Fall Cleaning

Last week I tackled some projects in the kitchen that have been needing to be done for a while. I wanted to also do a little inventory, if you will, on what I had for cleaning supplies and in the pantry. I know there have been times that I've bought things at the store and then come home and found three more in the pantry. So, I wanted to actually KNOW what I have and what I was running low on or was needing to replace. I also wanted to know what things I should be using that I always forget are in there. All of those questions were answered!

It turned out to be a very helpful project. I now know that I have not one, but TWO bottles of hardwood floor cleaner (which then motivated me to actually use some! ;)), TWO kinds of miracle grow for the garden (I'm blaming my husband for that one! ;)), and a ridiculous amount of old candy (thank you Halloween from who knows what year--yes, it's all in the garbage now). My pantry looks fantastic because I also cleaned off every shelf and drawer and neatly organized it again. Yes, I'm a bit compulsive about things and actually made a list of what is in our pantry. I'm posting in the kitchen so that when I'm making my menus I can see what I really do have. I'll be crossing things off as I use them and adding those items to my shopping list if it's necessary. We'll see how long that "system" lasts, it could prove to me too high maintenance, but at least now I have a starting point.

I intend to do the same thing in my overflow pantry (yes, I know....ours inside is tiny...and I like to stock up!) and our freezers for the same reasons as I noted above.

Overall, I think it's a good time to really get things in order for the fall and winter. It'll hopefully cut some spending and some waste. It feels nice to see everything in my pantry now too.