The Reason You Should Post A List Inside Your Pantry Door

It's happened to the best of us: You scour your pantry looking for the baking soda to make some homemade cookies, but all you can find is baking powder. You head to the store to pick up the baking powder, only to realize once you get home that you already had some hidden away in the dark recesses of your cupboards, and now you have more baking powder than you know what to do with. 

Not knowing exactly what's in your pantry can waste time, money, and food, which is why you should start keeping an inventory right inside the cabinet door. Posting a detailed list of everything in your pantry will help you ensure you don't double up on products. Along with maximizing your corner storage, avoiding buying multiple of the same item can save a lot of precious pantry space. 

An inventory list can also help you keep track of what items you're running out of, so when it's time to go grocery shopping, you don't have to guess how many cans of tuna you have left or if you're almost out of flour; it's already written out on the list.

Keeping an inventory of your food has countless benefits. After all, there's a reason why it's a practice employed by many commercial restaurant kitchens. For one thing, a pantry list will help you avoid food waste via spoilage by keeping a record of when you buy certain items and when they're due to expire. 

Furthermore, according to the waste management company RTS, about 40% of the United States food supply is thrown out every year. So, keeping an inventory might be more important than ever to make sure you're not throwing out food you didn't need to buy in the first place.

Your list can be as simple or elaborate as you want. For instance, you could just record what items you have and their expiration date, or you could break your inventory down into categories like baking supplies, snacks, essential canned goods, etc. Of course, your inventory lists don't have to be confined to your pantry. You can post one on the outside of your refrigerator, freezer, or any other place where you store food.

All in all, keeping a list posted is an easy way to make food organization a little more convenient. To run your kitchen like a professional and keep everything in order, post a list inside your pantry door to save your future self some stress.