Tidy-Up Thursday AND Frugal Friday – Organize Your Pantry

This post is a Tidy-Up Thursday AND a Frugal Friday all rolled into one!  Since organizing your pantry is organization and it saves you time and money!

Have you ever bought something at the grocery store, only to come home and find that you already had that item hiding in the depths of your pantry?

Or, do you look in your pantry with a blank stare, wondering what you will make for dinner?

The answer is to organize your pantry.

I love to organize my pantry about twice a year, with updates every month.  I just finished doing a complete inventory, and I wanted to share with you what I do.

First, the before picture:

Not bad, really, but I didn’t know what I had in there.  And, if you don’t know what you have in the pantry, you can’ t figure out what to make out of what you have.

I’m all about being resourceful, and a bit creative when it comes to meals, because groceries is one of the major ways that we save money each month.

I use the same concept in my freezer as well, so that I know what I have and what I can make.

Here’s how to do your pantry/freezer organization:

1) Take everything out of your pantry/freezer one shelf or area at a time.
2) Log each item on a paper and note the quantity.
3) Put each item back, making sure they are orderly and grouped together with like items.
4) Type up your list (optional,  but I do type it, because it’s easier to read that way) and post it on the fridge or pantry door.
5) As you use an item, mark it off (I like to put little circles next to each listing indicating how many of each item I have.  Since I package our leftovers in individual size servings, we can just grab one, mark it off and go!).  Or, when you add an item, add it to the list (I always leave space at the bottom of the list for items to be added).
6) Refer to your list when you plan your weekly meals.
7) Make it a habit to read your inventory first, then plan the meal around what you already have, rather than picking a recipe first.  Then, you will be spending less money at the grocery store.  There are many times that I have all the major ingredients in my pantry for a recipe, and can just pick up one or two items to complete the meal.
Always stock the basics.  Keep the basics (flour, sugar, etc.) on hand at all times.
9) When you are running low on an item, make sure you put it on your grocery shopping list right away.
10) Update your inventory at the beginning of each month, and do a thorough inventory (where you empty everything out and cross reference it to your list) about every 6 months to keep on top of it.

Here’s what the pantry looked like after my organization:

Much better.  Note how like items have been grouped together.  Since I have been canning, I had to rearrange to get all my canned goods together (they were more scattered in the first picture), and I also purchased some new Tupperware containers to store dry goods.

One last word on organizing your pantry: label everything! Notice how I have used my wonderful label maker (an organizer’s best friend) so that you can clearly read what is in the container??  I just love my label maker

I did the same thing in my freezer, one shelf at a time.  Then it’s much easier to create your meals because you know what you have in the pantry and freezer.  And, since I am a visual person, I do much better when planning my meals with everything in a list on paper, rather than just looking in the pantry or freezer.

I also made an inventory of my spices, so that I would know what I have already.  Spices are very easy to forget that you have (especially the less frequently used ones), and accidentally purchase again at the grocery store, only to come home and find that you already have one two four bottles of it at home (ask me how I know this!).

When you take time to organize your pantry and freezer, you SAVE TIME in cooking and planning and you SAVE MONEY on needless grocery purchases.  It’s an investment well worth making.  And, my children helped me out too, so they enjoyed the process as well (and were pleasantly surprised at some of the items we “discovered” in the pantry and freezer!).

What is your secret to pantry organization?

To your success,

Dr. Laura

This post is shared at:
Penny Pinching Party
Simple Lives Thursday
I’m Lovin’ It Friday
Frugal Friday