DECLUTTERING YOUR LIFE....PANTRY

Is your linen closet looking less cluttered? How many bags of trash have you hauled out? How many boxes of donations do you have? Share your successes and struggles in the comments.

Now on to the pantry and freezer. The refrigerator will be for another day!

If your pantry looks something like this then I bet you buy food without really knowing what you have on hand because you can only see what is in front. It's time to change that.

Have a box handy for the items you will donate to your local food pantry and an empty trash bag for anything you toss.

First, pull EVERYTHING out and wipe down the shelves. Of the non-food items ask yourself if this is the best place to store them. My sister has a large walk-in pantry that, above and beyond her food, also holds her paper goods, liquor, cleaning supplies, pet food, candles, batteries, extra silverware, party supplies and her mixer. Mine is a large cabinet that is just for food.

Next, FILL A TRASH BAG. Toss out all the items that are expired, stale, empty, stuck together and rusted.

GROUP all the remaining like items together.

COMBINE: If you have three open boxes of oatmeal packets, put them together.

ASK SOME QUESTIONS:
*If you don't eat sweats why do you have soda and three jars of molasses?
*If you make your special cranberry sauce at Christmas and it's July, do you really need to be STORING 4 boxes of your secret ingredient (....orange gelatin).
* What are some things you could give away to the food pantry? If you have 6 boxes of pasta, you could keep 2 and give away 4.
* Why are you keeping that empty Vodka bottle?

Now put the things you don't use as often up high and the heavier items towards the bottom so they are easier to lift.

You don't have to run out and buy a bunch of matching baskets. It's ok if it doesn't look perfect all the time. Here is what my pantry looks like. I can see everything and therefore plan my grocery list better, not buying things I already have.

The top shelf is for baking, spices, dips, mixes and such. The second shelf is for soup, jars of stuff and anything I have baked. I can't leave baked items on my counter or my cats will eat them! Shelf three is larger items, like stuffing mix, pasta, peanut butter, a taco kit for this week and a large box of cup-a-soup. Then on the bottom I have cereal, breakfast drinks, oatmeal, drink mixes and cookie sheets that don't fit in with the other pots and pans. I put chips and snacks in a different cabinet.

Now do the same with the freezer.

FILL A TRASH BAG: Toss anything that has freezer burn, the seal is broken on and is over 6 months old.

GROUP all the like items together.

ASK SOME QUESTIONS:
* Do you even like peas?
* Is the seal popped on that jar of Grandma's homemade gooseberry jelly?
* What is that brown blob in the ziplock?

NOTE: I like upright freezers more since they are much easier to organize and see all your items in.  Chest freezers just require a little more organization and maintenance if you don't want your items to expire before you unbury them.

If you want to take it one step farther, plan your menu for the next week based on the items you have uncovered and you'll save tons on your grocery bill.

Now gather all the items that you don't need or want (nothing expired, stale or opened) and bring it to your local food pantry. They will love you for it.