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How to Organize a Pantry – Stocking for Mealtime Success

By Kira Lewis 11 Comments

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I thought about calling this post the perfect pantry, it had such a nice ring to it, but nothing in parenting or life is ever perfect. So, what if instead we said this is the practical approach for how to organize a pantry? That somehow seems somehow more attainable.

I’ve written in the past about meal planning, where you put together a week or more of meals in advance and shop accordingly. However, for some people this just doesn’t work. Perhaps you prefer to be more spontaneous and you’re driven by what you feel like eating each day or you’re just not a “planner” (I’m married to one of those).

That’s okay. There is still an approach when it comes to preparing meals that can make deciding what’s for dinner both less stressful and more affordable. Keeping a well-stocked and at least somewhat organized pantry (cupboards and general kitchen storage are sort of included here) is the key.

We don't have to be great planners or even all that organized to set up a pantry that is stocked for success. I like to consider this a practice guide for how to organize a pantry. It sets you up so on those weeks when things are hectic and maybe meal planning just isn't happening (or maybe you're just not a meal planner) this system will still make it easy to find what your looking for and get meals on the table quickly and stress-free. How to Organize a Pantry at SunshineandHurricanes.com

You may be asking, what does it actually look like to organize a pantry and and how do I go about accomplishing such a feat? It’s less complicated than it sounds. However, I think first it is important to address what a stocked pantry is NOT :

– It is not stockpiling. Unless you are one of the people featured on that Doomsday Prepper show, you do not need to have a year’s worth of food stored in your house. We’re not planning for a war, just dinner.

– It is not buying 20 boxes of cereal and enough Hamburger Helper to feed an army simply because with coupons you could get it all for a penny. Buy only what your family will eat and what can be used before the expiration date.

  The 1,2,3 for How to Organize a Pantry for Mealtime Success

1. Stocking the Pantry

The following is a list of the items that should always be in your pantry (or somewhere in your kitchen) to make putting together meals on the fly easy and budget friendly. It will also help avoid those last minute meals out, which can be both unhealthy and expensive.

You can also download our printable checklist: How to Organize a Pantry Checklist

Oils, Sauces and Other Liquids

o   Olive Oil

o   Canola Oil

o   Balsamic Vinegar (Red Wine Vinegar is also another good one)

o   Chicken and Beef Stock

o   Jarred Pasta Sauce

o   Soy Sauce

o   Cooking Wine

o   Worcestershire Sauce

o   Ketchup and Mustard

Dried Spices (Most Commonly Used)

o   Salt & Pepper

o   Basil

o   Cilantro

o   Oregano

o   Rosemary

o   Thyme

o   Cumin

o   Chili Powder

o   Bay Leaves (for soups)

o   Garlic and Onion Powder

o   Cinnamon

o   Nutmeg

 Dry Goods

o   Rice (Brown, White, and/or Jasmine are most common)

o   Couscous

o   Quinoa

o   Barley

o   Pasta (Whole Wheat or Regular). Spagetti and Penne at least 3 boxes of each)

o   Bread Crumbs (I prefer Panko)

o   Nuts (Almonds and Walnuts )

Canned or Boxed
(keep at least two of each of the following on hand)

o   Beans (Dry or Canned) – Black, Cannellini, Lentil and Kidney

o   Tomatoes – Diced, Whole Peeled, Paste

o   Tuna/Chicken

o   Ro-Tel

o   Soup

o   Cereal

 Baking Goods

o   Flour (whole wheat and/or regular)

o   Sugar

o   Baking Powder & Baking Soda

o   Vanilla

o   Corn Starch

o   Corn Meal

o   Quick Cooking Oats

 Misc.
(not necessarily for your pantry, but good to have around)

o   Greek Yogurt

o   Butter

o   Salad Dressing

o   Garlic

o   Onions

o   Eggs

2. Take inventory and organize

This does not have to be a big, time-consuming project. Just use our handy printable checklist and do a quick sweep of your cupboards/pantry/fridge. (Click the image to download)

How to organize a pantry checklist

As you find items listed, check them off. Be sure while you’re there to look at dates and pitch stuff that is going bad. If you want to be an over-achiever about this then feel free to move like items together into one spot. There, that’s it, was it so bad?

Now you know what you’re missing and you’re ready to strategize filling in the gaps.

