We are almost finished with our pantry organization! There is only today and tomorrow to go! Isn’t that great? So far, we’ve put some good practices in place. Let us continue now and keep up the good momentum.
Day 4: Unwrap the Pack
Most of the time when we get home from the grocery store, we take the groceries out of the bag and put them in the pantry right away. I know that if I don’t do it right then, I’m likely to have bags of groceries sitting on the kitchen counter or kitchen until the next day.
To have an organized pantry, though, one needs to take a little more time to unwrap the bulk packaging before putting away the food. Most people don’t do this, but it can add some additional space in your pantry.
There are many items that typically have overwrap, including paper towels, soda, snacks, and multipacks of everything from peanut butter to cereal. If you remove that overwrap or extra packaging, you may find that you have the extra room you need to better organize these items.
While we are at it, take a good look at the packaging on the items you want to buy before you purchase them and bring them home. If you have a choice between several items of the same type, choose the one with the least amount or most convenient type of packaging. Not only will you make things easier when you get home, but you will most likely help the environment as well as a result of choosing minimal packaging.
Be aware of the supersize amounts of products. While buying in bulk can usually save money, you might be trading off a cluttered home. For example, if the jumbo bottle of ketchup is too tall to fit on the pantry shelf, where are you going to put it? Probably still on the shelf laying down on its side, huh? (At least that is what I used to do).
Related Articles:
How Long Does Healthy Food Last?
The Five Storage Choices in Your Home