Filling Your Kitchen Pantry

I believe a well organised pantry will save you money in the long run as you will be able to see exactly what you have and what you may need to purchase.  This way you should never have to throw out any food items.  I keep all my basic pantry items in airtight containers.  I purchased Tupperware years ago and it just lasts and lasts.  Organising your pantry will create more space and labelling containers is a great idea.

Here’s a list of my pantry basics:

Baking powder, bi-carb soda, brown sugar, castor sugar, chilli powder, cocoa, coconut, cornflour, curry powder, custard powder, dried soup mix, dried beans, dried chickpeas, gelatine, gravy powder, herbs and spices, icing sugar, lentils, milk powder, plain flour, popcorn seeds, rice, sauces (soya sauce, fish sauce, chilli sauce, bbq and tomato sauce), self  -raising flour, sugar, sultanas, vanilla essences, vinegar.

Other pantry essentials:

Canned corn kernels, canned diced tomatoes (I buy these in bulk), canned pineapple, canned tuna, canned salmon, noodles, nuts, parmesan cheese, pasta and spaghetti.

Other pantry ideas:

·         Keep all canned food, sauces, spices organised so you can see exactly what you have.

·         I have a bulk item cupboard which is separate from the pantry where I keep items I may have bought in bulk while on special and other items I buy in bulk.

·         I only ever have three different cereal packages in the pantry for the kids to choose from and the rest I keep in my bulk cupboard, that way you don’t end up with lots of half empty cereal packages.

·         I also have a treats basket in my pantry that the kids can have and offer to their friends when they visit.

·         Inside my pantry door I have a calendar where I keep all details of upcoming events.