Getting ready for another No More Grocery Store experiment to start next month. Here are some household challenges to help us get ready.
Challenge #1 - Pantry Prep
"Mom, if we are going to do this, we can't just pull everything out, wipe down the shelves and put everything back. We need a total overhaul. We need a lifestyle change," 16-year-old KC says.
"Like what?" I ask, curious about what a lifestyle change was going to look like from her perspective.
"Like we waste a lot of food because there is more stuff in there than we can keep track of."
"True, true. So, we just need to pare down?"
"Yeah," she answers, "and we need to make sections where certain types of food go so everything has a place."
"Then what?" I ask. I'm really not leading her. She is leading me. I do not have an intrinsic sense of organization. And, though you wouldn't always know it to look at her room, she does. Plus, she is a minimalist, so our current situation offends her personal sense of order.
"Well, before everything goes back, and we have all of our categories, we need to get some containers and stuff to keep it all organized. Then we clean it all out, put it back the way we want it and be serious about keeping it up. Everyone who uses the pantry should know when everything goes so we are all responsible for maintaining it. We can't let it get like this again." That was her final word.
"Okay. You're right! I commit."
And, so we began. Let me warn you: This is not a job for the faint of heart. Nor, is it one to be done on your own. Cleaning the pantry, if it looks anything like ours did, can only be undertaken with the help of a sister, friend, daughter, son, husband, or other partner-in-crime. Most kids over 8 could help you with this task given the proper motivation. However, if you are looking for someone to lead you, you may need a more mature mercenary. I paid KC to stick through it with me, and still, we had to prod each other along with a combination of carrots and sticks to finish the job.
Here's what we did:
1. Purge - We First pulled every single thing out and either tossed it, donated it, or decided to keep it. An initial purge minimizes waste in the future. We got rid of expired items, stale cereal and crackers, stuff that we never eat (like the rice-a-ronis we had taking shelf space, but no one would ever make). We didn't have to throw it all away. We put duplicate items in the basement, and donating what is unopened, but unwanted is always an option. But, it was sick how much stuff we got rid of because it was stale or otherwise beyond its usefulness - two full kitchen-size garbage bags went to the trash.
Time for this step: About an hour.
2. Planning/Purchasing - When the purge was over and we saw what we had left, we got down to list making. We made categories like spices, sauces, sweet, savory, dry goods, breakfast, lunch food, bulk items, etc. Then, we made a list of canisters and plastic totes we would need to keep it all organized. We bought canisters for rice, pasta, flour, sugar and other dry goods; and plastic totes for snack foods, spice mixes and baking accessories like sprinkles and muffin cups.
Warning: our shopping trip took the remaining energy we had and nearly derailed the whole project. We ended up leaving the rest of the work, which was a lot, for the next day. Truly, if we hadn't had each other and the deadline of company coming, we wouldn't have finished the next day.
Time for this step: 30 minutes to survey what we had and categorize everything into a list. 90 minutes for shopping.
3. Clean - With an empty pantry we took the opportunity to get everything clean. We worked top to bottom (so all the crumbs fell down and we didn't have to retrace any steps) with rags and vinegar water solution. Then, we swept and mopped the floor before we put everything back. Tis part was relatively easy compared to what we had already accomplished.
Time for this step: 30 minutes
4. Organize - It helped a lot to have everything we needed to put things in order before we put what we had left back in. We ended up with a whole tote just for curry creations, another one for sushi supplies, and another for bulk seeds and legumes. We also had a good sized flat box to put on the floor to keep big bags of flour, sugar, rice and oats in for refilling canisters.
Time for this step: About an hour
5. Maintain - With everything we wanted back in the panty and a brand new system in place to keep track of it, we all committed to maintaining it a little bit every time we use it. And, in the month since we've made our lifestyle change, the pantry has stayed very well ordered. We consider it a great success and wish the fridge could stay as nicely organized.
Time for this step: Next to none. Put things back where you find them, new purchases find their way easily into the system.
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