Reader

Well, the school year is now officially in full swing.

This is probably one of the most hectic times of the year for parents, as you are trying to get back into routines, and new sports and after-school activities are starting back up. Simple things tend to fall by the wayside during this time.

One of those things is probably the pantry. As kids run in and out of the house grabbing snacks here and there, the pantry tends to take a beating.

Which leads into the topic of this email...

Before we get into the tips it's a good idea to start with a 'clean slate'. By this I mean take everything out of your pantry, wipe down the shelves, and discard any expired products.

Stress-relieving pantry tips:

• First, don't decant cereal into glass containers, especially if you have kids. I did that and do not know why I ever thought that was a good idea. Thank God nothing broke, but it was always unsettling every morning to hear the kids slam it down onto the countertops.

• Even though it looks really pretty I don't recommend decanting too many items, unless you know that you're going to buy the same product and that you'll keep up with it.
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  When I first moved into my house I bought glass containers for basically everything and decanted all of the pastas, baking products, etc. I even bought extra items such as white chocolate chips, mini M&Ms, and other things just to put them in pretty glass containers.
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  However, this wasn't practical as I not only didn't use the products enough but it also ended up taking up a lot more space, especially since the containers I got weren't able to be stacked on top of each other. So I recommend using stackable plastic containers for any items that you do decant (such as flours, sugars, etc.) and make sure that the items that you decant make sense to decant. Don't just do it for aesthetic purposes.
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  For the items that you do decant, it's a good idea to use a wet-erase marker to write on the back of the container the expiration date. I do this for my spices too.
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• You don't have to go out and buy new containers to organize your pantry unless you want to and/or don't have anything at home to use. If you do buy organizing bins, baskets, etc. then I recommend getting opaque bins to organize the items that you don't decant. Clear bins tend to make the space look more cluttered when they are full.
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• Label your bins. This way your family knows where to find the items that they're looking for. When you do label the bins I recommend using generic terms such as snacks, breakfast foods, meal kits, etc. That way it doesn't pigeon-hole you into only putting a few items into a bin.
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  But if you want to be more specific and you know it will work for you and your family then go for it. For instance, if you always have oatmeal and different granola bars, you can separate the breakfast foods into an 'oatmeal' bin and 'granola bars' bin.
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  I learned my lesson with cereals. I used to have the containers labeled with the specific cereals that the kids would eat (i.e. Froot Loops, Cocoa Pebbles, etc.) until I realized that kids constantly change what cereal they like. For anyone who is new, I am a step-mom to my fianceé's two kids, so when they moved in I didn't realize right away how quickly kids can change their minds on what they like and don't like. I definitely know now.
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• If you have a small pantry (like I do) I highly recommend utilizing the inside of the door for further storage. You can find inexpensive storage solutions on Amazon. The one I have screws into the door and has adjustable shelving. If you are living in an apartment and can not screw anything into the door, they do also sell storage that you can hang over the top of the door.
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  Because my pantry is small I also utilize some cupboards for items such as spices, cereals, and my fianceé, John's, protein powders. This is just what works best for us. It may take some trial and error to find the system that works best for you and your family.
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• For your condiments, sauces, spreads, etc. that you keep in your pantry, I recommend putting them on a lazy susan so everyone can easily find what they need without having to dig.
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• If you keep backstock in your pantry be sure to keep the 'oldest' one in the front so it gets used first.

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I hope these tips help you to stay organized and maintain at least some of your sanity for the start of the school year.

Next newsletter we're going to tackle decluttering the kitchen 😱 Be sure to stick around for that!

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