11 Steps to an Organized Pantry

Pantry Organization … 11 Steps to an Organized Pantry

© by patsi norwood and A Working Pantry

Are you overwhelmed and don’t know where to start in organizing your pantry?  Is your pantry an avalanche waiting to happen?

Whether you have a large pantry or a small one, keeping it organized is the key to knowing what you have …

Which is the key to using what you have …

Which is the key to keeping the costs of food and things your family uses down …

Which is what we all want, isn’t it?

Here are the steps I take when reorganizing and cleaning my pantry …

1. Pick an area or section to start and take everything out … everything!  Depending on how big your pantry is you might be able to complete your pantry reorganization in one block of time or it may take several as mine did. 

2. Now that you have the area empty, wipe it down with cleaner.  I do not recommend you empty out your entire pantry all at once, chances are you will quickly become overwhelmed, and wind up doing just what needs to be done to get it all back where you took it from!  Working on one section at a time is much more productive, even though it will take longer.  Slow and steady wins this race and gives you the desired results!

3. At this point everything you pulled out of your selected area should be in one spot, on a table, on the counter, etc.  Take a look around at the rest of your pantry.  Do you see any like items?  If so, go get them and add them to the table, counter, etc along with what you’ve already got there.

4. Now that you’ve got all like items together, check for any obvious signs that canned foods (store purchased and home-canned) might be ruined.  At this point I look for bulging tops or bottoms in store purchased canned items and lids that have come loose on home-canned foods.

5. Do the same for any bags or boxes only this time you’re looking for any type of insect, etc that might have hatched out in these items. (Yes, this does happen!)

6. Next, check the ‘best buy’ dates and decide if you want to keep an item, use it now or if it needs to be discarded.  Please keep in mind that the ‘best buy’ date does not mean that an item needs to be tossed if it is beyond that date.  Use your common sense.

7. You’re doing well but we’re not quite finished yet.  Look at your items and see if there are any that can be combined?  Do you have two containers of oatmeal open, combine them.  Do you have 2 boxes of the same kind of cereal open, combine them.  Go through everything in this section looking for items that can be combined.

8. Things are looking good now aren’t they, but there’s one more thing you need to do if possible.  Transfer food items from bags and boxes into glass, heavy plastic or metal containers.  (Don’t forget to label your containers!) By doing this you’ll greatly cut down on any insects and possible insect invasions that can get into your pantry via bags and boxes of foods.  You’ll thank me if you ever have an insect/rodent problem in your pantry!  

9. There’s one last thing you need to do before you start putting items back  … dust, wipe down, wash or clean each container, can, etc.  Dust settles on pantry items just like it does on furniture, so now’s the time to get them cleaned up.

10. Hoot!  Hoot!  Now, it’s time to put your items back into your newly cleaned area.  Have fun with this, arrange like items together and then stand back and admire your completed job.

11. Repeat these steps until your pantry is cleaned and organized!

In a nut shell, here are the steps to deep cleaning and reorganizing your pantry …

1. Pick an area and take everything out

2. Clean empty area

3. Add like items

4. Check canned foods for obvious signs of spoilage

5. Check for signs of insects in bagged and boxed items

6. Check ‘best buy’ dates

7. Combine like items

8. Transfer items in bags and boxes to glass, metal or heavy plastic containers

9. Dust/clean items

10. Return items to pantry

11. Repeat in another area

I hope you find this helpful!

until next time,

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

Sharing 44 years' experience of frugal, prudent living and pantry building 

My second blog:  From This Heart of Mine, where I share my love for God and His Word through my personal Bibe study.  Physical preparedness is important, but not near as important as spiritual preparedness.  Ladies, join me over at From This Heart of Mine and study God's Word with me.

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay, and it helps me keep my pantry well-stocked! 

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means.

Stop Worrying About What You Can't Do!

One of the hurdles of participating in the online world is coming to terms with what you can't do!  At times I look at what others do and know that financially there is just no way that I/we could do the same regardless of how much I/we would like to ... regardless of how much it might make our life easier.  There are some things we just can't financially or physically do, and we need to be okay with that.

In the current online climate, the urgency to go big or go home in one's preparedness has left many with a hopeless feeling.  I really regret that, because the reality is that going BIG requires money and possibly abilities that one might not possess.  Please don't let what others can do keep you from doing what you can do. Read that again! Stop worrying about what you can't do and get busy doing what you can do!

There is always going to be someone who can do more than you, accept it and move on doing what you can with what's in your hands.

Here's what that looked like for me today ... 

I canned up 9 pints of chicken broth.

My fermenting onions were ready, so I took the weights out of the jars, cleaned up the outsides and put them in the refrigerator.  They are now ready to start using in my meal planning.

