34 Weeks of Clean 2019! Week 2- The Pantry

Oh my word!  You all are amazing- your excitement has absolutely thrilled me and your comments have blessed me.  I love to see you all cheering each other on and your sharing of our posts has helped spread the word across the United States!

If you are just joining us, we are so glad you are here. You can find week one, Holiday Decorations, here if you want to start from the top!  If this is your second week back, YAY you!   Know that we are cheering you on as well. We really are so excited to hear about all the people across the country who are determined to take back their houses with us - one week at a time!  Let us see those pictures by posting on our Family, Faith and Fridays Facebook page. It really helps to know you are not alone.

So how'd you do with week 1?  Hopefully your trees are at the curb and your lights are taken down. Trust me, your neighbors will appreciate your effort! And as someone said this about week, it is freeing.  As much as I love the pretty decorations, there is just something about starting the new year with a clean slate.

Up this week, The Pantry!

Why start with the pantry?  I can only speak for myself here, but the holidays seem to be a season of food, more food, and even more food.  And a lot more junk food than normal.  Anyone else?  I found myself opening the pantry, throwing something in, and shutting the door as quickly as possible to avoid the mess.  Yep, I am THAT kind of gal during the holidays.  And then add my husband's Sam's Club runs to the mix and well, you can see what happens.  But guess what ya'll?  Eventually, that mess starts trying to come out on its own.  So even if your pantry does not look as bad as mine, (and please do not tell me if it doesn't) it surely could use some sprucing up as well, right?  Plus, we are in a new house this year, and let me tell you-  obviously I was more concerned about just getting it all unpacked than I was making it an organized space.

 

Remember- our goal is to deep clean, de-clutter, and reorganize.

Here we go!

Your Assignment-

This week we are concentrating mostly on the food.  If you have food in other areas of your kitchen as well, don't leave it out!  Spices and such will be covered next week, as they reside elsewhere in my kitchen.  You can thank me later!

• Pull everything out!  Yes, just do it.  I will wait.  And get used to it, because you will see that instruction at the beginning of every week.  We will pull EVERYTHING, yes EVERYTHING, out of a space to start with.  I promise, it works, just trust me!

 

 I do not know how all this stuff possibly fit in the pantry!

Yes, we have a water bottle problem!  We got rid of more than a few, I promise.

 

• Check expiration dates and throw things out.  One of our goals should be to NOT poison our families this year with bad food. Hey, did you know that even clear gelatin has an expiration date? Whoops. Who knew?!

• Wipe down all of the shelves, wood or otherwise.  Between sticky honey drops (anyone else?) and dirty handprints, those things need to be cleaned!  If you are an all natural kind of gal, you can use my favorite natural cleaner recipe.  If you use store bought stuff, no worries - I won't tell anyone!

• Wipe down the floors of the pantry and the walls, any light switches, and baseboards as well. You know women did not design all those fancy doors with little rims and grooves!  Sometimes it takes nothing short of a Q-tip to get those clean.  Yes, go ahead and get out your Q-tips!

• Decide a plan of attack BEFORE you put things back.  I try to keep like things in one area, so in our case cans are on one shelf and boxed foods on another. You get the idea.

• Put things back with purpose- do you use something only occasionally?  Put it higher up. All of our snacks are together, with smaller items in a basket, and then breakfast foods are near the bottom for easy access.  Have something in there that doesn't belong?  Put it where it does!  Have extra stuff you do not use or need?  Get rid of it!  Like water bottles.  Just saying.

• Use glass jars when you can!  I admit, I love glass jars.  Here's why - I love the uniform look, I love that you can see exactly how much of something you have left, and I get so tired of looking at half opened boxes and bags.  This is especially true of things like flour and sugar.  I seriously would put our potato chips in a glass jar if I thought I could get by with it.  (For now those are all in the wood bin.)  I also use Tupperware for staple items that need to be airtight.  After living in Florida for several years, I gave in and invested in containers that would keep the humidity and bugs out.  20 plus years later they are still reliable.  