3. Shop, but preferably not all at once

Different families have different tastes, and whether you have regular recipes you use for your family or you begin to find some (see #4), you may not actually need every single product listed above. Additionally, a large number of these items go on sale with some regularity and you can commonly find coupons for them in the paper or online. Just keep the list handy with your weekly grocery list and as items go on sale (especially when there are also coupons in the marketplace), then stock up and cross them off the list. Overall, this should just become a rolling process. As you get low on certain staples, add them back to the list so you have time to replenish with the sales and coupon cycles before running out.

Bonus #4: Quick Meals

Now, I imagine a few of you are looking at the list above and wondering exactly what kind of meals you can make with all this stuff. These really serve as the base for thousands of options from soups, salads and sandwiches to far more complex dishes. Overall, this is the starting point. Typically, if you supplement each week by buying a variety of fruits and veggies, along with chicken, fish or other protein sources you’ll be all set.

For a little more guidance, check out our QUICK MEAL IDEAS Pinterest Board, which has an abundance of easy and budget friendly dinners.

You may also want to check out our meal planning with Pinterest system that includes several weeks of meal plans, printable shopping lists and more.

Pinterest Meal Planning

Hate meal planning? Want to make getting dinner on the table easier!? This post has a NEW approach to meal planning that does everything but cook the food for you. 4 weeks of meals all tested and family friendly (kids included!) Recipes and printable shopping lists all organized for you using Pinterst boards. Visually pleasing, easy and fun! Pinterest Meal Planning Introduction. SunshineandHurricanes.com

 

Do you have any other super effective tips for how to organize a pantry?

 

 

Filed Under: Mom Life Tagged With: Household Management, Organization

About Kira Lewis

Kira Lewis is a mom to a strong and sassy 8 year old girl and a funny, soccer playing teen boy.  Her career has included everything from corporate ladder climbing to teaching yoga. She's settled for now on free-lance writing and blogging where she covers topics like motherhood, parenting, technology, Florida travel and raising tweens and teens.Keep up with her parental musings by subscribing to sunshine and hurricane's weekly newsletter HERE.

You can also find her on social media:

Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Pinterest 

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Comments

  1. Pam Sohan says

    January 6, 2015 at 12:28 pm

    YAY!!!!! I have almost all of that. The only things missing were: Couscous, Quinoa, and Barley, none of which I use on a regular basis. I feel pretty good now.

    Reply
  2. LaShawn says

    October 31, 2014 at 3:25 pm

    Excellent list! I love this! Pinning now.

    Reply
  3. Nicole Keener says

    October 31, 2014 at 11:43 am

    Totally agree with you on this post, we usually keep our pantry pretty well stocked as well. Sadly my husband likes to forget to tell me when we run out of things. Usually take advantage of the BOGO deals.

    Reply
  4. breanna says

    October 31, 2014 at 9:43 am

    This is a great list to go buy! I am planning to redo my pantry soon. This is a good one to go by (: Thank you for sharing

    Reply
  5. Heather @ Divas Run for Bling says

    October 31, 2014 at 9:18 am

    Thanks so much for sharing this. I have most of this on hand at all times – it just makes it easier to prepare yummy, healthy meals quickly

    Reply
  6. Shirley Wood says

    October 31, 2014 at 9:07 am

    board, no boad! 😉

    Reply
  7. Shirley Wood says

    October 31, 2014 at 9:06 am

    Your pantry is a mirror image of mine right down to the Ro-Tel! Going to check out your Quick Meals Pinterest boad 🙂

    Reply
  8. Nancy says

    October 31, 2014 at 9:00 am

    Excellent suggestions! Thank you for sharing 🙂

    http://neatly-packaged.com/

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. What To Buy In January says:
    January 11, 2017 at 5:25 pm

    […] How to Organize a Pantry – Stocking for Success […]

    Reply
  2. 10 Ways To Organize And Store Holiday Decor - Sunshine and Hurricanes says:
    December 28, 2015 at 9:43 am

    […] The Practical Pantry – Stocking for Success […]

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  3. Shredded Chicken- Easy Meal Plan - Sunshine and Hurricanes says:
    July 30, 2015 at 10:27 am

    […] meals each week. I’m pretty good at pulling together dinner in 30-45 minutes if I have a well stocked pantry and refrigerator. About 3 times a month, I’ll cook a couple pounds of chicken breasts and […]

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