Thursday Thrifty Throwdown: New Year, New You Challenge #7

[HeatherNYC]

How many times have you come home from the store with six cans of beans or diced tomatoes, only to realize you already had a stash in your pantry? Sure, they never go bad, but you didn't have to spend that $10 today, did you?

If this happens more than a few times, you could be shelling out money that you necessarily didn't have to...which brings us to this Thursday Thrifty Throwdown and New Year, New You Challenge #7. Time to organize that pantry! When you have an organized pantry, not only will you save yourself from double- and triple-buying, but you can actually start to use some of those items you have bought and not forget they are in there.

 -- Go through and sort. Pull out everything and put your items in categories (baking supplies, canned goods, and so on), see how many you have of certain items, toss anything that has been expired. If you have a few things that are close to expiration dates, keep them aside so you know you need to use them within the next few weeks (or if you can't use them soon, consider giving them to a food bank or shelter).

-- Clean the shelves. This is a no brainer...how often do we really clean the shelves in that pantry? 

-- Organize your shelves. When you are placing items back in, have certain areas for each category. Grab that labelmaker and label the areas so everyone in the house knows what goes where. Also, grab some containers to help keep odd-shaped items together and keep other items fresh (like seasoning packets or flour bags).

-- Put up a dry erase board or notepad with attached pen. Get a small one that stick to the inside of the door. You can note what you need and what you don't need or what you could use in the coming weeks for new dinner recipe ideas. 

When was the last time you organized your pantry? What do you always find yourself buying more of than you really need?

[Amy127]

My dh has been putting the groceries away the last few months. Its a mess in there. That'll be.my first mission after I have this baby and recover.

[jbyrd898]

My pantry is completely unorganized. I really need to work on it!

[mommyprice09]

i do this everytime i go grcery shopping so that way my pantry always looks nice n i dont get beind

[ReesesPieces]

My pantryis insanely organized and we rotate out the foods continuously. We try to have a 6 month supply of food on hand, and without being organized, we would waste a lot of it. It is all about knowing how much of something you eat and doing the math. :)

[Stevensmomma]

I organize every time we shop before and after I really dont buy things we dont need or too much of anything bc i organize it so often

[Vikki77]

Ok I organized mine yesterday.... Lol I have like 10 cans of rotel tomatoes which we rarely use, but I buy a lot when they're on sale. Lol guess I won't need any more for about a year.

[suziejax]

I am about to do that today actually ( i was going to this weekend I am on an organizing kick latley) . I do it every so often. 

[mammapav]

I need to do that on Friday before I go shopping.

[yvonne37]

 I do clean mine and organize it often because its true.. you do buy stuff that you didnt need.  What I do lately is look in there before I go grocery shopping and I make a list of what I need, then I compare with sales and coupons. It might seam like a lot but its better then going to the store and not knowing exactly what you need.

The board is a great idea too :)

[AzariahsMother]

I dont have one to organize :(.