The pantry and refrigerator seem to be spots in our homes that can quickly get out of control. Between grocery trips, cooking and kids grabbing snacks, there is constant movement of food in and out.
About 2 years ago I got serious about taking charge of my own pantry and fridge because:
1. Every week we were throwing away embarrassing amounts of meat and produce because it would get lost in the fridge or cabinet and go bad before we could use it.
2. Our grocery bill was through the roof and we wanted to find a way to cut back.
3. I came home from grocery shopping one day, went to put up some cream of mushroom I had just bought and found NINE other cans of it. NINE. Here’s proof..
Yeah…… embarrassing.
If you are struggling with any of these same issues, here is a step-by-step to start you off on the right foot!
#1 Empty it out.
First, completely empty out your pantry and fridge and get rid of anything that is expired or anything you know you will not use/eat.
*For example, you might buy a new salad dressing, try it, not like it, and put it back in the fridge because you feel bad for getting rid of it so quickly. If you KNOW you will not use it, get rid of it now. But don’t feel like you have to throw food away to get rid of it. Maybe give it to a friend or family member to try!
#2 Time to Organize.
Second, organize items “like with like” and put them away. If you have 9 cans of cream of mushroom, store them all together, that way you can easily see how many you have.
#3 Plan Plan Plan!
Third, plan your upcoming meals around ingredients you have an abundance of. When I was working through all that cream of mushroom, I chose recipes for the next few weeks that called for it. And then we didn’t eat anything with cream of mushroom in it for a year.
A huge realization I had from my own pantry overhaul was that I was just buying items I knew I would eventually use without having a real reason to buy them or without knowing what I had in the first place. Organizing our food has made it MUCH easier to see what we have while making a grocery list and has saved us tons of money at the store.
What about you? How do you keep up with your pantry and refrigerator? Leave a comment below!
Next week I will be writing about meal planning and how it has made the BIGGEST difference in our pantry and refrigerator. Stay tuned!
