Step-By-Step Instructions for Today's Declutter Task

Location:  Kitchen

Focus:  Choose one of the following:

• Canned Goods
• Spices
• Freezer Contents
• Refrigerator Condiments

Supplies: 

• pen and paper
• surface for sorting
• cleaning cloth
• trash can

For our very first challenge, we are going to declutter expired food items.  There is a very strategic reason for this - the decision-making process is fairly straightforward - it is often as simple as: expired, toss; not-expired, keep.  Starting with a category such as canned goods allows us to build up our declutter decision-making muscles, plus, it's just a good thing to do every once in a while.

The video above shows you how I decluttered my refrigerator condiments, while the text below details how I tackled my freezer contents.  

Don't forget that you have access to the private bootcamp community where you can ask questions, share your wins, and help cheer on your fellow bootcampers.  

Alright, here we go!

Process:

Reminder - before you begin, make sure you have a place to do the sorting.

Step 1

Gather the items to declutter and place them on your sorting workspace.  It is important to gather all of the items of the category you are working on.  So, if you are going to declutter canned goods, and you keep some in a cabinet and some on the back of a door, and others on the countertop, you will want to gather all of them.

Do the same whether you have chosen to declutter spices, freezer contents, or refrigerator condiments - the process is the same for each.

Step 2

Check the expiration date for each and every item in the category you are working on.  This can be a bit tedious, especially when the dates are hard to find and/or hard to read.  

If you will need to replace some of the food/spices that are no longer good, make a list of what you will need, then toss the ones that are expired.  If you have unopened, unexpired items that you will not use, consider donating them to a local food pantry.  

Step 3

For the remaining items, group them together by type.  There is no one way to do this step; you should group them in a way that makes sense for you and your family.  Here are a few examples that you may want to consider:

For Freezer Contents:

• convenience foods
• meat
• frozen vegetables

For Spices:

• baking
• cooking
• grilling

For Refrigerator Condiments:

• relishes/pickles
• sandwich spreads
• salad dressings

For Canned Goods:

• soups
• vegetables
• beans

Step 4

The last step is returning the items to their designated home in the groups you identified in Step 3.  Take a minute to wipe down the shelf, cabinet, drawer, etc before you put them back in.

--- Extra Helpful ---

Not sure if you should keep or toss that frozen turkey breast in the freezer?  Check out this handy resource from FoodSafety.gov.  It even includes refrigerated items...bonus!

https://www.foodsafety.gov/food-safety-charts/cold-food-storage-charts

And, here's a helpful guide from McCormick on the shelf life of many types of spices:

https://www.mccormick.com/articles/mccormick/how-long-do-spices-last