5 Pantry Organization Tips for Emergency Supplies

Warm weather provides a “window of time” to prepare for a potentially harsh winter ahead. There is the possibility of unpredictable weather such as snowstorms and natural disasters as well as lingering health concerns. Some predict that COVID-19 and the flu will create a possible second round of shutdowns and shelter-in-place requirements. Due to the range of uncertainty, there is a desire to keep everyone safe and “holed up” for the cold, winter months that lie ahead.

I am beginning to stock up and shop in a reasonable, calculated, thoughtful-of-others fashion. Yet, storing these emergency supplies in preparation for the undetermined seasons may be a challenge with current closet sizes and organization patterns.

Here are five pantry organization tips to stash emergency supplies: 

Clean and Take Inventory

Clean out the pantry and update the design to store more canned and dry goods in the house. Pantry organization will help you to quickly see where the needs are in your inventory. You can keep a better track of what you are buying with respect to the goods you already have, meaning less food goes to waste.

Categorize and Create Dedicated Spaces

Create a shelving storage area for paper goods, cleaning supplies, and detergents in the basement or garage. Store small appliances that tend to be for “occasional use” in these spaces if possible. These steps will free up more space for food storage and give more convenience to find exactly what you were looking for in the kitchen pantry.

Having shelves in the pantry like in the images below allows for easy access. In addition, updating shelving in closets can maximize storage possibilities, as shown in the corner pantry below.

Create a Rotating System

Find a rotation system for canned food so that the rotation moves from oldest to newest can as far as expiration dates go. Steps one through step three will also help empty the pantry and other closets of already expired food that you may have forgotten about to make room for new products. Save room for the new purchases towards the back of the shelves to keep the rotation flowing.

Proper Food Storage

If you plan to keep a lot of pre-frozen food or decide to freezing fresh foods, place an order for a highly-demanded chest freezer. Chest freezers have been on backorder due to the desire to stock up on meat with the current pandemic. Other possible winter conditions, such as snowstorms, are good reasons for having meat already stored in the freezer.

Having a chest freezer available, even when you do not think you will need one, will help in times of emergency and can save more room for everyday used appliances.

Start Stocking Up