Would you like to waste less food, spend less money and have a more organized pantry?
A few years ago, we were attempting to help our mother clean out the many old cans of stockpiled food.
She has lived through hard times and wants to be prepared for any possible future food disruption.
The problem arose when we (sisters) attempted to throw away items that were severely (years) past the expiration date.
There was a tussle, it was her house and her money, and our mom prevailed.
Until my brother had dinner with her and unknowingly ate some of the severely expired food, resulting in a case of food poisoning.
A second tussle occurred, and despite the fact that it was her house and her money, our brother prevailed.
And a significant amount of expired food was thrown in the trash.
For a variety of reasons, many of us tend to stockpile food.
However, there are several reasons that paring down the pantry might be a better option.
Out of sight tends to be out of mind.
Unless you are highly organized and diligent about checking and rotating pantry items, chances are the food you can’t see will probably never get used.
Overcrowding leads to over-buying.
Not being able to see what is currently in the pantry leads to over-buying and therefore overspending.
If you can’t see what’s already in the pantry, it’s usually easier to throw it into the buggy, just in case.
If you’ve ever cleaned out the pantry only to discover seven bottles of ketchup, you know to what I am referring.
Paring down the pantry reduces waste.
If pantry items are visible, there’s a much higher chance they will be used.
Having to throw out expired food is no different than throwing money in the trash can.
While food may not automatically go bad on the expiration date, there comes a point that it is no longer safe to take a chance.
Cleaning and organizing the pantry is easier when there’s less stuff to start with.
Having an overcrowded pantry is a deterrent to cleaning and organizing the pantry.
The piles appear overwhelming so it’s just easier to overlook the mess until you can’t shut the doors.
Knowing it’s only going to take a few minutes to empty the pantry makes it more likely that it will actually happen.
By far, the best reason to pare down the pantry is the very real savings.
By adopting a less is more attitude, less groceries will need to be purchased, resulting in an immediate savings of money.
Since there is less in the pantry, there will be less waste, resulting in long-term money savings.
Hint: One way to pare down the pantry is to shop using a Master Grocery Shopping List.
Changing your mindset from stocking up to paring down may not be an easy transition.
But if you want to waste less food, spend less money and enjoy a more organized pantry, paring down the pantry may just be solution for which you’ve been looking!
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You have the right idea
Always put the new behind the old
Always check for the oldest when using
Remember the idea I told you that I did for pantry and other things
Those are great ideas! Thanks for adding those thoughts.
Agree 100%. I would have half eaten bags of chips and just miscellaneous things laying around the pantry, cabinets, you name it. Finally started to purge and get rid or use things that needed to be gone. Great read! Thank you for sharing this
It’s a lifelong process. Thanks for your comment!