Organize your Cluttered Pantry {+ Pantry Organization Checklist}

This weekend looks like a rainy one – and because we are a little limited in what we can do…  we are, for the most part, staying home.

We been working on organizing each room of our house for the last few weeks – getting rid of excess stuff we don’t need so we can get rid of all the clutter.  It’s amazing how much “stuff” you inherit… especially with kids. We have WAY too many toys, pieces of toys, broken toys, shoes that don’t fit, and clothes that need to get donated to the Goodwill.

One of MY Main goals through.. is to get into a habit of using what we HAVE versus buying new. That goes for food too. Because my pantry is FULL of stuff, I can’t see what we have… not to mention if you can’t determine what is in there, you tend to jump in the car & go buy things at the store that you might not necessarily need.

Is my pantry the only one that looks like a jumbled mess? It was clean a few weeks ago and then life got in the way, and we just started throwing stuff wherever it fit on the shelf. Right now it looks like a bomb went off. I’m embarrassed to show you my pantry but hopefully …. at least a few of you can relate.

I am trying to purchase only fresh produce, and dairy for the next few weeks – so we can use up the things we have in our stockpile.  We may not necessarily need to go grocery shopping this month too much because much of what we have is in the pantry & can be used to make dinner.

Organizing your cluttered pantry or freezer is actually not too difficult – you’ll want to clear out the kitchen and enlist the help of your older children…. my 8 year old likes to read dates, so she puts the expired items aside for me – that’s her duty.. she loves doing it.

1. Clear off the Kitchen Counters & Table so you have SPACE to use
2. Take ALL the food out of your pantry cupboards and shelves – place like items together
3. Put OPEN items in a separate area.
4. Expired items need to be placed together, and items that are no longer edible probably placed next to the expired pile
5. Items that are still valid (in date) that you wish to donate maybe placed together
6. Use the Pantry Inventory Worksheet to write down everything you have..
7. Wipe the shelves down and place everything back in the pantry very nice and orderly

How often do you clean your pantry? Are you surprised at how much you had on your shelves/cupboards?