5 Tips for Clearing Out Your Pantry Before Your Move

In the weeks and days leading up to a move, the chances are you’ll have a lot of food to eat up or clear out. Emptying your pantry makes for a lighter relocation, saves money on takeout, and reduces food waste. Here are a few tips for clearing out your pantry before your household move.

1. Check Expiration Dates

First, check expiration dates and discard any food items that have exceeded their date stamp. Next, choose non-expired food you will probably not plan to eat and consider donating these items to a local food bank. Finally, you can use any unexpired food to help plan meals for when you’re still living in your home.

2. Take Inventory of Food You Have

You can make excellent healthy, and well-rounded meals using these main staples along with any fresh veggies or proteins you have in your refrigerator:

  • Dried beans
  • Pasta
  • Rice
  • Canned tomatoes and gravies

You can use canned soup, cereals, oatmeal, and any sauces or condiments with the above staples in a pinch or combine them with proteins you have on hand.

3. Avoid Buying New Food

While it’s likely that you’ll have a few grocery runs during the weeks leading up to your move, try to focus more on using up what you’ve already got. Plan meals using these foods instead – plug in your ingredients into an online search engine designed for no waste when it comes to food, and come up with creative new meal ideas. Then, if you’re short an ingredient or two, when you go shopping, stick to your list to ensure you don’t overbuy.

4. Carefully Pack Foods You Don’t Finish

Dry goods are very move-friendly. You can safely move foods like dry pasta, cereals, grains, herbs, condiments, and baking ingredients, even if the packages are open — as long as you seal the open containers with tape.

Other preventative steps include using resealable plastic bags around items that might leak or spill. For example, flour and sugar can be messy, so after you tape the container closed, place them in a plastic bag for added protection. Then place them in the moving carton. Lastly, label each food box so it is highlighted and can be stored accordingly during transport.

5. Discard What You Can’t Eat

Discard any remaining items in the end that are either half-used or otherwise unable to be transported or donated. Reduce waste by recycling cans, boxes, or glass once you empty the last of your pantry.

We Can Help Make Your Move Easy!

With good planning, you can reduce your pantry stuff significantly by the time you move. The above steps will help you reduce food waste, help others in need through donations, and provide tasty easy-to-make meals in the remaining days before your move.

Are you interested in a free quote? Contact us today. We’re happy to answer any questions or provide information about the additional moving services we offer.