Containers in the Pantry

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

21 Apr 2008 11:27 AM

It is no secret that I usually keep a well-stocked food pantry. In fact, I have more than one. Having a stocked pantry makes it easy for me to plan meals and to fix meals economically, stocking up on groceries when the deals are good.

We've written a few different pantry articles here on Families.com (I'll give you the links to them at the end of this article), but I have some more tips to share, namely, using containers and reducing dead space.

Using Containers

Just because something arrived to your home in a certain package, doesn't mean that it has to stay there. Sometimes the store packaging does not translate very well to storing something in a pantry. Practical and creative use of containers can really help you with your pantry. Anything that comes in a floppy plastic or paper bag generally gets moved to a sturdy container in my home. I like to use large, white ceramic crocks to store much of this "loose" food. Not only does it make the items each to reach, but it provides a decorative element as well. I also use glass containers with lids to store food. Food that is appropriate for containers includes flour, cornmeal, rice, dried beans, flax seed, sugar, popcorn, split peas, noodles, salt, nuts and more.

Dead Space

Containers can help conquer that next aspect of poorly organized pantries: dead space. Dead space occurs mostly when something short is placed on a shelf that contains a lot of vertical space. It can also occur when something bulky (such as a bag of noodles) takes up more space than it should, or when something can't be usually be stacked. Dead space reduces your usable pantry space and can lead to items being placed wherever they will fit rather than where they belong. Try to eliminate dead space by adjusting your existing shelves, adding new shelves, and using organizing products such as can holders or lazy susans.

Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.

Related Articles:

Quick Pantry Design Tips

What You Should Have in a Frugal Pantry

Pantry Challenge: What You Can Do with A Box of Potatoes

Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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