I prepared my husband a delicious meal of home-canned beef stew from our pantry and a pone of cornbread.

I filled the dehydrator with herbs I collected yesterday, it's currently running as I type.

I stitched up the Bible cover I cut out yesterday.  I'm sharing this view showing the lining as I thought it was so pretty.  The soft pink fabric I used made a beautiful outside cover ... but the lining is just as pretty.

Here's what the outside looks like.

I got some sunshine today; spent time working on the next Esther lesson I am writing and did my exercise routine ... it was a good day.

I hope you've had a good day and are embracing what you can do!

Until next time,

patsi @ A Working Pantry

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

Sharing 43 years' experience of frugal, prudent living and pantry building 

My second blog:  From This Heart of Mine, where I share my love for God and His Word through my personal Bibe study.  Physical preparedness is important, but not near as important as spiritual preparedness.  Ladies, join me over at From This Heart of Mine and study God's Word with me.

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay, and it helps me keep my pantry well-stocked! 

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means.

Stocking and Restocking My Pantry at a Mennonite Non-Electric Store!

Recently, I had the opportunity to shop at a 'non-electric' Mennonite grocery store.  I knew I was going ahead of time so had my list ready.  Here's what I purchased for my pantry...

... the two large bags in the back are rye flour.  I simply cannot find it in the area where we live so I was delighted to be able to stock up ... I purchased 14 pounds (each bag was 7 lbs).  It will go in the freezer for a few days to make sure that all insect eggs are killed.  After that I'll fill a canister and add it to the baking area in my pantry.  The remaining will stay in the freezer until a refill is needed.

To the left of the rye flour is butter sprinkles.  I've been looking for this item and again, just can't find it in my area.  I'll fill a pint jar to keep in the refrigerator for use and freeze the rest for refills.

Between the two bags of rye flour is a bag of dry hominy.  My husband spotted this and wanted to try it so into the cart it went.

Beside the dry hominy is a bag of unsweetened coconut.  I use this in baking and in granola so was glad to be able to restock it.

All those plastic containers contain various spices, which was the main thing on my shopping list.  I'll refill my spice containers and set the rest of each in the freezer for refill purposes.

In the front are flavorings: hazelnut, banana, butterscotch and butter pecan.  I'll use these in baking and smoothies.

I had such fun shopping at this store, I've already started a list for the next time I get to go!

patsi

A Working Pantry

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27

Items I use in keeping my pantry well-stocked:

Dehydrator

Dehydrator Teflon Sheets

Dehydrator Cookbook

Food Saver Vacuum Sealer

Herb/Coffee Bean Grinder

Manual Food Chopper

Pressure Canner

Canning Supplies

Food Scale

For ways to support this blog, go HERE.

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means.

Pantry Stocking Haul: 3/3/21

I'm not buying many groceries right now but I am trying to add to my long term pantry a little each week. I hit up Dollar Tree again this week and here's what I purchased ...

Everything in this picture came from the Dollar Tree except the Blue Diamond almond flour, that came from Sam's Club.

Pink Himalayan Salt

Snack Bags

Jasmine Rice

Yellow Rice (I'll throw in some mixed vegetables for a delicious side dish)

Lintels (will vacuum seal for long term storage)

Aluminum Foil Sheets (these are handy for so many things)

Great Northern Beans  (will vacuum seal for long term storage)

Hungry Jack Potatoes (each of these bags make enough to serve 8)

Red Kidney Beans (will vacuum seal for long term storage)

The most expensive item was the almond flour, everything else was $1.  I want you to see that you can build a well-stocked pantry without shopping in bulk or spending huge amounts of money.  It will take longer, but it's possible and something is better than nothing when hard times come calling!

patsi

A Working Pantry

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27

My pantry is intentional, purposeful, simple, practical, frugal and what works for my family.  It’s the food items and household supplies that keep my household running smoothly ready and available when they are needed.  It’s my contribution to our family’s economy and my work-from-home ‘job.'

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

If you are encouraged by what you read here, please consider supporting this site via one of these ways. Your expressions of appreciation help me keep my pantry well-stocked!

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay and it helps me keep my pantry well-stocked! 

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means.

A Mini-Stock Up at Dollar Tree!

We had to make a trip to the nearest bigger city today and while there I stopped in at the Dollar Tree.  We have Dollar Tree stores in our area but they are not very big and don't carry a lot of things the bigger stores do.

Here's what I purchased ...

