Progress adds up over time. Are you starting to see a difference in your house yet? Are you keeping your entry neat with a place for your keys and purse/wallet?
Are you enjoying not having to turn the house upside down just to go somewhere?
I like that feeling. And, if you’ve already gotten out of that habit, this is just a gentle reminder to try to pay attention the next time you come home.
Today is pantry day. Please keep in mind that I understand that not everyone has a pantry. Almost everyone does have a place or place where they store dry goods (shelf-stable foods), and today, these places are what I’m referring to. (Except for your spices, save those for later this month)
If it has been a long time since you’ve delved into the deepest corners of your pantry, today’s challenge might take a while. Make sure to have your trash/recycling bin and donation bin ready. Additionally, find yourself a notebook (or piece of paper, it’s your list, not mine) and a pen.
Start at the highest point in the left corner and work your way to the right.
- Clear the shelf.
- Use a flashlight to check for any signs of pantry moths or weevils. You’re looking for webbing and bug debris. Make sure you look up in the top inside corners. They aren’t always easy to see. If you find any signs, refer to this post for full instructions on getting rid of pantry moths, this works for biscuit beetles, too. (Have you heard of those? I hadn’t until I wrote about them in this ever-evolving post on what are these tiny bugs on my window.
- If you have solid shelves, vacuum the shelf with the soft bristle attachment of your vacuum, this will get rid of any loose crumbs. If you don’t have a vacuum, use a foxtail brush.
- Once the shelf has been vacuumed, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to give it a once over with a degreaser and rag.
With a clean shelf, you’re ready to move on to the next step.
For each item from the shelf, work through the following flow chart:
Repeat for each shelf or cupboard. (Don’t worry. You soon quickly internalize the chart and don’t have to actuallylly think about it.)
When you’re through, hang on to your inventory, we’ll use it in a later challenge as part of organizing your menu planning and grocery shopping while reducing your grocery budget by building your pantry. If you want to get a jump on that, you can take a look at Stocking the Emergency Pantry.
See you next week!
Ok, I’m only halfway done with this (two out of the four “food shelves”) but it’s already making a big difference. I can see what I have much easier *and* I’ve got more room to put other things in. Like the two & a half packages of noodles & the flavored teas that migrated to the counter when I wasn’t looking. (I have house gremlins, I swear.) The flow chart is really helpful. I know it might seem basic to some people, but being able to just follow the lines helps when I’m looking at something & trying to figure out where to put it. I’m excited to work on the last two shelves. 🙂
Fantastic, I did ours and it’s been a goal of mine to increase the amount of peanut butter we have on hand since we go through it at a ridiculous rate ~ 1lg jar a week and I want to get to the point where in an emergency we have plenty and I should only have to stock up on it when it’s a loss leader… I think I got carried away. 🙂
We have house gremlins, too and they love to move the tea from the cabinet into the large silverware drawer which is more convenient, but I just can’t officially commit to it.
And the food cupboard is finished! (Including putting away the flavored tea, again. At least the gremlins aren’t drinking soda.) I can see everything. The shelves are clean. My list of the food is taped to the inside of the cupboard door for now, ready for the menu planning challenge. I feel very proud of myself. Now I just have train myself & the gremlins to keep it this way. 🙂
I have house gremlins too. Their names are Morgan and Sarah. Their modus operandi is to leave food on the counter and put utensils where I don’t keep them. I think training gremlins should be it’s own series of posts. Lol, think about it.