Organizing a pantry can be a daunting task. This is especially true if you have a large stock of different food items. This usually happens because you can’t remember what you have at home when you’re out shopping. Then, you end up overbuying food, which leads to a disorganized pantry.
To solve this, you first need to get your pantry organized. Then, you can employ some useful smartphone apps to keep your pantry neat and appropriately stocked. Here, we’ll show you how.
Organize Your Pantry By Scaling Back & Separating
Before you can really take advantage of apps to help with pantry organization, you first need to get your pantry in some kind of order. There are two key steps to easily accomplish this:
Remove Excess Items
The first step to organizing a pantry is going through everything and getting rid of unwanted or unneeded items.
If you have far too much of a single item that’s unopened and unexpired, consider donating them to a local homeless shelter or food donation drop-off. If you’ve got years’ worth of dry macaroni, for example, cut back to what you think you’ll use in the next few months and donate the rest.
Separate Items Into Groups
After you’ve reduced your pantry down to the essentials, it’s helpful to separate items into different shelves and sections based on the type of food.
For example, keep boxed foods separate from canned goods. Then, you can go a step further and separate all boxes of pasta, for example, into their own section. This will help make it much easier to find what you’re looking for while cooking.
Use Smartphone Apps to Maintain Organization & Stock Levels
Now that you’ve trimmed your pantry down and organized by groups, it’s important to keep your pantry in order by not overstocking. But, you also don’t want to run out of food or run into situations where you end up with waste.
There are several smartphone apps that will help with these issues. As a bonus, many of these apps can help keep track of food in your pantry and fridge, too.
Out of Milk Is an App That Tracks Fridge & Pantry Inventory
The Out of Milk app has several functions that make organizing a pantry a breeze:
- Shopping lists: You can easily create shopping lists in the app. You just add the items you want to buy, and when you’re at the store check them off.
- Automatic inventory updates: After you check off an item, the app adds it to your fridge or pantry inventory. You can access this inventory later if you’re struggling to remember if you have something on hand.
- Barcode scanner: The app gives you the ability to scan the barcode of an item you’re getting low on. Then, the app will add it to your shopping list.
Out of Milk is available on iOS and Android devices.
BestBefore Reminds You When Food Will Expire
BestBefore is an Android app that helps you keep track of food expiration dates. The app’s barcode scanner makes it easy to scan an item, which the app will then add to your food list.
Next, you add the expiration date and set the app to remind you when that item is about to expire.
Using BestBefore not only keeps your pantry organized, but it can help with overstocking and reduce waste. It’s yet another way to help you live a sustainable lifestyle.
KitchenPal is a Full-Featured Pantry Tracker
Available on both iOS and Android, KitchenPal is one of the most feature-rich apps for organizing a pantry and reducing food waste.
Not only does KitchenPal keep track of your pantry’s inventory and expiration dates, but it can recommend recipes based on what’s in your pantry and fridge.
For example, if you have some chicken that is close to expiring, the app can suggest recipes that use the chicken plus other ingredients that you have.
You can also create shopping lists in KitchenPal, which is a breeze because of the app’s inventory tracking and barcode scanner, so you always know what’s in stock and what you need to buy.
Organizing a Pantry: Purge, Separate & Track
Organizing a pantry can seem like a big task, but can be simple.
If it feels overwhelming, it’s likely because you have a lot of excess food stocked up. By removing the excess and donating it, you’ll make organizing easier. Then, simply separate items into groups and your pantry will immediately feel more thoughtfully arranged.
You can maintain this organization by using smartphone apps to track your inventory, expiration dates, and to find recipes to use the food in your pantry.
Hopefully these steps will help you keep your pantry tidy, organized, and not overstocked.
