Each year we sit down and plan out our goals for the year and what we want to make happen. This year was no different. The list usually looks like a mixture of goals that are carried over from the previous year because they worked so well, equal parts new goals, places we want to travel, professional challenges we hope to take on, and family goals. One common goal from last year to this year is systems of organization. We function better when there is a system in place to help us be our best selves. One system we use is a virtual grocery list that we both can access any time from Google Docs. It simply states the meals coming up for the week and what groceries need to be bought. It helps us from asking the question “what’s for dinner” and let’s us each know what is on deck so that we can cook for the night. While virtual organization is important for us, especially in our calendar and meal prep, an organized house is just as vital. It helps me see what we are running low on and also helps us avoid the question of “where did I put the maple extract”. Recently I tackled our pantry in order to make it more organized and help us achieve our goal of “systems of organization”. Here is the before:

I did a quick purge of the items that had expired or that had been in there since we moved. I then organized things by type and relabeled some of the existing baskets. In addition to the current baskets, I ordered a few more matching turquoise ones to hold onto all of the baking supplies and drinks.

Overall, I think it was an improvement to get bigger baskets and reorganize where things belong in the pantry. It isn’t picture perfect but at least everything has a place now.