Kitchen Pantry Clean Out Tips

Most of us reach a point where we have a lot of food in our pantry, yet there doesn’t seem to be much to eat or many meal ideas. If your pantry is bursting at the seams, it is a great time to do a pantry clean out week! It is good to do a pantry cleanout regularly, to keep on top of items accumulating and to avoid waste.

Benefits

~ go on a spending freeze!  You can likely get away without spending money on groceries, or just shopping for a few items to create recipes

~ reduce food waste (by not having to throw away expired foods)

~ make room / organize / declutter

~ a good time to do this is also before a big trip or vacation, so you can clean out your pantry before leaving

Here are some tips for a pantry clean out!

Start by checking expiration dates

A great place to start is going through everything and check expiration dates. Toss anything that is past the expiration date that is no longer usable.  Next, choose items that are at or near expiration, so you can use those first.

Donate

Be realistic when it comes to what you want to keep and what would be good to donate. Many times things get purchased but then they don’t seem appealing, so it is best to either eat those first or just donate them.

Organize

Organize what you have in your pantry.  For example, jars of pasta sauce can go together, as well as other things like condiments or grains.

Set aside items to use first

Choose which food items are going to get used first; these are often going to be ones that are close to expiration.

Decide on recipes

Start researching some recipes you can use for your food items, so that you can put them to good use. For example, if you have beans and you want to put together a soup, you can buy some vegetables to add in.  Consider that most items you will need to buy will be fresh, healthy ingredients to go alongside your shelf stable items.

Clean

While you are going through foods, clean the pantry as well. Vacuum, wipe down shelves, etc. This is a good way to keep your pantry clean, avoid pests (such as ants or mice), and feel good about your kitchen pantry. You may want to purchase some shelf bins or other organizational supplies to help get things in order.

Some extra tips

~ sometimes I like to see how long I can go without buying groceries or anything besides fresh fruits or veggies to accompany the pantry cleanout!
~ try making some bulk meals, freezer meals, etc.
~ stay on track – no eating out!
~ try some new recipes and mix up your usual routine for ingredients