Last month in the 501 on First Blog we shared some ideas for what to stream for TV entertainment at your apartment. Relaxing is great, but this month we want to hone in on organizing one area of your apartment specifically, and that is a pantry area for your kitchen. Maintaining a well-stocked pantry has several advantages — you can make a meal at a moment’s notice, you can take advantage of sale items, you will be able to make substitutions to a meal plan, you know you won’t go hungry if you can’t get to the store. So let’s get started.
Take stock of what you already have on hand and note whether you will soon need to get more or if the items “use by” dates are expired. Think about the entrees you cook often and what goes into them, add the shelf-safe ingredients to your list of items to be stocked in YOUR pantry. Take into account the spices you like to cook with, whether you spend a lot of time baking, and what your monthly food budget looks like.
There are a multitude of pantry-supply lists, such as this one from the Food Network, which you can use as a base for creating your individualized pantry. Keep track of what you need to pick up at the grocery store by using one of these handy apps. We especially like the Out of Milk app (available for both Android and iOS) because with it you can include an ongoing home pantry list.
Once you have determined what’s in your pantry and what you want to add, make a list and each time you go grocery shopping, add something from the list until you’ve created the perfect, individualized pantry. (Add a dollar amount to your monthly food budget set aside specifically for pantry items.)
When you are ready to set up your pantry area, take some time to plan what will go where. Put heavy items on lower shelves, items that are more rarely used on upper shelves, and items that are used often on easy-to-reach shelves. When possible, use uniform-sized containers for food items. Be sure to label containers so you know what you have.
We hope these tips will help you plan —and maintain the perfect pantry. Where do you like to go shopping in the Rochester, MN area? Please share in the comments so we can all take advantage. Thanks for reading today’s post.