Like any space in your home, your pantry can't function as well as it should if it's overcrowded. It can be easy to stuff your pantry without even meaning too. If you'd like some tips on how to optimize your pantry and how Stockpile easy inventory solution can help, this is the post for you.
Don't Buy It If You're Not Going to Eat It
This might sound like a no-brainer but it happens more often than you'd like to admit. Ever bought anything because your spouse, children, or guests might like it? Ever stocked up on sale items? What about buying a new flavor, brand, or variety of something? By now you're probably nodding along acknowledging your guilt. It's okay, we've all done it. This is how you end up with half eaten containers of food in your pantry. This can also be how you end up with extra boxes that go bad before you get to them. When possible, try it before you buy it. If you're buying for someone else's tastes be sure you know that they'll like it. And, don't buy more than you can reasonably eat in a short amount of time no matter how big the savings are.
Know How Long It Lasts
Most foods come with expiration dates but often they are small, hard to read notations in hard to locate spots on the packaging. Check foods as you buy them. Choose the ones that will stay good the longest and make a note of all expiration dates in a central location like Stockpile. This will help you keep track of what you need to use up quickly and what needs to be replaced.
Less Is More
Having less food in the pantry can actually be a good thing if it allows you to organize your space so that you can see and access the food you have easily. Cramming too much food in your pantry actually makes it harder for you to use the food you have. Allowing things to linger past their expiration dates is a sure path to frustration and/or food poisoning. Having a clean, well organized pantry is the best way to make the most of what you have.
Store It in Stockpile
We've talked about using Stockpile to help you in the kitchen in previous blog posts Cooking Up Something Good and Spice It Up with Stockpile Home Inventory Solution. Tracking the food in your pantry is a great way to use Stockpile. Most pantries have narrow shelves that make it easy for food to get pushed to the back and hidden from view. It can be hard to remember what's in there. It can be even more difficult to know what is still good and what has expired. Using Stockpile makes it easy to know what's going on in the pantry. Creating item records is quick and easy. Because Stockpile easy inventory solution is fully customizable you choose which fields to include in item records. Want to track your favorite brand? Which stores have the best prices on your favorites? How often you typically need to replace something? Whatever you want to know you can add it in Stockpile. Accessing your records is quick and easy. Just a few clicks and you can see all the information that you need. Want to know exactly which shelf, basket, or bin contains the item you need? Thanks to areas and locations you can be very specific about where items are kept. At the store wondering what you have and what you need? Because Stockpile is mobile compatible you can "see" inside your pantry even when you're not at home. When you're ready to get your pantry in order you need to implement Stockpile. Why wait? Try Stockpile today!