Finished result-

This project is a little quicker for most than last week's!  Regardless, don't forget, if you cannot do it all at once, no worries!  Set a timer for 15 minutes each day if you have to and work until it goes off.  Slow and steady wins the race.  You have a whole week so don't fret!  When you are done, reward yourself with a cup of tea and some chocolate.  Because who doesn't love chocolate?

And because a few of you have asked - nope, I am not going to give you a list of all the weeks in advance, though if you really want it, it is not hard to find! ;)  I remain convinced, and I saw from our first run of 34 Weeks several years ago, that it is best to only share each assignment as we go.  I think our tendency is to go in strong to a project like this, push too hard, and then fall off the wagon from exhaustion.  It's kind of like that rush at the gym every January. This way you can truly concentrate on the task at hand and not be weighed down by what is to come. 

So, I think that is about it!  This should not take you all week, but go on and get started.  There is never a better time than the present! And don't forget to post pictures of your progress, we love being able to cheer you on.

Blessings,

Intro Week
Week 1- Holiday Decorations

34 Weeks of Clean- Rinse and Repeat: Week 2- The Pantry

Welcome back to 34 Weeks of Clean!

 

Oh my word!  You all are amazing- your excitement has absolutely thrilled me and your comments have blessed me.  I love to see you all cheering each other on and your sharing of our posts has helped spread the word across the United States!

If you are just joining us, we are so glad you are here.  You can find week one, Holiday Decorations here if you want to start from the top!  If this is your second week back, YAY you!   Know that we are cheering you on as well. We really are so excited to hear about all the people across the country who are determined to take back their houses with us - one week at a time!  And the pictures- wow,  did I mention you all are amazing?

So how'd you do with week 1?  Hopefully your trees are at the curb and your lights are taken down. Trust me, your neighbors will appreciate your effort! And as someone said this week, it is freeing.  As much as I love the pretty decorations, there is just something about starting the new year with a clean slate.

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Up this week, The Pantry!

Why start with the pantry?  I can only speak for myself here, but the holidays seem to be a season of food, more food, and even more food.  And a lot more junk food than normal.  I found myself opening the pantry, throwing something in, and shutting the door as quickly as possible to avoid the mess.  Yep, I am THAT kind of gal during the holidays.  But guess what ya'll?  Eventually, that mess starts trying to come out on its own.  So even if your pantry does not look as bad as mine, (and please do not tell me) yours surely could use some sprucing up as well.  Plus, we are in a new house this year, and let me tell you- not all pantries are created equal.  We went from a BIG, double door pantry to this little thing with a few pull out shelves.  Needless to say, some adjustments have had to be made and we did have to snag a little extra space in the cabinets.  Sometimes it pays to be creative.

Remember- our goal is to deep clean, de-clutter, and reorganize.

Here we go!

This week we are concentrating mostly on the food.  If you have food in other areas of your kitchen as well, don't leave it out!  Spices and such will be covered next week, as they reside elsewhere in my kitchen.

• Pull everything out!  Yes, just do it.  I will wait.  And get used to it, because you will see that instruction at the beginning of every week.  We will pull EVERYTHING, yes EVERYTHING, out of a space to start with.  I promise, it works, just trust me!

• Check expiration dates and throw things out.  One of our goals should be to NOT poison our families this year with bad food. Hey, did you know that even clear gelatin has an expiration date? Whoops. Who knew?!

• Wipe down all of the shelves, wood or otherwise.  Between sticky honey drops (anyone else?) and dirty handprints, those things need to be cleaned!  If you are an all natural kind of gal, you can use my favorite natural cleaner recipe.  If you use store bought stuff, no worries - I won't tell anyone!

• Wipe down the floors (or in my case drawers) of the pantry and the doors (or drawers) as well. You know women did not design all those fancy doors with little rims and grooves!  Sometimes it takes nothing short of a Q-tip to get those clean.  Yes, go ahead and get out your Q-tips!

• Decide a plan of attack BEFORE you put things back.  I try to keep like things in one area, so in our case cans are on one shelf and boxed foods on another. You get the idea.

• Put things back with purpose- do you use something only occasionally?  Put it higher up. All of our snacks are together, with smaller items in a basket, and then breakfast foods are at the bottom for easy access. 

