The Pinterest-perfect pantry. Is it going too far?

You’ve seen the images. The pantry with all the matching clear containers filled to just the right amount so that they don’t look too full but not empty either. Every container is perfectly spaced and in descending order of height. it’s beautiful to see, but is it realistic for the busy American household?

It’s known as a “Pinterest-perfect pantry” and while it’s beautiful to look at (before anyone touches it), it’s not what we recommend for most of our clients (unless they want us to manage it for them).

The Process Involved

The steps involved and the time it takes to “decant” (that is to remove boxed food items from their original packaging and transfer their contents to the designated container) is just not worth the effort for most.

Decanting involves more than most consider. It’s not just moving the contents of a box to a container. It’s also the rotation of stock that needs to take place each time new product is introduced to your container. Remember your Home-Economics class? “First in – First out” they taught us. This means that you need a third container to transfer your existing product into while you add the new product to the bottom of the container- then you can add the existing product back to your container on top of the new product. This way the older product gets used first. Which means that you don’t get to the bottom of your cookie container to eat 5-year-old cookies. Yuck!

Now do this process for every container – every time you need to fill it. Time consuming! It’s also counterproductive if the purpose of organizing is to save you time.

Oh, and don’t think that you get to toss the box. You’ll still need that too. It’s called back-stock. That’s the product that remains in the original packaging while you wait for there to be enough space in your designated container. So now your system takes more space too.

Put it all together and now you have a full system of stock, back-stock and product rotation happening for every container, just so that you can have that Pinterest-perfect pantry.

An Experts Take

For most it’s just too much. But hey, no judgement here. If you are one of the few that can keep up with it and (most importantly) get real joy out of it, then I am all for it. It’s beautiful and I applaud you for your care and diligence. Bottom line, if you get real joy from it, and would not trade the time to be doing something else, then it makes your life better, and that’s a good thing. We’ll enjoy your pictures 😉

Yet for most it’s what we call “over organizing,” which is when organizing leaves the realm of making our life better and enters the realm of organizing for the sake of organizing.

We believe that organizing should always make our life better. And when it reaches the point where it no longer saves us time, money or brings us joy, then it’s gone too far.

It’s why at Me In Order we focus first on our clients and what their goals are for their spaces and their lives. It’s only when that’s understood that we can begin to create order in their spaces and their life.

Whether you hire an Expert Organizer powered by Me In Order™ or an organizer not on our platform, be sure that they are well rounded in their education of organizing methodologies and that they organize based on what makes your life better not just prettier.

To find an Expert Organizer near you click or tap HERE.