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The FIFO Pantry Management System to Save You Money, Time and Energy
Frugal February is a great time to get the pantry, and the fridge and freezer, sorted and organised, so that your stockpile is always current, so nothing is out of date or stale and so you are not wasting your money.
We all know the disappointment of going to the pantry to get an ingredient only to find it's beyond it's best and not usable.
The easiest way to avoid this problem is of course to use the FIFO method: first in, first out.
Everyone knows their pantry stock should be rotated, but when you get the groceries home and have to face putting them away, taking the time to put the new packets, tins, boxes to the back or the row or on the bottom of the stack isn't the focus. Getting everything out of the bags and put away is, any way it will fit.
According to the Australia Institute, Australia wastes 7.6m tonnes of food each year, costing households $19.3 billion. Based on industry average profit margins, food retailers make $1.2 billion profit from this waste. And that's on top of the extra profits from the over-inflated prices we are paying.
So avoid food waste. Avoid wasting money. Get that pantry sorted and organised, so you can use what you have and get your own FIFO system in place.
Let's get started.
First thing: empty the pantry. Take everything out. Empty the shelves.
I had to use the kitchen table and the bench top, it's surprising just how much a cupboard can hold.
While everything is out, give the shelves a good clean, you may as well get a head start on autumn cleaning. Wash them with hot, soapy water, rinse with a clean cloth and then dry them. Replace any shelf liner if you use it.
,
Check the canisters. Wash any empty canisters in hot, soapy water. Get into the ridges on rims and clean the seals well. Rinse and then dry them thoroughly. Refill empty canisters. You may like to add a couple of bay leaves to flour, rice and pasta canisters and any other grain containers to help deter pantry moths and weevils.
If you have things in cardboard or paper packaging, try to get them into glass or Tupperware or similar; pantry moths love cardboard and paper and if it has food in it, it is even more attractive to them. We do not want to encourage pantry moths so get rid of the paper packaging!
Wipe over bottles and jars, dust off cans.
As you put things back, check the best before or use by dates. Now don't get all hung up on those dates, we're not going to be tossing out food.
We are however going to be putting the oldest at the front so it gets used first.
If, like in my pantry, you have things stacked, the newest items, those with the longest best before or use by date, go on the bottom. A little hint: use the cardboard trays from the supermarket to neatly pack and stack cans. It makes it easy to keep like with like, and to rotate them.
And as you replace what you use, remember to put the replacements to the back, or on the bottom of the stack, so the oldest food is at the front or on top, ready to be used first.
If you're worried you'll lose the dates, use a Sharpie or similar to write the best before or use by date on the can or packet somewhere you will see it. Make it nice and bold so it stands out and you can see it at a glance.
The same system applies to your freezer too. First into the freezer, first out. Your freezer inventory will really help you keep track of what's lurking at the back or in the bottom.
For a chest freezer keeping things contained can be a trial. I like to use grocery bags to keep food organised. To help keep my freezer neat and tidy, and to stop food getting lost and ruined, I use grocery bags and cute little labels I made using the computer.
The bags are different colours according to their contents:
Red - red meat
Green - vegetables
Yellow - chicken
Black - roasts
Pink - fruit
Blue - sweets and pastry
On the handle of each bag I've tied a label. They are tied on so they can easily be moved to another bag in the future. You could staple or stitch them on if you want something more permanent.
The same system keeps the bags organised: first in, first out.
When something new goes into a bag in the freezer it goes to the bottom of the bag and we use the top foods first.
Vacuum sealing freezer foods lets you freeze them flat so they stack neatly. It also means you can simply write on the package with a Sharpie, or stick a label on the front, to identify the contents and add the date, because that date is important, it tells you which package to use first.
That is just plain commonsense and good pantry management. First in, first out, making sure you use the oldest food first to avoid food waste and wasted money.
It's not only commonsense, it's the Cheapskates way of pantry management.
We all know the disappointment of going to the pantry to get an ingredient only to find it's beyond it's best and not usable.
The easiest way to avoid this problem is of course to use the FIFO method: first in, first out.
Everyone knows their pantry stock should be rotated, but when you get the groceries home and have to face putting them away, taking the time to put the new packets, tins, boxes to the back or the row or on the bottom of the stack isn't the focus. Getting everything out of the bags and put away is, any way it will fit.
According to the Australia Institute, Australia wastes 7.6m tonnes of food each year, costing households $19.3 billion. Based on industry average profit margins, food retailers make $1.2 billion profit from this waste. And that's on top of the extra profits from the over-inflated prices we are paying.
So avoid food waste. Avoid wasting money. Get that pantry sorted and organised, so you can use what you have and get your own FIFO system in place.
Let's get started.
First thing: empty the pantry. Take everything out. Empty the shelves.
I had to use the kitchen table and the bench top, it's surprising just how much a cupboard can hold.
While everything is out, give the shelves a good clean, you may as well get a head start on autumn cleaning. Wash them with hot, soapy water, rinse with a clean cloth and then dry them. Replace any shelf liner if you use it.
,
Check the canisters. Wash any empty canisters in hot, soapy water. Get into the ridges on rims and clean the seals well. Rinse and then dry them thoroughly. Refill empty canisters. You may like to add a couple of bay leaves to flour, rice and pasta canisters and any other grain containers to help deter pantry moths and weevils.
If you have things in cardboard or paper packaging, try to get them into glass or Tupperware or similar; pantry moths love cardboard and paper and if it has food in it, it is even more attractive to them. We do not want to encourage pantry moths so get rid of the paper packaging!
Wipe over bottles and jars, dust off cans.
As you put things back, check the best before or use by dates. Now don't get all hung up on those dates, we're not going to be tossing out food.
We are however going to be putting the oldest at the front so it gets used first.
If, like in my pantry, you have things stacked, the newest items, those with the longest best before or use by date, go on the bottom. A little hint: use the cardboard trays from the supermarket to neatly pack and stack cans. It makes it easy to keep like with like, and to rotate them.
And as you replace what you use, remember to put the replacements to the back, or on the bottom of the stack, so the oldest food is at the front or on top, ready to be used first.
If you're worried you'll lose the dates, use a Sharpie or similar to write the best before or use by date on the can or packet somewhere you will see it. Make it nice and bold so it stands out and you can see it at a glance.
The same system applies to your freezer too. First into the freezer, first out. Your freezer inventory will really help you keep track of what's lurking at the back or in the bottom.
For a chest freezer keeping things contained can be a trial. I like to use grocery bags to keep food organised. To help keep my freezer neat and tidy, and to stop food getting lost and ruined, I use grocery bags and cute little labels I made using the computer.
The bags are different colours according to their contents:
Red - red meat
Green - vegetables
Yellow - chicken
Black - roasts
Pink - fruit
Blue - sweets and pastry
On the handle of each bag I've tied a label. They are tied on so they can easily be moved to another bag in the future. You could staple or stitch them on if you want something more permanent.
The same system keeps the bags organised: first in, first out.
When something new goes into a bag in the freezer it goes to the bottom of the bag and we use the top foods first.
Vacuum sealing freezer foods lets you freeze them flat so they stack neatly. It also means you can simply write on the package with a Sharpie, or stick a label on the front, to identify the contents and add the date, because that date is important, it tells you which package to use first.
That is just plain commonsense and good pantry management. First in, first out, making sure you use the oldest food first to avoid food waste and wasted money.
It's not only commonsense, it's the Cheapskates way of pantry management.