Today I've been spending some important time getting ready for Christmas baking, cooking, and kitchen gift making. I cleaned and sorted the kitchen drawer where I store measuring cups and things like extracts, colored sugars, and sprinkles. And I did the same with the shelf in my pantry where I keep baking items like flours, sugars, cocoa, chocolate chips and other baking staples. Later this week, I'll be posting a Making Space entry that will detail everything I decluttered from these areas. I'm hoping to get lots more decluttering done this week, so that's why I'll wait to post my list.) Suffice it to say that a lot got thrown away, especially from the drawer.
While I was working on the pantry, my hubby suggested that this would be a great time to take inventory of what's there. He was so right! Years ago, I kept both a freezer and a pantry inventory, using forms from Organized Home. But I hadn't updated them in a long, long time. I went to my household notebook and found that I had blanks all printed out that I could use. (You can click on the Pantry Inventory form at the Organized Home Free Printables page, and the pdf will open up, if you are interested in using these forms yourself.) Below you see my form with the baking items filled in. I'm pretty sure this will be added to as I declutter the other shelves in the pantry! Since Mr. T took over the grocery shopping when he retired, he usually puts the groceries away. Baking items have definitely been tucked into other shelves in this overly full pantry.
From here it was a logical step to checking my long-term holiday ingredients shopping list, pictured below. You can read about that here: Long-term holiday grocery list.
I'm so glad I did this, because there are several items we're getting low on that would be important to our holiday baking. I've been stocking up on butter for weeks, but we also need brown sugar, confectioners sugar, almond extract and more.
How about you? Are you ready to begin your Christmas baking?
You have shared some wonderful tips, Mrs. T. Thank you for any ideas you may have. It's good to be organized. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteOh you sound so organized. Not much Christmas baking going on here so I am pretty sure that I have all that I need after stocking up for Thanksgiving.
ReplyDeleteI'm not ready for Christmas baking but I sure can use a good organizing tool like you have. I'm finding the older I get the more I over buy because I think I might need this or that only to find out I have a couple of those items in the pantry already! Happy December to you!
ReplyDeleteYou are very organized! Yes, I’ve started my Christmas baking and am storing the cookies in the freezer until I gift them to family and friends.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love that vintage Land o Lakes ad! Made me smile big early this rainy morning. Your post is motivating me just a bit to think about some Christmas baking.
ReplyDeleteAnd that's a very good thing!
I'm not a baker, but I do love making lists. So I liked the level of organization for your holiday baking shopping.
ReplyDeleteYou are very organized. I do love baking and although I've only made the fruitcake so far, I have a list that I'll be starting on soon.
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