Declutter Challenge: Strategies for your Pantry and Refrigerator

One of the best feelings in the world is when your pantry and refrigerator are neat, clean, and organized. It’s not a task I particularly love taking on, but once it’s done, oh yes it feels good!

If you feel lost, I have a plan for you. Here are the strategies you can use to declutter and organize the places where you keep your food. You can use the same strategies to clean your panty and refrigerator.

Action Steps for Organizing Your Pantry and Refrigerator. 

1. Remove everything from the pantry or refrigerator.

   You’ve got to see what you’re working with. Get it all out. Yep, every last box pushed in the back, can shoved behind something, leftovers forgotten about in the back, and whatever else is hiding in there.

2. Purge!

   Unfortunately, we all buy food items from time to time that we don’t end up using. Or we let things expire before we use them up. If it’s unopened, you can donate it. Otherwise, get rid of it. I know. I feel guilty doing this, too. But it’s better than holding on to food just for the sake of holding onto it. If you’re never going to eat it, let it go.

3. Categorize

   Now sort all of your food into categories that make sense. Think of  a grocery store and how you use the items. Cans together, baking items together, etc.

4. Clean

   Yes, this challenge is about decluttering, but it just makes sense to clean the shelves at this point, don’t you think?

5. Organize

   Now it’s time to put the food and items back into the pantry and/or refrigerator. Do so in a way that serves your family well and will make it easier to keep the space organized. Use household items, such as bins or magazine racks, to store things if that helps keep items easy to access.

You did it! Now the biggest challenge comes. Can you keep it that way? I believe it can be done with some effort. Let’s pledge together to keep it neat and organized! I can’t wait to share my update for this one next week.