As we slowly creep out of winter and look forward to lighter and brighter days, it’s the perfect opportunity to refresh our space.
Energy and food bills are still on the increase and we are looking to save as much money as possible feeding our family well whilst also reducing waste. Getting into the routine of meal planning, batch cooking and creating a pantry takes effort and organisation to begin with but once the seed is sown, makes life a lot easier and a lot less expensive in the long run.
Write an inventory
We started our spring clean by stripping our cupboards and writing an inventory of what we had and what we could make use of. If you are completing an inventory, make sure you are including the sell by dates.
For packeted goods food clips like these https://fyf20.cc/r/1Hzt are great to keep things fresh and easy to store. Plastic containers like these https://fyf20.cc/r/hjcr or glass ones like these https://fyf20.cc/r/gPrV are great for pastas, flour, rice, cereal and lentils. And the smaller tubs https://fyf20.cc/r/mKRQ can be used for spices. We always keep our spices topped up because they can transform any meal or recipe!
Don’t forget to label your jars though so you don’t forget what is in them. I use these https://fyf20.cc/r/2HzM
Make use of what’s expiring
If you find a couple of items that are closing in on their BBD consider using these in a few recipes in the week, for example, stale cereal can be stirred into melted chocolate to make cereal bars!
Make your layout make sense
Keep the ingredients you regularly use in easy reach. We keep snacks and occasional sweet treats slightly more out of reach to avoid impulse snacking and so the children can’t access them themselves.
Make room for tinned goods
Tinned foods often stay fresher for longer and things like beans and chickpeas can be used to bulk out many dishes and keep costs low so it’s important to prioritise space for these.
Utilise worktop space
Clear cupboard space by investing in items such as cup trees https://fyf20.cc/r/rqHB and breadbins https://fyf20.cc/r/C2Yz which can still make the space look neat but free up room in your cupboards and drawers.
Use freezer bags or boxes
Freezing food is a great way to reduce waste and save money and time. If your family doesn’t typically use up a loaf of bread before the expiry date then consider freezing half of it and only defrosting what you need, when you need it.
We chop up and freeze half of our fruit punnets and defrost or remove when needed.
Batch cooking and freezing portion sizes separately will also save an incredible amount of time. These collapsible circular containers https://fyf20.cc/r/TZr8 can be stored narrowly, making them a great option if you are short on cupboard space when not in use.
We love to hear your tips for saving storage space, time and money so please feel free to head to our Facebook, Instagram or TikTok to share yours!