We all know that one of the biggest areas we can save money is in the grocery budget. But there’s more to it than getting good deals on what we buy. We want to make sure we are eating the things that we buy.
This post and the next are going to be about ways we can more effectively use what we bring home from the grocery store.
One of my biggest problems is keeping the refrigerator and my pantry area organized. But we need to do it in order to be able to keep track of what we have and what we need to buy on the next shopping trip.
This probably will take you a while, especially if you keep a stockpile, so you probably want to organize the fridge one day and the pantry another day. It will also be helpful if you do this when it’s close to time for your next shopping trip since you’ll be removing everything from the refrigerator/pantry. The less food that is in there, the better.
And that’s the first step. Take everything out and set it to the side, making sure to get rid of everything that is expired and putting in a sack/box for donating anything that’s not expired but you don’t plan on using.
When organizing your fridge, take advantage of adjustable shelves if you have them. Make sure that you have enough tall space for any tall items you keep. Give the refrigerator/pantry a good deep cleaning, since, chances are, they don’t get emptied very often.
Find the coldest spot in your refrigerator (probably toward the bottom) and put items there that need a colder environment, such as meat. Use the door for condiments and other items that don’t need quite as cold an environment, since the door is warmer and has a lot of fluctuation in temperature. Don’t store your eggs here, for that reason.
Store your leftovers in one section, keeping everything labeled and making sure that items are rotated so that the older items are used first. That goes for items that are not yet leftovers and items in the pantry. You don’t want perfectly good food to go bad because you’re using the stuff you bought today rather than the stuff you bought two weeks ago.
Take advantage of the crisper drawers. See this link for some tips about how to store your vegetables for optimal taste and longevity.
Don’t cram your fridge too tightly because the cold air needs room to circulate.
Another thing to be aware of is the possibility of foods being contaminated by dripping meat. Store your meat at the bottom or at least on a plate to protect the items below.
When it comes to your pantry, store things by function. Put baking supplies in a section, canned goods in another and cereal in another. Make sure everything is visible. Put taller items to the back so they aren’t hiding the smaller items. Amazon sells some “tiered racks (here’s one for spices) that can help make items more visible, such as canned goods and spices. Buy these by earning Amazon gift cards from Swagbucks!
Store heavy items toward the middle of your pantry area so there is less need for lifting up or trying to keep from dumping it on your head. The lighter items like crackers and cereal can go higher up since they would likely hurt less than a large can of tomatoes!
Invest in some good storage containers and use those to organize and protect items from being spoiled or contaminated. Flour, rice, and dried beans are a few items you probably want to repackage rather than keep in their store-packaging. Make sure everything is clearly labeled and dated.
Likely, many of these tips you have already heard and already use, but I hope one or two of the tips above will help you to have a more functional kitchen. There’s nothing like buying ten more cans of tuna and coming home to realize you already had ten cans, but they were hiding behind the soup!