Welch's 100% grape juice ... $1 each  (best buy date of 12/21)

Welch's 100% apple juice ... $1 each (best buy date of 11/21)

Jasmine Rice ... $1 each  (Jasmine rice is so expensive, I was delighted to find it in 1 lb packages.  While larger bags, like the ones found at grocery stores and bulk food stores, are too expensive for our budget, these smaller packages make it possible to add Jasmine rice to my pantry without blowing our food budget.  The smaller packages are not always the best price, but if that's what you can afford, then that's what you buy!)

and garden seeds!  (I picked up flower seeds, kale seeds, herb seeds, pumpkin seeds and pepper seeds.   Some of the seeds were even heirloom seeds which makes me very happy!  The price for the seeds were 4 for $1.)

I spent $19 plus taxes for everything in the picture, my pantry got a boost and I got seeds for my garden!

Do you have Dollar Tree store 'finds' to share, I would love to hear about the items you shop for at Dollar Tree stores.

patsi

A Working Pantry

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27

My pantry is intentional, purposeful, simple, practical, frugal and what works for my family.  It’s the food items and household supplies that keep my household running smoothly ready and available when they are needed.  It’s my contribution to our family’s economy and my work-from-home ‘job.'

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

If you are encouraged by what you read here, please consider supporting this site via one of these ways. Your expressions of appreciation help me keep my pantry well-stocked!

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay and it helps me keep my pantry well-stocked! 

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means.

What Does God 'taking care of His Children Look Like?'

I’m often asked, with all my pantry building, if I feel like God wants us to just back off and depend on Him to take care of us and provide what we need. 

Does all my pantry building fly in the face of God?  Is it sending the message that I’m not dependent upon Him?

Does the fact that the Bible assures us that God ‘takes care of His children’ mean we can sit back and do nothing and expect God to provide our needs?

That’s quite an inquiry and one that needs closer scrutiny.

In my opinion, God does make a way for His children but I firmly believe that God expects us to do what we can … notice I said, what we can … not what we can’t.

Do You Have "Pantry Building Eyes?"

You might have ‘pantry building eyes’ if …

Your eyes automatically start scanning the shelves for clearance stickers when you first enter a grocery store isle.

You turn into a sleuth by analyzing, circling and marking up your grocery store sales flyers before you go shopping so you’ll know what to watch and look for once you get to the store(s).

You take a glancing notice of what others have in their grocery carts, if someone has a large number of the same items that might indicate an unadvertised or clearanced out special.

You always check the ‘dent and damaged’ clearance section of your store(s) to see what you can find.

You ‘see’ all the possibilities of a marked down item.   For example, let’s say that shredded potatoes are being marked down in a store where you’re shopping.   You could use them in casseroles, to make hash browns, in soups, in pot pies, etc.    You ‘see’ all kinds of possibilities that will stretch that marked down item into several meals.

What about you, do you have ‘pantry building eyes?’   

If so, what do your 'pantry building eyes' look for when you're grocery shopping or preparing to grocery shop?

patsi

A Working Pantry

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27

My pantry is intentional, purposeful, simple, practical, frugal and what works for my family.  It’s the food items and household supplies that keep my household running smoothly ready and available when they are needed.  It’s my contribution to our family’s economy and my work-from-home ‘job.'

You can follow A Working Pantry on Facebook and Instagram. 

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

If you are encouraged by what you read here, please consider supporting this site via one of these ways. Your expressions of appreciation help me keep my pantry well-stocked!

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay and it helps me keep my pantry well-stocked!

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means.

Pantry Stocking for the Single Person

Should they?  Could they?  Why would they?

Since I write/teach about pantry stocking, preparedness and the importance of such, I often hear from single people that it’s just not something they’re interested in since it’s only just them in their household.  If you are single and have this mindset, I hope the following will give you a different insight.

Being a single person doesn't change the chance of events happening in one’s life, natural disasters or sicknesses are just two examples.  Either of these events could leave you unable to go to the grocery store.  A well-stocked pantry would be a blessing in either of these situations.

Because you have no one else to rely on for income; this, to me, would be reason enough to keep a well-stocked pantry.  When you realize you are your own safety net, you start to look at things differently and for ways to keep that safety net in place.  Not having to worry about what you would eat during a season of reduction or loss of income would be one less thing you would have to worry about.

It’s true that it’s more difficult to buy and store in single quantities, but you can buy regular size packages, bring them home, leave out enough for a meal and freeze or preserve the rest in future meal size portions.  For example, if you purchase a quart of strawberries and you know you’re not going to be able to eat them all before they ruin, when you get home from shopping take out the amount you’ll eat and freeze the rest in smoothie size portions or meal size portions so you can use them at a later date.

If you are single and have always thought that keeping a well-stocked pantry wasn’t necessary, I hope you’ll give some thought to what you’ve just read.   I really believe that keeping a well-stocked pantry is something that everyone can and should do regardless of how many are in one’s household.

