My toddler has recently decided that pulling everything out of our pantry is really fun. While he typically puts everything back on the shelves, he puts arranges them in his own fashion. This means that over time, our lower shelves are in greater and greater disarray. This disorder is starting to really bother me, as I can no longer be sure of exactly what is on those lower shelves; and every time I open the pantry it reminds me that I need to do something about it.

This week I’m pulling everything out, and putting it all back inside in an organized manner. This will allow me to see/verify what we already have. Knowing what is in our pantry is important for meal planning as well as effective purchasing when our pantry staples are on sale (see HERE).

It will also allow me to re-sort things, so the newest items are in the back and the oldest items are in the front. This helps to reduce food waste by encouraging us to use the oldest items first (see HERE). It also brings any older items nearing the end of their shelf life to my attention so we can be sure to use them soon.

We didn’t have anything in our pantry that we no longer use or simply won’t use, but if you encounter any of those (or any long expired items) while you’re cleaning out your pantry, now is a good time to donate or otherwise dispose of them. Not only will you free up space, it’ll give you a better sense of how much food you actually have on hand as well as give food to people who need it (assuming there are items you won’t use, not just very old items). A good rule of thumb, if something has sat on your shelf for over a year and you haven’t used it, you’re unlikely to use it in the future: give it away.

Finally, it’s much nicer to look at an organized pantry than one overtaken by chaos. It helps me to feel calmer, not to mention the time savings, when our shelves are organized. With my little guy still loving to pull everything out, I’m not entirely sure how long this will last, but for now it feels great.