores so we are really being mindful of what we do have. We also went through the garage fridge this week and we do not need any cheese for a long time. Talking to myself here! We only use dates for rotation here although we have determined that we do not really care for cereal more then 2-3 months past date. We mark everything we buy with a Sharpie. Flour bags get stored on a high shelf on their sides so we write what is on the bag so we can easily get what we need and know what we have. We store sugar in a sealed tub as well as chocolate chips because if we get a mouse in the house that is the first thing they eat holes in. (Why in the world do they thing they have to chew through every single bag?) It is easy to know if we need sugar because when the tub is full we have enough bags on hand.
ReplyDeleteOne thing we bought for our pantry this week was ammunition. It has been hard to find and we finally found it locally. Hundreds of acres have been cleared around us in recent months for housing developments and it is not unusual at this point to see a black bear strolling down the street past our house. One night we heard our front storm door rattling like crazy and the motion lights did not come on so it had to be an animal, bear?, trying to get in the door. I never thought we would see the day when we might need to defend ourselves here on any front but we do not want a bear in the house!
Good for you and the inventory and stocking. I have tons of past, beans and rice - but figure even if it is just me - I could survive. Maybe not the best diet - but I would eat!!
DeleteGet the deals while you can get them. Inflation is a given - so you are saving with every deal you find.
NOTE: My neighbor had extra flour on a shelf and went down to get it - the bag was there - not a dusting of flour to be seen - and mouse droppings. They ate a whole bag of flour!!!
I have had crackers and chips taste stale - stick them in the oven for a bit and it freshens them right up. Could maybe work on cereal.
I am good for ammo - not for bears. Hubs was a 'prepper' of sorts for that kind of thing - so I am good.
I think as we tear down more of our natural surroundings - we get more and more critters. I sure wouldn't want to see or confront bear.
STAY SAFE
That's crazy about the flour bag! That is why our flour is up on the top shelf. They have never gotten above the second shelf.
DeleteI know - I was amazed! Nasty little buggers!!!!
Deletethank you so much for this post! I learned a lot:)
ReplyDeleteThank you! You are kind. Glad you got something from it.
DeleteI love your idea about shoe organizers holding sauce/gravy packets or Jell-o, etc. Great idea to clean out, label and sort the Pantry, too. I love what you said about expiry dates - and the gremlins ;) LOL!
ReplyDeleteStay safe and well~
Thanks! There are so many ways we can organize - it just takes a little imagination.
DeleteSo many people get crazy about dates and well, we all have gremlins! LOL
We are eating our way through jams, srup and honey, that was purchased in 1965. They still taste good and I have realised they were produced when there was less polution and chemicals were around. My sister was a terrible hoarder and didnt rotate purchases. I also have a tin of margerine from army 'compo'rashions in 1940.
ReplyDeleteNo adverse effects have been experienced.
Kathy