You can organize food in your pantry, refrigerator and cupboards to support your healthy living goals. Try working in 15-minutes blocks, one or two shelves at a time.
For more related tips, I invite you to listen to a 10-minute podcast with me and Phoebe Canakis of Phoebe’s Pure Foods (and who blogs here on berkscountyliving.com!) about how to spring clean your pantry for wellness:
Inventory and Weed Your Supplies
- One shelf at a time, pull everything out so that you can see it.
- Throw away any food that is past its expiration date, stale or spoiled.
- Weed out any foods that do not support your healthy living goals.
- Buy smaller quantities of foods that expire quickly, such as dried herbs and spices.
Arrange It So That You Can Find It
- Cluster like foods together, such as vegetables and fruits, baking supplies, canned goods, snacks and spices.
- Alphabetize your spices so you can find what you want quickly.
- Put your most often used items at eye level, within easy reach, and put infrequently used foods higher up or at the back of the shelf.
- When you unpack your groceries, put the new items behind older items so that you use the older items first.
Containers and Storage Tips
- Use good quality airtight clear plastic containers to keep food fresh and repel pests. Brands such as Rubbermaid and OXO are available in many local stores.
- Use your space most efficiently by choosing stackable square or rectangular storage containers rather than round ones.
- Empty large bags of loose food such as flour, sugar, coffee, rice or pasta into tall square-sided clear canisters that can hold the whole package (check the labels to be sure it will fit). Photograph cooking directions on the package with your smart phone or cut them out and tape them to the container.
- To store small bags or packets such as nuts or dried fruit, tie them shut and collect them into small stackable sealed clear containers.
- You can freeze many foods in heavy-duty plastic freezer bags. Write the food and the date on the bag. Lay them flat when you put them in the freezer so that you can stack them efficiently.
Rachel M. Gambone is the owner of ReOrganize with Rachel, LLC. In addition to general home organizing, she specializes in helping you organize your office, papers and digital information. Her signature approach is positive organizing where she builds on your strengths, helps you find your treasures, and teaches you life-long organizing skills. See more organizing tips and a link to her free podcast at www.reorganizewithrachel.com.
