This took me years, literally

Once again, I’m kicking myself for not taking a “before” picture a few years back. It’s probably because I never foresaw my pantry actually ever looking like this. Even now, it’s not a curated scenario that would evoke Instagram fame but to me, it is a trophy of strategic planning, cooking and eating.

When I started work on this pantry a few years ago, it was an absolute disaster. Everything in packaging, a lot of open, half-eaten, stale or sticky items shoved in the back. It was a mess so I started by simply cleaning out the gross stuff and the stuff that was expired by years and unsafe to consume. The next phase was to use up the stuff I had. This was a little tougher. I know when I bought all the food items, I’m sure I had plans for them but as I was looking at them, I couldn’t for the life of me remember what they were, so I had to get creative. I made meals centered around the food products or that would at least incorporate pieces of the items (I did this to coincide with my freezer clean out so I would kill 2 birds with one stone). They weren’t the most delicious meals I’ve ever cooked but they were edible and got the job done. As I did that I was also slowly starting to acquire dry goods in bulk. I want to stress the word slowly because this is real life we are talking about. Most of us don’t have the financial means to go out and just acquire a bulk pantry from scratch in one day. And also when you do it slowly, it gives you time to figure out which goods you will need. Over time, as the packaged foods were being consumed and the bulk was slowly making its way in, I looked at my pantry and this is what I saw. It took a couple years but I was doing it.

Something important I want to point out is that not every item in this pantry is from bulk. Some of it came packaged (I’m looking at you, Cuban coffee, marshmallows, and coconut flakes.) but I think it is worth your time to put even those things in jars so you keep your pantry organized (and bug free). One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned with keeping my pantry, refrigerator and freezer cleared and organized is that when I do this, food does not get wasted. (Side note, when you put leftovers or unused meat in the freezer, think of it as a holding cell for a week or two, no more than a month or two, and not as a graveyard where it goes to get frostbite and die. That helps me to pull it out in a timely fashion and use it while it’s still good.) If I can see it, I use it and if it’s in a jar and not in an opened bag, it has a much longer shelf life. So for those of you who live in areas that don’t yet have bulk stores, feel free to transfer your food to jars as well. It’s not that you’re trying to fool anyone, you’re just making sure you don’t waste food and that’s a big part of less waste living.

Good luck on this journey. Like I said, it took me years to get to this point. I kept my expectations attainable and was strategic in my planning.

You got this!