Here is the basic process we will follow every day of the challenge.
There will be some tweaks based on the declutter task of the day, which I will provide in detail to make it easier.
STEP 1
Gather everything from the category you have chosen.
STEP 2
Group similar items together (put like with like).
STEP 3
Decide what to keep and what to get rid of.
STEP 4
Return the keepers. Discard the rest.
Today's Challenge - Expired Food Items
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, spices, freezer contents, or fridge condiments allows us to build up our declutter decision-making muscles, plus, it's just a good thing to do every once in a while.
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's 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. Please remember that you can always break any of these tasks down further if it feels overwhelming - see the section "Meeting You Where You Are" to learn more.
Do the same whether you have chosen to declutter spices, freezer contents, or refrigerator condiments - the process is the same for each.
Step 2
[NOTE: This step is a little different than the basic step 2 listed above because we are dealing with food.]
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.
Want to see the process in action? I've included a video from a previous challenge when I decluttered refrigerator condiments. You can find it under the section below: "From Jeni".
After you complete today's challenge, head over to the private Facebook group and share how you did 🙂.
From Jeni:
”
Do what you can without becoming overwhelmed. Go at your own pace.
Check out these helpful resources
Not sure if you should keep or toss that frozen turkey breast in the freezer? What about that mayo in the back of the fridge? Check out these handy articles:
Here's a helpful guide from McCormick on the shelf life of many types of spices:
”
Wondering about the shelf life of canned goods? This article from the USDA can provide from insight:
Meeting You Where You Are
If this task feels like too much...
If this task feels too easy...
If you don't have much of a sorting space...
Looking for additional motivation and support?
Head over to the private Facebook group to connect with Jeni and challenge participants.
