Clearing Out Your Pantry - Shopping in Your Own Home

Clearing out your clutter - purging and organizing your home should be an ongoing event. One of the areas that a lot of people overlook is the refrigerator and the pantry.

Once things go into the refrigerator or the pantry - they are never seen again! They sit there - on the shelf or inside the door - and are forgotten. People buy condiments or spices for a recipe - use a little bit - and then forget about them. Or they "buy one bottle of ketchup or salad dressing and get one free" - and they never end up using it all. Or they buy multiple cans of soup or vegetables - and they just sit on the shelf. 

Don't forget the cake mixes, frosting and sprinkles....because you can never have enough! 

And then everything is forgotten. We go to the store - mostly without a list - and everything that looks good or is on sale - ends up in our grocery cart. Even with a list - how can you resist all of those bargains???

We buy too much food and it's wasted. It's time to make some changes!

First - make it a habit to clean our your refrigerator. I mean really take a look at every single item in the refrigerator. Start with each door - check the expiration dates of everything. Toss out anything that is expired and anything that is opened and has been in the refrigerator too long - anything that is half used and you are not going to finish it. 

Then, start with the top shelf of the refrigerator and work your way down to the bottom. Take out all of the items - wipe down the shelf - and clear out anything that is too old or you won't eat anymore. Go from shelf to shelf and do the same.

Start a new habit by looking into the refrigerator each time before you go shopping and checking out what you have left in there - before you buy anything else. Do the same with your pantry! Shop your home first!

In your pantry - when you put anything in there - be sure to put the new items that you buy in back of the older items - so that you always use your older items first.

In your freezer - before you put anything into your freeze - date it and write the contents on the bag (or container) on it so that you know what's in there. Believe me - you will not be able to recognize the frozen blob a few months from now!

Now to really get a head start on clearing out your pantry, refrigerator and freezer - try a "No Buying - Shop Your Pantry" month!!!  For one month - use up everything in your kitchen, refrigerator, freezer and pantry! Whatever you have on hand - is what your meals will consist of!  Be creative. Use up all of the meat that you bought, use up the beans and pasta and rice. Use up the soups. Make some desserts.... Clear out all of the old food!

Not only will this save you money but it will also help clear out the stockpile of food you have in your home. One of the other benefits - is that you will see the kinds of food items that you have too much of and really don't use a lot of. When you start buying food again - you will be more conscious of what you really use and what you don't.

So - try the Shop Your Pantry month - save money and have a more organized home.

*** this great idea was shared with me by Judy - a great client who is on her way to becoming more organized every day

Happy Organizing!

Less Clutter = Less Stress ^SM     in your home, your business and your life

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Eat Healthy - Cut Your Food Costs and Save Time

Everyone is so busy these days that many people forgo their health and think they are saving time by getting and eating fast or prepackaged food. They want everything done instantly.

The reality is that not only are you spending a lot more money than if you bought your own food and prepared it yourself - but - you are also neglecting your health. Everyone knows that "fast food" is not healthy. Calories, cholesterol and lack of nutritious vitamins. Everyone knows this - yet people try to justify it by saying that "they have no time and they need to feed their families a quick meal before they go to..." (whatever activity they have that day).

If you planned ahead - if you planned out your week and your meals - if you took a step back and realized that "yes - you can prepare a healthy meal for your family - in a short period of time" - you would realize that you are not saving time or money by buying fast food.

We are so ingrained into buying into everything that is advertised that we forget to think for ourselves.

Yes - fast food or prepackaged food can be a treat every once in a while. But it should not become the staple of our home.

By being organized and planning out your week and your meals - you can save time and money.

Start by making a schedule of your activities and putting it on a calendar.

Plan out your meals for the week and make a shopping list. The meals don't need to be fancy. On days when you have activities that you need to get to they can be as simple as grilled cheese and a salad. Or soup and a salad. But homemade food is less expensive. You have control over the ingredients and the quality of the food. By planning them out in advance you won't feel rushed during the week and you will feel better in giving your family a "home cooked" meal - as simple as it is.

By buying in bulk you will also save money. Look for sales and something that is in season and available locally that week. If something is in season and available locally - it will probably be less expensive. If it's not something that you planned on serving that week - be flexible and adjust your menu. You can save money by doing so.

When you get home from the store spend the extra time and divide your purchases into portions that you will use at one time. By buying in bulk and making your own individual bags of snacks for the week - instead of buying individually portioned items at the store - you will save a lot of money.

For example - by buying a big bag of carrots and peeling and cutting them yourself and putting them into individual bags for your lunch - you will spend a lot less money than if you bought prepackaged baby carrots.

Buying fruit and healthy snacks - instead of junk food - teaches your kids good nutrition.

Spending a half hour sorting and packing your bulk items into correctly portioned items for your family size - will save you money. But most importantly - you will have provided your family with healthier options.

Buying a weeks supply of meat and portioning out the amount you will use during one meal - and putting it into freezer bags or tupperware - will cut down on the time you will need to prepare that meal later during the week.

At dinner time it will be much easier to pull out the already portioned meat and vegetables and cook them - in a short period of time.

Or you can take the portioned out ingredients and toss them all into a crock pot - and have a delicious home cooked meal waiting for you when you come home. Fast food!

By being organized and planning out your week - you will save time and money. But most importantly - you will have provided your family a healthier eating option.



Less Clutter = Less Stress ^SM     in your home, your business and your life 

Organizational Consulting Services

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Feeding Your Family - Make Ahead Meals

Some people don't like to cook and spend a lot of money eating out. Or they think that they don't have time to cook so they order takeout. It all adds up to a lot of expense.

I've never known how to cook for one or two people.  We've always made enough for extra people or so that we can have leftovers.

I love to cook - but sometimes work and life just don't leave enough time for me to make those great big meals.  So when I am making something special like Lasagna - make two and freeze one for later!

When I make soup or pasta sauce - you can't just make a little bit!  I make a great big pot and freeze containers for those days that I just don't have time to cook. It's cheaper to pull out a frozen container of great food that you made yourself than to spend a fortune on feeding a family at a restaurant or even a fast food place. And it's much healthier.

When making chicken or a roast - make a little more than needed for that meal and use the rest later in the week. Get creative and save money!

When I make muffins I always make a double or triple batch and individually freeze them for later use. If you pull one out in the morning and stick them into your lunch it will be thawed and delicious by lunch time.

Get healthy, save money and spend time as a family - at home.

All it takes it a little "organization"!
   


Organizational Consulting Services

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