We are sharing That’s Mine blog on the Joys of the Organised Pantry. Kate from That’s Mine interviewed us recently for their blog. It gives us joy to continue our collaboration with these wonderful labels which are so essential to the decluttering experience.

The Joy of An Organised Pantry

Posted by Kate on May 21, 2016

In terms of household organisation, organising your pantry must surely be one of the most rewarding jobs. There’s something special about a well-stocked larder that inspires healthy and happy mealtimes.

To celebrate our new Designer Pantry Labels, we’ve asked professional organiser Jo Carmichael of All Sorted Out for some expert pantry-organising advice, and we’ll put it into action at chez the That’s Mine blog.

First up, Jo stresses the importance of getting the pantry under control. Organising our pantry will help us to see what we have, help us manage our use-by-dates better and help us prepare those shopping lists. It also, importantly, provides inspiration for cooking meals, and all these things save time for busy families – because as Jo stresses, nobody has time to waste with a disorganised pantry!

Our first job is to clear everything out of the pantry, clean it and get a good look at the space. As the things come out one by one we check for empty packs (thanks kids!) and expiry dates.

Next, Jo emphasizes the “everyday” zone in your pantry. This is where all the things which you use day to day – sauces, cereals, crackers – and the packs which are open are to go. It’s those convenient drawers nearest the countertops or the shelves around shoulder to hip height. Scavenging family members will always check this zone first when foraging for food, so this helps them to use up what’s already open.

You’ll have another zone for “supplies” which is where you’ll have unopened packs and extra supplies (also cans of food which last for some time). Then it’s important to think about grouping the food. What makes sense? In our kitchen it’s supplies for baking, for making dinner, for breakfast and for snacks and making lunches.

Putting food into containers will keep it fresher and away from pests. It also provides you with a visual reminder when making shopping lists – it’s easy to see what’s running low when your favourite foods each have their own container.

And the final step? A lovely set of designer pantry labels so you can see what everything is. Labels may be crucial for telling your plain flour from your self-raising flour, but they’re also helpful when you’re making shopping lists, for family members who aren’t sure what the arborio rice looks like and for establishing a permanent order on your pantry space. We didn’t stop at the containers too – we also labelled the baking shelf, the dinners shelf, the snacks shelf and the breakfast shelf. Even the fridge got a mini-makeover, with labelling of where eggs, butter, milk, cheese and yogurt should live. Unpacking the shopping is now a breeze with designated spots for our regular purchases.

And the results?

I have to stop myself from admiring the organised space! The whole planning – shopping – storing – cooking loop has improved and we are better at planning our week’s meals rather than last minute panicked shopping trips as something unexpectedly runs out. The open zone is very helpful with hungry kids after school and I don’t mind decanting foods into containers if it means I know what we have and need. The baking area is also an inspiration for cooking yummy things and no one is minding that either. Also, wisdom gained from the sorting and grouping means we’re less likely to purchase certain food (slivered almonds anyone?) because we can’t seem to finish them before the expiry date.

Have you tried our pantry labels? What worked best in your pantry?

We used Designer Pantry Labels in black with a “fountain pen” font.