Tips to organizing your pantry

We’ve all been there, we go grocery shopping and we have no place to unpack the groceries, or once we finally get the groceries in our pantry, we realise that we already have most of the items. Making sure your pantry is organized, can save you time, specially if you’re a frequent cook. It can also save you money, since you wouldn’t double up on items and would have access to items before they expire.

• Start off by making three piles of things from your pantry – “to toss”, “to keep” and a “maybe” pile. The items in the “toss pile”, you could donate. The “maybe” pile, should be items that you will use in the next 3 months, if not they will need to go into the toss pile, at your next clean up.
• Each shelf should be assigned to a food group. For example you could place the dry goods, which would include rice, pastas, flour, cereals etc. Another shelf could be allocated to spices and condiments, baking, snacks and so on.
• You could purchase a few containers to place items like grains, flour, sugar, cereals etc. If you are on a low budget, look around the house for jars and boxes that aren’t in use. Make sure you label your items. Place contents that are most used in easy to reach areas on your shelves.
• To ensure your pantry stays tidy, make sure you shop for items that are running low in your pantry. If you purchase a one off item, place it in a ziplock bag, to keep it fresh.