How To Effectively Organize A Pantry
If you want to organize a pantry, you have to work out how you use the pantry. A pantry is a very easy term to use, however, each pantry works differently depending on the people using it and the amount of items, which includes the size of space. I use my pantry to store unopened food and non-food items, it is small but because I know where certain items go, its organized and meets my family’s needs. I know my pantry has changed since my boys left home, it reduced to meet our changing needs; just because you used to run your pantry one way, doesn’t mean that you can’t change it if the dynamics of your household also changes.
Effectively Organize A Pantry
To organize a pantry you need to know about the needs of the family, how they use a pantry, finding out how they shop and their budget, this helps to formulate the perfect pantry.
For instance, if there are young children in the family, consider the pantry’s position, how and where to store the items. I don’t have young children at home anymore, so this means I am not restricted to the height, my shelving goes from a few inches from the floor to the full height of the cupboard, which is over 8 foot high. Unfortunately, it isn’t a wide cupboard, which does limit the number of items stored.
Grouping items together, for me, works great; I keep toiletries together on one shelf, cooking items on another shelf, I even have a shelf just to store fizzy drinks. I have seen some pantries that use lower shelving for items that are for children, so they are within easy reach.
To make a pantry work effectively, you must take into consideration the people who are living there, only then can you find a system that will work.
I am not one for having storage boxes to store the items in my pantry, as this to me can make the system crazy. I have two fridge drink cardboard boxes these hold my tins, I think that is the only storage containers I use, the rest of the items are just stored neatly on the shelving.
Pantry Organization
Pantry organization is something that you have to work at, you can create the most elaborate system, it doesn’t matter what you choose, but if it isn’t right for your family it just won’t work.
I have found that I know what is in the pantry and what I need to buy, mostly because all my children can write and if they take something out of the pantry, they must put it on the shopping list.
However, if you have young children this isn’t an effective way to track what you need to replace if they’re allowed to help themselves from the pantry.
You might need to have a sheet in your pantry so you know what you need and you do a visual check before shopping.
It is more about finding a system that meets your needs and your family’s needs; unfortunately, there isn’t one system for everyone, because we are individuals and it is about finding that right system for you.
- Try grouping items together
- You might find boxes useful
- Decide the height you need to put items for access
- How to work out replenishing the pantry
If you want more help in sorting a workable pantry then this article will help!
How To Organize Your Pantry In The Holiday Season
We all know at certain times of the year, you do need more food in your pantry compared to other times; for me, it is the holiday season at the end of the year with all the extra baking I do and the ingredients need to go somewhere and that is the pantry.
I will admit that I make my own mince pies at Christmas time; however, I do buy my mincemeat anytime of the year when I see it is on special offer. If that means I buy it in January, I will. If the best before date is sooner than the new year I make the mince pies early and I try my best to freeze as many as I can. My family will eat a few before the freezing process happens!
It does mean that I need to store even more in my pantry than at any other time of the year; this means for me, I must have an organized pantry for all these added supplies.
Items do get stacked and those items that can fit elsewhere, normally the fizzy, stored anywhere else to make room for the increase in items in the pantry.
To get a stock cupboard increase, I add items to my shopping list each week to increase the size of the stock cupboard but without the need to find an influx of money to pay for it. I start this about two – three months before the holiday season and the increase in food is on my weekly shopping trips.
Keeping Your Pantry Clean and Organized
I am easily distracted and therefore when it comes to keeping my pantry clean I do one shelf at a time, this ensures that I put everything back in its proper place.
- Take everything off one shelf
- Wipe the shelf clean and then ensure it is dry
- Wipe the items to go back onto the shelf to make sure they are dust free and are still in date, remember to put the newest items at the bottom and the oldest ones on top so they’re used first.
Stock rotation is an important area of keeping a pantry in top condition, if you find the items are going out of date before you are using them, this is a waste of money and means you are buying the item before you actually need to.
Therefore, to organize a pantry you have to take into consideration how it’s used, who has access to the items and how you intend to keep track of what you need to buy. Keeping a pantry clean and stock in the right order for use; is something that you will need to tackle regularly to ensure items are not going to waste.
If you are looking for more article on this topic head over to the landing page where you will find links to other posts on organizing.
What’s your best tip about how to organize a pantry?
