Do you open up your pantry and find it tough to navigate? Can you easily find the pop tarts, pasta, or peaches? Sometimes life gets busy, and it shows as the pantry starts to overflow. If you often complain that you end up buying things you already have because you don’t know what’s in your pantry, watch the video or read on for tips to get your pantry organized.
- Set Your Goals
Take stock of your goals for getting organized. Knowing what you want to achieve will help in the organizational process. - Store It Where You Use It
Not all items are best stored in the pantry! If you keep your coffee in the pantry, consider moving it near the coffee maker where it’s most used. If you have appliances that are out of sight, consider moving them onto the countertop or donating them if you don’t use them. - Sort, Toss Or Donate
As you take items out of the pantry, sort them by category, so you’ll see what you have duplicates of and what has expired. From this sorting, you can toss your expired items, sort what you want to keep, and consider donating what you no longer use. - Organize Based On Your Needs
Once you have everything out and sorted, it will go back into the pantry based on your needs, habits, and priorities. For example, in our video, Melissa makes a smoothie every morning, so having her smoothie powder in a prime spot makes sense for her needs. As does having the kids’ snacks easily accessible! These items are front and center, easy to reach and see. Up higher, she places spices and cans on graduated steps, so they are easily visible. Items that aren’t used as often, such as the baking ingredients, are placed higher up. Keeping the baking ingredients in one bin helps when it’s baking time so that you can grab just the one bin and have everything you need!
- Bonus Tip!
To help see what you have, rip the box tops off your food products and store them sideways. This way, you can see how many tea bags, bags of popcorn, or garbage bags you have quickly and easily, so you won’t buy more than you need.
If you’d like some help getting your pantry organized like Melissa, give professional organizer, Bridges Conner, a call at 480-297-7355, or contact us for a free consultation.