Happy Friday to you!  I am writing this post in advance as I’m not taking my laptop to my mini vacation in Toronto for the U2 concert.  I will fill you in on Monday with an update on how it went.

I was asked by a reader about posting some ideas on how to organize a pantry!  I thought it was a timely idea as I have been thinking about pantry design for the new house.

Now of course you will likely have more ideas, so let me know what you consider to be the most crucial tips that you cannot live without when it comes to organizing your pantry.

1.  Shelf Assignments

Plan pantry use by categorizing into prime and non-prime storage. If possible, prime storage at eye level should be for the most often-used items. Further categorize storage by item. For example, use one shelf for baking items, another for tomato canned goods and another for pasta and rice.

2.  See the Label. Watch Expiry

This is self explanatory, however keep a rotation of oldest to newest to ensure you are eating the oldest food first.  Do make a note if you remove the packaging by labeling the best before date for the product.

3.  Reduce Dead Space

Be sure these shelves don’t have too much “dead space”. Dead space is unused space. This space can be found even above what you are storing.  Adjust the shelf up or down a few inches to create the ability to stack the like cans. This will make a tremendous difference – and get all canned foods on one shelf rather than scattered throughout the pantry.

4.  See Through Containers

This is one of my favorites. Find canisters or other holders for noodles, flour, sugar, rice, popcorn, or other foods that come in flimsy plastic or paper bags. I used to store the bag of rice right in the open bag, which always lead to spills, not to mention the possibility of insect infestation! Now I use canisters, empty coffee cans, glass jars and other containers to hold these items.

5.  Use Lower Shelves

Whether you want to create a “kid friendly” shelf or just use it to store heavier items such as soda bottles or water bottles – this is a great way to maximize your use of space.

6.  Clean Regularly

This is common sense but often forgotten.  Be sure to wipe the shelves down regularly and keep the dirt and grime to a minimum.  The time you spend cleaning your pantry will help you find stuff you didn’t know you had and hopefully reduce costs on your grocery bill as you are more in tune with the products you have.

Well there you have it,  a fun post to hopefully help you keep the pantry presentable.  I will be sure to show off my pantry once it gets built!  Have an awesome Friday and a great weekend.  See ya on Monday.

Take care

zesty

So Thursday is here, the sun is out and spring is arriving soon (hopefully).  Not that this is a spring cleaning exercise but I wanted to share with you some things I do to organize my fridge.  My methods are pretty elementary however it’s better than just pushing items to the back of the fridge in hopes someone will move them.

Have you ever wanted to see what exactly is in Zesty’s fridge? Well I thought it would be easier to illustrate using some pictures.

Read below for the tips and feel free to add your tips in the comments.
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