Pantry Refresh

Believe it or not, the holidays are almost here. November and December seem to be our fullest months as a family. November is a month brimming with birthdays and December is 24 days anticipating day 25.

Before we are knee deep in November, I wanted to prepare my pantry for the upcoming months. This is a straight forward, worthwhile task, but can get overlooked with all the other to-dos on the calendar. However, I think it’s a time saving, money saving, sanity saving task. Readying the pantry now can help avoid possible oversights (which equals stress) later.

Here is the step by step process I followed to ready my pantry for the upcoming months.

Round Up Containers

Before I even went into the pantry, I rounded up containers to hold a variety of items. Baskets for breakfast oatmeal and granola. Glass containers for baking supplies. As The Nester teaches, I ‘shopped my house’ to find things I could put to work in the pantry.

Empty Each Shelf

I emptied each shelf, even if I knew I was going to put everything back on it. I then gave it a thorough wash down. I went through each and every item, checked expiration dates, and decided if I needed a container to organize the shelf. I threw out expired items and put things back on the shelf.

I did two shelves at a time and placed things in a pile I thought might find a home on another shelf. If you have a small pantry, it might be a good idea to empty the entire thing first, then wash down, then organize and put back together.

Make a list of supplies and shop

The most helpful part of this pantry refresh was seeing what I have and don’t have. I checked my master list of meals I cook this time of year and added ingredients to my Wal-Mart grocery app. I added items like chili beans, white beans, and diced chilis to my grocery cart.

The abundance of harvested produce in the fall gets me in the mood to bake. It helps that the cooler temps make it easier to turn on my oven. I went through my Pinterest baking page and looked at my fall recipes. I added to my grocery app canned pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, yeast (for homemade bread) and chocolate chips, as well as the essential baking items like sugar and baking powder.

It’s incredibly easy to just add ingredients to my Wall-Mart grocery app and pick them up the next time I place an order. Knowing what I have and don’t have in the pantry helps me to be prepared for the upcoming full months. I will do this last step again right before Thanksgiving to get ready for the month of Christmas!

Readying my pantry has made me feel confident I have the things I need to make the holidays less stressful and more joyful for my family. Tell me: Does your pantry need to be readied? Do you have any tips for preparing your pantry for the upcoming holiday season?