• Use glass jars when you can!  I admit, I love glass jars.  Here's why - I love the uniform look, I love that you can see exactly how much of something you have left, and I get so tired of looking at half opened boxes and bags.  This is especially true of things like flour and sugar.  I seriously would put our potato chips in a glass jar if I thought I could get by with it.  I also use Tupperware for staple item that need to be airtight.  After living in Florida for several years, I gave in and invested in containers that would keep the humidity and bugs out.  18 years later they are still reliable.  

•  A quick word about food storage.  Yes, we do store extra food in case emergencies come up. (think power outages, blizzards, hurricanes, etc. But not in the same state, I know!)  We keep those foods in a large plastic tub that is inventoried and kept in the basement storage area where 1. it is cooler, and 2. little hands do not reach in and help themselves.

Finished results-

This project is a little quicker than last week's!  Regardless, don't forget, if you cannot do it all at once, no worries!  Set a timer for 15 minutes each day if you have to and work until it goes off.  Slow and steady wins the race.  You have a whole week so don't fret!  When you are done, reward yourself with a cup of tea and some chocolate.

And because a few of you have asked - nope, I am not going to give you a list of all the weeks in advance, though if you really want it, it is not hard to find! ;)  I remain convinced, and I saw from our first run of 34 Weeks, that it is best to only share each assignment as we go.  I think our tendency is to go in strong to a project like this, push too hard, and then fall off the wagon from exhaustion.  It's kind of like that rush at the gym every January. This way you can truly concentrate on the task at hand and not be weighed down by what is to come. 

So, I think that is about it!  This should not take you all week, but go on and get started.  There is never a better time than the present! And don't forget to post pictures of your progress- everyone who posts a picture for ALL 34 Weeks will be entered into a drawing to win a $50 prize package from our friends at 621 Gifts!  Wanna know one of our favorite products they have?

Sugar and Spice Pretzels and the Dipping Caramel.  Simply divine!  It would be the first thing I would put in the shopping cart!

Until next week - Happy cleaning and many blessings,

34 Weeks of Clean! Week 2- The Pantry

Welcome back!  If you are just joining us, we are glad you are here.  You can find week one, Holiday Decorations, here if you want to start from the top!  If this is your second week back, YAY you!  As my 17 year old says, cheering oneself on is always ok! ;)  Know that we are cheering you on as well. We are so excited to hear about all the people across the country who are determined to take back their houses with us - one week at a time!

So how'd you do with week 1?  Hopefully your trees are at the curb and your lights are taken down.  Trust me, your neighbors will appreciate your effort!  I would love for you to link up your success at the bottom of the page to help not only celebrate your success but to inspire others.  If you were ahead of us and had the week off - glad you came back!  Here is a button code for you if you are participating!


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Up this week, The Pantry!

Why start with the pantry?  I can only speak for myself here, but the holidays seem to be a season of food, more food, and even more food.  And a lot more junk food than normal.  I found myself opening the pantry, throwing something in and shutting the door as quickly as possible to avoid the mess.  Yep, I am THAT kind of gal during the holidays.  But guess what ya'll?  Eventually, that mess starts trying to come out on its own.  So even if your pantry does not look as bad as mine, (please do not tell me) yours surely could use some sprucing up as well.

Before - my mess!

Here we go!

This week we are concentrating mostly on the food.  If you have food in other areas of your kitchen as well, don't leave it out!  Spices and such will be covered soon as they reside elsewhere in my kitchen.

• Pull everything out!  Yes, just do it.  I will wait.

• Check expiration dates and throw things out.  One of our goals should be to NOT poison our families this year with bad food.
• Wipe down all of the shelves, wood or otherwise.  Between sticky honey drops (anyone else?) and dirty handprints, those things need to be cleaned!  If you are all natural, you can use my favorite natural cleaner recipe.  If you use store bought stuff, no worries - I won't tell anyone!
• Wipe down the floors of the pantry and the doors as well.  You know women did not design all those fancy doors with little rims and grooves!  Sometimes it takes nothing short of a Q-tip to get those clean.  Yes, go ahead and get out your Q-tips!
• Decide a plan of attack BEFORE you put things back.  I try to keep like things in one area and here again, baskets become my best friend.  It took me a few tries to get it the way I wanted it and for all the things to fit.
• Confession time- I DID buy these wire racks.  Again, I am pretty sure a woman did not design this pantry.  (No offense to the guys, they just do not usually care about a pantry's design)  Who needs several feet of space in between the shelves?  Can you say wasted space? Anyway, the added space helped me get more back into the pantry while looking a little neater. Call me crazy, not to my face please, but I love that neat and tidy look when I open a closet, cabinet, or drawer.

