Kitchen Pantry Organization

Along with past posts of junk drawer and closet organization, another important place in your apartment that needs to be organized is your pantry. When all of your food is organized, you can easily locate ingredients for recipes, and you will be more likely to notice if food has expired. Use these tips to help bring peace to your food cabinet:
 

 
 

• Sort through food – Separate cans, boxes, cereals and other food items into separate groups. You can also group by meal, or by how heavy the items are. Anything that is old or expired can be thrown away.
• Label any Tupperware – plastic containers used to store pantry food can often be shoved to the back of the pantry or never touched due to lack of knowledge of what exactly is in the container. Labeling the container to let others know what is inside can make it easier for the product to be found.

 

• Color code products – Snacks, dinner items and breakfast food can all be color coded to your liking. Colored tabs, dots or labels can keep food even more organized.
• Use a door rack – available at your local superstore, there are door racks that can be purchased for pantry organization. They come with various sized storage, perfect for boxes, cans and spices.
• Purchase can sliders – Also available at your superstore are can racks or sliders. Stack soups and canned fruits and vegetables in the rack and save space. You can also use old soda can holders for smaller cans. Put the cans with the farthest expiration date in the back.
• Keep an eye on expiration – Any food that is close to expiring should be kept separate from other foods, and perhaps in an “eat me first” box to let others know to finish off that product. This technique can really reduce waste.

These tips will help keep your food organized. Alert your roommates that the pantry is organized, and agree to put back food where it originally came from. Having an organized pantry will not only save you time when looking for an item, it will also make creating a shopping list easier and will look aesthetically pleasing.
 
Photo from: EvelynGiggles