How to Organize Your Pantry

Female Speaker: It's time to get organized! With family and friends making their way into town for the holidays, it's important to get ready. I met up with an organizing exert that knew just how to make guests feel at home, when they're heading to your kitchen. With holidays coming, that means, more food in the house. Before things get even more out of control, it's time to organize your pantry. We have Organizing Expert Ronna with us today. You're going to show us some easy tips to get our pantry organized. Ronna, here we have some trail mix, mix them with some pasta, just impossible to really find anything, but we do have limited space. You say that it can still be organized. Ronna Zaken: Yes! Even though it's a small space, we still can organize it, but first, the thing we have to do is to clear everything out and start at the beginning. Female Speaker: Okay. Now that we've emptied the pantry out, we have all of this stuff out here. What do we do with it all? Ronna Zaken: Well, first what we should do is sort items that are the same or similar together. Female Speaker: Okay, so crackers with crackers. Ronna Zaken: Right, and then we would do cookies and cookies. And also it's a great time to check your expiration dates, to make sure that the items are still good. Female Speaker: Okay, this one, May 2010. These are still good. Ronna Zaken: Alright! That's good! And also, it's a great time to repackage items before you put them back on to the shelf. Female Speaker: Okay, this one, for example. Ronna Zaken: That's one idea. Yes. Now put them in a zip lock bag. It could be a zipper or a press-together. Female Speaker: Okay, shall I put the whole thing in that? Ronna Zaken: No! Take the items out of it. Now that we've sorted everything, repackaged everything, and checked expiration dates, we're ready for the next step, which is to put the items back on to the self in size order. Female Speaker: Okay. Ronna Zaken: We'll put the taller items back in first. Larger items go in the back first with smaller items in front of them. Female Speaker: Now, this is a very important drawer, the snack drawer, I think everyone's favorite in the entire house. So, it's very important, and a little bit different, you say. Ronna Zaken: Right! Now since this is the snack door and everybody, parents, including kids, can draw from this drawer, we will put Graham crackers in the back and keep little snack packs in the front, so that the kids and even the grownups can grab them easily. Female Speaker: Okay. You want to make it very easy to grab stuff. We've got the pasta drawer and the snack drawer all done. Ronna Zaken: Yay! Female Speaker: But, there's still a lot of work to be done. Yeah! Little overwhelming! Ronna Zaken: Absolutely! But don't forget that it may seem overwhelming now, but it takes a few minutes to get organized and then you are set. Female Speaker: Okay, let's get back to work, Ronna, thank you so much! Ronna Zaken: You're welcome! Female Speaker: And, let's get to it. Ronna says, when you clean out you pantry, go ahead and keep a pen and paper near by. That way you can write things down that you need to get at the market. You can find the link to her website with more tips on our website at BetterTV.com.