Top 5 reasons for Pantry Raids

Organizing has always been "my thing" in many departments - clothes shelves, shoes, wrapping supplies, the never ending organizing of the attic (how does it get messy? I think we have attic elves), and most of all, the kitchen. One of my favorite things to do on a rainy or snowy day is clean out the pantry...there are so many reasons to do this, but one of the most important is that you realize how much you have and how much you don't need! Here are some before and after pics from a friend's pantry raid: 

Before raid, where everything's on the floor....here comes the fun part!

After the raid - baking stuff up top, kitchen wraps and plates, next shelf, healthy grains and beans middle, healthy treats, eye level, pastas and sauces 2nd to bottom, and cans on the bottom. You can't see it but two other shelves on the right are also organized, with wine, cooking books, oils, emergency supplies, and overstock.
The whole thing took about 2 hours tops. 

1. SAVE MONEY: I used to be one of those people that had 5 jars of marinara, or 4 containers of opened honey, or three opened boxes of crackers. I hate to say it, but the only reason this was the case was since I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I HAD so then I bought more of it! 

2. KITCHEN DETOX: Organizing your pantry is like detox for your kitchen. You end being more productive and creative since you see which ingredients go together, and things will be clean and tidy (and therefore, meal planning will be clean and easy).

3. BETTER FOR YOUR TUMMY: Yes, you can use beans after 3 or 4 years, but believe me, you won't want to. They don't cook as well, they don't soften up, and they'll kill your digestive track with gas and bloating. Just don't do it. Replenish often, and keep things fresh. 

4. YOU'LL EAT HEALTHIER: The other thing is that it clutters your mind and allows you (almost encourages you) to be super healthy. If you design the healthy foods to be at eye level, put the nasty baking stuff all the way at the top, and compartmentalize, then you'll only reach for the healthy stuff and forget about the nasty stuff! Believe me, it's helped even me, a health coach, to eat better. 

5. IT SAVES YOU TIME: Keep your teas together, your grains together, your fruits together...this saves you time. If you are looking for your favorite nite nite tea at 9:00 pm and you can't find it, then you've gotten yourself in a tizzy. Your blood pressure goes up, which is the precise reason you wanted to relax before bedtime, and there you have it. Also, we all have surprise guests. In 20 minutes you can put something together since it's easy to locate, easy to see, and easy to grab. 

BONUS: it is pretty on the eyes. It looks amazing! Beautiful even. Ok, I might have gone too far, but no, I do consider it beautiful to look at. And I always say, an organized home is an organized head, so you can get to the good stuff...living, working, having fun, being efficient, and enjoying every moment of it. And yes, a clean pantry can do that - only because a messy pantry keeps you away from that kind of clarity.

On that note, I have a secret to share. I've been cleaning pantries out for my friends and clients, and have kept it to myself. It's now time to come clean - I LOVE doing this stuff! So if any of you are interested in a pantry raid, give me a shout - they're $99 each and I promise you, you will LOVE it!

732.741.1219 
AndreeaFegan@gmail.com