Purging

We often hear the expression "binging and purging".  Because we binge, or overload, we end up with more than we can use. All that extra must then be purged, or cleared out, for us to get back to a balanced state.  I have spent this week purging my kitchen.  I was hoping to get done in one day, but it took me two days just to go through the pantry and cabinets!  I tossed everything that had expired, donated everything that would expire soon that I wasn't absolutely positive I'd use in time and inventoried and organized everything that was left.

I put the breakfast and snack foods that Josh can get by himself on a low shelf in the pantry.  The rest I grouped by spices, baking, mixes, pasta & rice, sauces, canned, etc.  Now I will easily be able to find things when I'm cooking or looking to see what I have as I plan my menu and shopping trip for the week.

I made several discoveries during this process.  When doing a task like this, we need to think about the "why" behind the "what".  Why did I have so many expired items?  Why hadn't they been used?  By looking at what I had that had expired, I realized that: 1. I had made plans to do a lot of baking at one point, bought all the stuff and then got distracted/busy and didn't do it, so I had a lot of extracts and things like that, 2. When I tried a new recipe, I would get a whole container of the ingredient and then not make the recipe again (at least not often enough to use all of that ingredient), 3. I'm a sucker for a good sale and had "stocked up" on items because they were a good deal rather than because I knew I would use them, 4. As with the "baking plan", I had gotten busy and bought "convenience food" rather than cooking at home, leaving many of my seasonings and other ingredients to expire.

So how do these revelations affect my future cooking and purchasing plans?  The main change that I need to make is better planning.  Going forward, I will check to see what ingredients I already have as I plan what to cook for the week.  Then I have to stick to that plan and not let my other "to do" items overtake my schedule.  The same goes for purchasing.  My goal is to purchase items on sale or with coupons, but I need to make sure they will be products I will actually use.  Otherwise, they'll just be a part of my next purge.

We can apply these same lessons to the other parts of the house.  Make sure that everything you have is something you will actually use.  If it's not, give it to someone who WILL use it.  When you find a good sale, only invest in the items you are sure you will use, otherwise it is just a waste of money no matter how cheap it is.  Once you have gone through what you have, keeping everything organized so that you can find it all will help you quickly see what you have and what you need.  That will help keep you from buying duplicates of things you already have.