Start Keeping an Inventory of Your Pantry

Today we talk about the importance of knowing what kind of food you already have at home by keeping an updated pantry and fridge inventory.

A well-organized kitchen begins with a thoughtfully stocked pantry and fridge. This starts with some tidying up, decluttering and building a list of food and items, essential to your home. If you haven’t sorted your pantry in a while, it is likely that you have a very vague idea of what you already have.

In addition to giving your kitchen a sleek, tidy look, sorting and listing is the vital first step that keeps you from buying too much or not enough. Both of these could result in throwing food away.

But is this too much work?

Well, technology can make our lives a lot easier in many ways and making a list of everything that’s inside your fridge and pantry is one of them.

A sample pantry checkup routine.

1. Toss the bad stuff

Begin removing items, starting at the top pantry(fridge) shelves. Figure out what’s spoiled by understanding expiration dates, then toss expired and stale foods, including old spices that have lost their flavor. Add the items you need to replace to CozZo shopping list.

2. Give away unwanted stuff

If you have canned or sealed goods, you know your family will never eat, put them in a bag and give to your local food charity. You can also share them with your neighbours with an app like Olio.

3. Tidy up and protect

Gather small items (like spices) and sort them into small jars. Ants, cockroaches, and pantry moths can all get into cardboard boxes or paper bags. To preserve your dry goods, transfer them from their original packaging to air-tight glass canisters that let you see what’s inside.

4. Add to a list

As you return the goods to their places, note down the name, the quantity and expected shelf life. You can also do this for any household supplies that you don’t want to run out of, like washing detergent, toilet paper, etc.

Doing a regular pantry/fridge checkup is probably the single most important food habit that will dramatically improve the way you run your kitchen. It will make you mindful of the whole process, which is the foundation for wasting less.

How CozZo can Help You?

This double-duty process is now even more fun and effortless. When you install CozZo app on your iPhone, the app will flash cards at you of essetial products that you are likely to maintain in your household.

Swipe left on the image, if the item is already in your pantry, swipe right if it is something that you need to buy. In no time, you will end up with a comprehensive pantry inventory and a full list for your next grocery shopping and stocking.

Food planning that is actually fun!

The moment you have your food supplies sorted out, it will be you controlling your pantry and not vice versa.

Next, Learn about Shopping with Intention.