In previous posts, we’ve discussed the power of decluttering and the positive impact it can have on our lives. We’ve also learned some tips and strategies on the best way to declutter. Today, I want to start our home decluttering series with the food items in our kitchen.
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Pick a day (for me it’s Saturday) to dedicate to this. It’s okay to do this a little bit over a few days but I do find that taking it on during one day keeps me a little bit more motivated.
Now, how many times have you tried decluttering, opened up a drawer and immediately got overwhelmed and gave up?
It’s okay! Been there, done that.
So starting today, let’s try a new approach of finally getting our homes organized that I will share with you below. For the next ten weeks, we will be tidying up our homes with decluttering as our main goal.
Week 1: Food / Pantry
Week 2: Miscellaneous drawers, kitchen gadgets, glasses, plates, mugs, sports/water bottles
Week 3: Bathrooms
Week 4: Master Bedroom
Week 5: Linen Closet
Week 6: Kids Bedroom
Week 7: Living Room / Playroom
Week 8: Laundry Room / Cleaning Supplies
Week 9: Office / Paperwork
Week 10: Garage
You might be surprised that the living room and laundry room are so far down the list. I’ve noticed that those rooms tend to get cluttered from the things we bring into them from all the other rooms above. We may leave a phone charger here, a magazine there, clothes that need folding from the laundry we did a couple days ago on the couch, and have kids/pet toys scattered throughout. If we tackle and get rid of unnecessary items, there will be fewer things around to clutter these areas in our homes.
Additionally, you don’t need to follow the order in which we will be decluttering the house. But I do find that starting with a more difficult area (such as our closets) can sometimes get a bit overwhelming and I don’t want you to abandon our journey starting right at week 1! I will show you how to focus on keeping the right items and gently get rid of the rest throughout the month. But for now, let’s focus on week 1.
This week, we will be tackling our fridge and pantry.
What better way to start off your day than to walk into a tidy kitchen. Knowing how much smoother your mornings will flow, the sense of calm and peace that will carry you through to your next task or workday, and not to mention the time you will save!
Now, we’ve all seen the pretty Pinterest images of gorgeous and organized pantries. I certainly have, and love looking through my organization board on Pinterest! These pictures are so appealing to the eye because they normally only use one ‘color scheme’ and a few containers that all look similar to make a more cohesive look.
Now. I am in no way saying you need to go purchase new containers so they can all match. In fact, our focus is on decluttering and simplifying our lives. Use what you have and do repurpose old jars and containers!
If however, you choose to want to get rid of old or broken containers, I will link to some awesome products that I have in my own home that I absolutely love below. Thankfully, I had been buying a lot of clear containers with white tops, so it all sort of blended nicely for me in the end. I was able to purchase only a few for my pantry when I re-did mine and it totally worked for me!
Take everything out
Each week, my number one tip for starting off the day will be to pull everything out and put it in one area. Don’t look at labels or expiration dates yet. Just get everything out. Yes, it may cover the kitchen table, countertops, sinks… that’s okay! This will be a great visual representation of how many items we actually have.
(the only exception to this will be items from the fridge)
Get rid of expired/old items
Once we have everything out of our cupboards, it’s time to go through and get rid of the expired stuff. Make sure to also wipe down the cupboards/pantry and bring out the containers you will be storing your food items in.
Arrange it all by category
The next step will likely vary depending on how your kitchen is set up. However, I recommend the following system no matter where your food will be stored. Each category will fit into a basket or area that you will designate in your fridge and pantry/cupboard.
Categories for our Pantry:
- Spices
- Grains
- Snacks
- Vitamins
- Canned goods
- Baking
- Oils/vinegars/cooking sprays (I love using a lazy susan for this!)
Categories for our Fridge:
- Milk, juice, water, other drinks
- Sauces
- Meats
- Cheeses/yogurts
- Meal prepped food / leftovers
- Vegetables
To find out how exactly to arrange these items in your pantry, ask yourself the following: Do you cook pasta and rice often? Make sure these items are within reach. Do you love to bake, but cooking isn’t really your forte? Then organize those items accordingly. I don’t recommend putting items in baskets up high on a shelf when you will be accessing them often (made that mistake a few times!) or you will just find yourself sticking items in random places in order to avoid reaching up so high to put them back.
A few tips and items I love:
- If you are going to go with the clear container route, make sure to label your containers with expiration dates! I got tired of second-guessing when items expire, and I ended up throwing a lot of it away! There are a few ways of doing this but my preferred method is to use chalk markers on the containers that you can easily wipe clean and re-write when needed. I like writing the name of the item at the front and the expiration date on the back.
- Use baskets that you are easily able to wipe clean. Wicker baskets look great in a kitchen but if something spills, it can be such a pain to clean up. And our goal here is simplicity! We don’t want to start a system only to have it fail a couple of weeks in. This is a long-term organization-relationship you will have with your home! 🙂
Items mentioned and more that I love: