Good news…here’s a way you can save money at the grocery store – skip grocery shopping this week!

Bad news…you’re going to clean out and organize your pantry, refrigerator and freezer!

Consider this your challenge for the week!

As you clean out and organize your pantry, refrigerator and freezer…write down meal ideas using the items you have. Be creative! About a month ago, we learned that we would be moving from Houston to West Palm Beach, and my grocery bill has plummeted! Why? Simply because I’m making an effort to use up everything in my freezer, pantry and refrigerator before moving day. This challenge will certainly get you out of an menu rut and into trying new recipes!

Tips for Pantry Cleaning & Organizing:

• Tackle one shelf at a time – empty the shelf and make 3 piles (throw away, donate to a food pantry, save). Next, wipe down the shelf.
• Throw away any items that have expired.
• If you find an item, and you’re just not sure what to do with it…try a google search for recipes using ________. With the click of a mouse you’ll have more recipe ideas than you could possibly use! I just found a jar of baby food peaches that I bought for a recipe, but then decided the recipe was way too much work. When I did a google search for recipes using baby food peaches, 350,000 results popped up!
• If you find an item that you have no desire to ever use or you have way too many of…make a food pantry pile, so you’ll be ready for the next canned food drive.
• Give each shelf a “theme”. Suggestions: snacks, breakfast, baking, canned goods, starches, spices and flavorings.


the baking shelf and the breakfast shelf

• Use inexpensive plastic Lazy Susans to store spices & flavorings to save space. Go an extra step and alphabetize your spices.


organize spices and flavorings with inexpensive lazy susans

• Try a bucket or basket to store prepackaged lunch box snacks like granola bars, peanut butter crackers, chips and fruit snacks – you’ll save a bunch of space, and you’re children will know exactly where to look for lunch box treats.


bucket of snacks

• Make a basket of cookie and cake decorations like sprinkles, food coloring and birthday candles!

 
Tips for Refrigerator and Freezer Cleaning and Organizing:

• Tackle one shelf at a time.
• Throw away expired items.
• Wipe down each shelf.
• Many refrigerators and freezers already have labeled compartments which allow for instant organization!
• Consider making a leftover shelf in the refrigerator, so everyone in the family will know where to look for a quick meal.
• Group similar items together in the door shelves – salad dressings, condiments, assorted pickles and peppers, etc.

So, what do you think…was it worth taking a week off from grocery shopping to save money and get organized? How many meals did you create with your pantry, refrigerator and freezer cleaning project?

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Image courtesy of: Suat Eman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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