I often see blog posts, videos and vlogs about de-cluttering. They are often (mostly) about the house, but often they touch on how clutter creates some form of chaos in life.

Let’s face it. Quite a few of us have issues with “stuff”. If you grew up not having a lot of it, you probably tend to get a lot of it, even when you really don’t need or want it.

De-cluttering, however, can apply to more than just stuff around the house. It can be applied to the way we stock our cupboards and pantry and how we eat.

The more mismatched foods in our pantry the less likely we are to actually using them. If we don’t know what is actually in our pantry (or freezer or fridge…) we are more likely to either hit the drive thru or delivery rather than put something together in our kitchen.

One article I recently came across made me rethink the way I plan my shopping. The article was along the lines of plan for the meal(s) not the bits and pieces.

Or, plan for the roasted chicken and vegetables rather than having chicken and some veg in the fridge that you might remember to cook during the week.

I need to go through my food stash and see what I actually have and then begin to work a meal plan that not only incorporates it, but builds on it.

I admit, I’m not exactly thrilled about that, but it will help me in the long run. My last grocery bill was a touch prices with things I should have had on hand, but didn’t. Not smart.

If you are contemplating de-cluttering, I suggest you start with the room you probably spend more money not using – your kitchen – and go from there. It will be time well spent (no pun intended) and will start you on your way to a more efficient (i.e. budget happy) way of cooking and eating. That will make you feel better and more inclined to tackle other rooms in your home.

Win/Win, right?