Pantries are great, but it can be tough to keep a pantry organized. It is easy to pile up extra food that you think you may need someday and then forget what you already have because of the clutter.
You may not have a separate pantry that was built with the house or apartment and you may be using a small cabinet or have a small area to house your food products. Whatever your situation, you can have a organized pantry area that works for you and your family.
If you follow my tips to organize your pantry you will be well on your way to having an organized pantry that can serve the whole family.
- Purge before you start. Get rid of old cans and expired food.
- Group like items together. Create sections. (Ex. Cereals, Breakfast, Condiments, etc.)
- Take items out of bulky boxes and put them in containers.
- Put seldom used items at the very top. (Ex. Like pots and pans or other kitchen appliances you rarely use.)
- Keep track of what you use monthly and give away what you don’t use. Make a note so you won’t buy that item again.
- Every six months take everything out and clean the shelves. Give them a good scrubbing.
- Buy for only the space you have.
- Use labels so everyone knows where to put things away.
My Own Pantry Story
My old pantry used to be a very small closet at the top of the stairs going to the basement. I hated it growing up, because I felt like I was teetering over the basement stairs trying not to tumble down so that I could get what I needed out. I really hated this for my grandparents because even into their advanced age they were still doing this. It wasn’t until I was an adult and had inherited the house that I was able to put in a pantry system in the kitchen.
Once I had this pantry system in my kitchen I was taught the very good lesson of buying only what I had room for. No longer could I stock up outrageously but I had to think since it was out in the open I needed for it to be organized and not too cluttered.
Everyone in my household is pretty visual so organizing the shelves and having everything within sight was not a problem.
I have to admit that we have way too many syrup jars. As you can see it’s okay not to be perfect. Believe it or not every jar is being used.
Our spice rack is beside the stove where I found it would be most useful. As you can see we love spices!
So that is a tour of my pantry. What tricks do you use in your pantry to keep it organized and running smoothly? Leave your answers in the comments below.
What do you think?