The sun is shining, flowers are blooming and it’s time to spring clean your pantry.
When I was creating this free Pantry Checklists and Inventory Pack (you’ll find the link at the bottom of the post), I realized something. Yes, spring cleaning our homestead kitchen and pantry is a HUGE job. And I’d much rather be planning my spring garden.
However, organizing my pantry shelves will save me time and money. Even better? It’s a great homeschool teaching opportunity. Here are three simple spring pantry cleaning tips to help you get organized.
Pantry Zones Help Homeschool Moms Save Time
One of the key steps in cleaning your pantry involves restocking your shelves by zone. This simply means organizing your pantry shelves according to meal type. It’s a huge time-saver for homeschool moms. If your kids are anything like mine, they’re always looking for food.
Keep a healthy snack pantry zone or shelf down stocked with easy-to-grab snacks, like whole grain crackers, granola bars, or dried fruits. You’ll save precious time during your busy homeschool day. And you’ll save time creating your next shopping list because you can see at a glance which items you’re running low on.
Pantry Inventory Lists Save Money During Meal Planning
We recently completed a 60-day no-spend pantry and freezer challenge and learned an important lesson.
Knowing exactly what our kitchen cupboards, fridge, freezer and pantry contained saved us SO much money during meal planning. I could create entire weeks of dinners based on what I already had on hand. And that saved more than just meal planning time – it saved us a ton of money!
Turn Spring Cleaning Into a Homeschool Lesson
Spring cleaning your pantry is time-consuming. Yet it’s also pretty simple.
Children as young as three can pitch in and learn valuable homemaking lessons. Use these tips to get them involved. Encourage your children to help with tasks like:
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- removing cans and boxes (or even mason jars of home canning and preserves)
- wiping down dusty canned goods and shelves with a damp cloth
- sorting canned goods by category
- read labels for expiry dates/best before dates
- wash the walls and floors
- measure, cut and apply shelf paper to your pantry shelves
- list all the items in your family pantry to help with meal planning and shopping lists
And once you’re finished organizing your pantry cupboards or shelves, your children could help with spring cleaning your homeschool too!
Head on over to Off Grid Life and download the Free Pantry Cleaning Pack (printable Checklists + Inventory Lists) today!
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Sarita Harbour is a busy mom/step-mom, and grandmother blessed with seven kids ranging from age 32 down to seven. She lives off the grid with her family in a lakefront chalet in the beautiful wilderness of Canada’s far north. She spends her days teaching, writing, and learning the ropes of homesteading off the grid. Visit her site, Off Grid Life, for free printables and resources on homesteading, homeschooling, and self-reliance for the whole family.
