Pantry Organizing 101
Pantries of sorts have evolved over the past 100+ years. However, the thing we actually call a “pantry” only dates back to the 1900’s with a little company called Hoosier out of Indiana. They created an all in one cabinet that was designed to hold your household staples like spices, flour and sugar.
The pantry has since evolved with many improvements like decorative bins, customized pullout drawers, and the infamous trend of labeling everything (which I have my own opinion on – for another blog post).
What I see the majority of the time is excess which quickly turns to waste.
Half eaten bags of chips, old crackers, and pasta (enough to feed a football team). Many of these old snack packages are sitting in the pantry just waiting for someone to finally notice them and throw them out; in the meantime they take up valuable space.
We tend to follow in our parents footsteps – and having a stocked pantry means we are an adult right? Well let’s deliberate a little, shall we? Having can goods that you will never eat and pre-made mixes that are full of additives doesn’t sound like the most adult thing you could do.
Now understand if you have a stock of the foods you eat all the time and LOVE, don’t toss or change your process. I’m only talking about about individuals that continually find random items and say “Uh, where did that come from?”
I have a challenge for you – ready, set, go…
I challenge you to eat through your pantry once a year. Dare I say your freezer while you are at it. It’s a great way to start fresh and to reconnect with what foods you like and which ones you can phase out. Easy as it sounds, many will find this task difficult. So please let me know how you are coming along. I’d love to hear from you.
Quick Tips:
1. Take a full inventory of your pantry
2. Make a master list – Items you use and want on hand at all times
3. Once a year eat through your pantry and freezer!