What are your thoughts?

patsi

A Working Pantry

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27

My pantry is intentional, purposeful, simple, practical, frugal and what works for my family.  It’s the food items and household supplies that keep my household running smoothly ready and available when they are needed.  It’s my contribution to our family’s economy and my work-from-home ‘job.'

You can follow A Working Pantry on Facebook and Instagram. 

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

If you are encouraged by what you read here, please consider supporting this site via one of these ways. Your expressions of appreciation help me keep my pantry well-stocked!

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay and it helps me keep my pantry well-stocked!

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means.

My Pantry Is ...

When we think of our pantries most of the time we think of using them to get through the 'here and now' ... the daily stuff ... getting the family fed and such.  But, my pantry is so much more than a means to get through the daily stuff, its ...

Our rainy day fund …

… it helps us deal with short term/temporary financial setbacks.  Setbacks such as unexpected medical bills, vehicle repairs, etc that use up the weekly or monthly food budget allotment.

Our insurance policy …

…  it has seen us through long term financial upsets like job loss and income reduction.

Our store house …

… it gives us the convenience of shopping when we want instead of when we have too. It allows us to be able to wait for sales and not have to pay full price which in turn stretches our food budget even more.

Our disaster preparedness …

… it saw us through the aftermath of all the devastation of Hurricane Matthew last fall with ease and enabled us to be able to help others.  Enough said!

What is your pantry to you?

patsi

A Working Pantry

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27

My pantry is intentional, purposeful, simple, practical, frugal and what works for my family.  It’s the food items and household supplies that keep my household running smoothly ready and available when they are needed.  It’s my contribution to our family’s economy and my work-from-home ‘job.'

You can follow A Working Pantry on Facebook and Instagram. 

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

If you are encouraged by what you read here, please consider supporting this site via one of these ways. Your expressions of appreciation help me keep my pantry well-stocked!

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay and it helps me keep my pantry well-stocked!

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means.

Saving Space in Our Pantries!

Recently, a group of us Working Pantry folks had a discussion on condensing things down to save space in our pantries.  Everyone kicked in some really good suggestions and I thought you might benefit from reading some of the ideas everyone shared. (Thanks to everyone who contributed their ideas.)

Use baskets or plastic bins to store like items together such as pouches, envelopes, prepackaged spice mixes, bags of items, toothpaste that has been taken out of the box, razors that have been taken out of their box or container, etc.

Keep plastic lids in a plastic bin so they aren't all over the cupboard and in one spot.  Who among us hasn’t wrestled with plastic lids!

Take band aids out of their boxes and store them in a plastic container with dividers, dividing by size, etc or store them in plastic school pencil containers or take them out of the boxes and put them in plastic bags.  Label the bags and put them in a clear sweater box.

Plastic drawer units are good for storing tubes of antibiotics, creams, salves, etc.

Many times over the counter medications and vitamins come in a bottle that is not all the way full, combine multiple bottles into one.  Just make sure they have the same expiration date & lot number.

Use glass jars as storage containers.  It makes it easy to see what’s inside and how much. Old mayo jars are good for this as are empty gallon pickle jars.  Some things to store are:  herbs, beans, pasta, sugar, mixes, etc.  You can also repackage anything dry such as cereal, chocolate chips, etc. in jars.  (If you have a vacuum sealer to seal jars, that’s even better.)

Speaking of cereal, you can take it out of the box and put in a vacuum sealer bag, you should able to stack the sealed bags or store them in a basket or bin.  Make sure to write what kind it is on the bags.

Repackage pastas, sugar, rice, flour and other bulk stuff into 5 gallon buckets with gamma lids.

Take freezer and storage bags out of their boxes and store them in clear bins.  Be sure to label the bin with the size.

Repackage frozen foods such as pizza rolls, fish sticks, perogies, etc. Re-bag them and save all kinds of space. If you need the cooking directions, use a sharpie and write it on the freezer bag you re-bagged them in or cut the cooking instructions from the box and slip it inside of the freezer bag.

Cover mandarin orange type boxes with contact paper and store condiments, bbq sauces, soy sauce, etc.  You can put cases of canned goods under them to maximize shelf space.

What can you add to this topic of condensing things down and saving space in our pantries?

patsi

A Working Pantry

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27

My pantry is intentional, purposeful, simple, practical, frugal and what works for my family.  It’s the food items and household supplies that keep my household running smoothly ready and available when they are needed.  It’s my contribution to our family’s economy and my work-from-home ‘job.'

You can follow A Working Pantry on Facebook and Instagram. 

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

If you are encouraged by what you read here, please consider supporting this site via one of these ways. Your expressions of appreciation help me keep my pantry well-stocked!

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay and it helps me keep my pantry well-stocked!

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means.