The other day I organized my pantry and now it is so functional and easy to get to everything. Here are some tips to organizing your pantry.

1. Take everything out of the pantry before you organize it and I mean everything! It's the best approach you should take to organzing anything. This way you get a clear look at what was in there, how to group it, and what needs to be discarded.

2. Discard anything that looks old and outdated or is something you just don't want anymore. Don't worry about wasting money. You are still wasting it by having the item sit on your shelf without using it. But if it is still good and not expired and unopened you can certainly donate any unwanted items to your local food bank.

3. While your items are out of the pantry, put them into groups that make logical sense (cereals, canned veggies, paper items, baked items, condiments, soups).

4. Use clear containers for items such as flour, rice, sugar, noodles, and cereal. Those items usually don't get consumed at once and it is much messier to keep them in their original bags. Plus opened and exposed bags tend to draw bugs and that is something you don't want or need.

5. Now it is time for your items to go back into the pantry. When you put your grouped items back remember to put the most commonly used items at easy reach and put the items you use less frequently (or the ones that you want to keep away from children or pet reach) up on top or down on bottom. The key is to make your trip to the pantry quick and easy.

6. Take your time and try not to look at it as a drag. Doing this task is one step closer to making your life a little bit easier and that will save you time and money.

For more tips and suggestions, please follow my blog at organizingonthego.blogspot.com.