It’s week 43 of my Declutter 52 Things in 52 Weeks Challenge. If you haven’t signed up yet, join me today as I help you remove all those things in your home you no longer need or use.
It’s that time of year, where our pantry starts to fill up with extra nibbles, sweets, packets of chips and more. I usually sort through my pantry in the lead up to Christmas to see what food I have in there and create meal plans based on these foods. This helps me use them up and create more storage room for Christmas foods!
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Decluttering Task #43
Pantry Food
This week’s declutter task will help you save money by using up all the food (before it expires!) that’s kicking around in the back of your pantry, whilst also helping free up space for all your yummy Christmas food.
TODAY’S TASK: PURGE AS MUCH FOOD IN YOUR PANTRY AS YOU CAN
Note: My definition of purge – sell, donate, repurpose or throw away items as you see fit
- Look at your pantry and see what storage solutions aren’t working.
- Remove everything from the pantry, grouping like items together.
- Throw away items that have passed their expiry date.
- Determine what items haven’t been used in over 6 months (and are still in date) and consider putting these products in a corner or basket.
- Create a meal plan with items from this basket, or if the kids are hungry for a snack, suggest they grab from this basket first. Attempt to use up the items in this basket within the next 2 weeks.
- Add any new and/or current storage products in your pantry to help you keep it organised.
- Place items you don’t need to use as often towards the back or on a higher shelf in the pantry.
TIP: place items that have been in the pantry for a while in a basket, and endeavour to use them all up within the fortnight.
READ MORE: Save Time And Money With My Online Grocery Shopping Tips
Planning your weekly meals ahead of time will not only help you to be more organised, but it will also save you money, kitchen and grocery time, and will help you avoid food spoilage and wastage in your fridge and pantry. I have been meal planning for years and can show you how planning meals can make your life simpler. It also helps when you write it down for all the family to see too!!