• Put things back with purpose- do you use something only occasionally?  Put it higher up!  Do your kids need access to cereal?  Put it on a lower shelf.  We hang snacks in a bag on the door (gotta love those Command Hangers) and all of our wheat-free items are in one basket to avoid confusion.  Shoe organizers, found at the dollar store, hold smaller packets of stuff.

• Use glass jars when you can!  I admit, I love glass jars.  Here's why - I love the uniform look, I love that you can see exactly how much of something you have left, and I get so tired of looking at half opened boxes and bags.  I seriously would put our potato chips in a glass jar if I thought I could get by with it.

• A quick word about food storage.  Yes, we do store extra food in case emergencies come up. (think power outages, blizzards, hurricanes, etc., but not in the same state, I know!)  We keep those foods in a large plastic tub that is inventoried and kept in the basement storage area where 1. it is cooler, and 2. little hands do not reach in and help themselves.

Finished results-

To help you this week, my friend Kemi, blogging over at Homemaking Organized, has made some fun chalkboard labels for you as well as a pantry inventory list.  Head on over to print them all and and tell her thanks! I will be printing out the labels and covering up my ugly handwriting on my lovely glass jars!

And because a few of you have asked - nope, I am not going to give you a list of all the weeks in advance! ;)  I remain convinced that it is best to only share each assignment as we go.  I think our tendency is to go in strong to a project like this, push too hard, and then fall off the wagon from exhaustion.  This way you can truly concentrate on the task at hand and not be weighed down by what is to come. 

So, I think that is about it!  This should not take you all week, but go on and get started.  There is never a better time than the present! And don't forget to link up pictures of your progress or leave a comment to let us know how you are doing so far!

Until next week - Happy cleaning and many blessings,

Week 1- Holiday Decoration

Week 3- Kitchen Cabinets and Doors

An InLinkz Link-up

Project Organize- The Pantry

This was not going to be my next project, but a friend who has joined the madness mentioned she had done hers and I thought I better catch up!  ;)  I thought it would be fast and easy.  It is after all a small space with not much in it!  I thought wrong!

Here are a few befores...

Then, I pulled everything out!  Ah, look how nice it looks!

This is the mess of stuff that was in there.  Not all went back in.  Some went to the trash (this is a perfect time to check expiration dates, just saying!), some went to where it belonged in the first place, and then what was left over went back in a more organized manner.

The results...

Can you tell Kroger had a sale on Goldfish?
One of the few crackers I still let the kiddos eat!  haha

Much better.

Amazing, my hubby said.  (don't ya just love him!?)

Now, I do feel the need to explain the cans, since many of you have heard me say that we are trying to have a bar code free pantry.  Actually, what we are trying to do is eat bar code free meals.  BUT, we also feel strongly about having a 72 hour survival "kit" in our home.  No, not for a zombie invasion or anything drastic, but for minor emergencies like loss of power from a hurricane or snowstorm.  Should those things occur, we do not want to be one of the families that runs to the store in a panic making the problem worse.  We want to be able to survive in our own environment to allow those that really need supplies access without us being in the way. 

The problem I found with this theory is that a lot of my real foods have to be baked, ground (wheat), or specially prepared ... not helpful if we have no power and are cooking on a grill.  So for that reason we do keep some simple canned food on our shelves.  Well, for that and when mom needs a break and the garden is a flop!  ;)

Anyway...it is off to the top floor of the house to tackle the sewing area next!  Wait 'til you see what ALP found to organize her fabric!  See ya back next Friday!  And please, we would love to hear how your organizing and decluttering projects are going!