Advice on how to get organised

[jennyjj01]

Does anyone have any tips that could help an organisaphobe like me make a bit of sense of things?

I'm crap at being organised. For food, treat your stock as your retail shop and treat your supermarket visits as refill visits to a wholesaler.

Stock rotation in the real world is a PITA and I've been giving it a bit* of thought, since I've failed pretty badly. Every prepper website tells us to rotate stock, but few give us the idiot's guide.

*Typical JennyJJ, Surely too much thought as I will over-think it

I'm not organised enough to rotate each weekly shop into my 'extended pantry without 'process' and my rotation goes to hell. It's too easy to just put the groceries in the pantry and use them out of order.

TLDR: A process to maintain a 'Goto' Pantry and an 'Extended' pantry, with effective rotation. It's an Idiot's guide for my benefit.




My 'GoTo' day to day pantry and my 'Extended' pantry need to work together, moving items in one direction.
From grocery shopping to extended pantry to 'Goto' pantry, to tummy in FiFo order.

My issue is that if replenishing my reserves on a 'one in', 'one out' way, then shunting stuff forwards on a shelf and inserting the new 'tin' at the back of the shelf is a right faff.

I'd love to know how supermarket shelf stackers always get the new stuff to the back of the shelf.

Similarly, if my 'extended pantry' has, say, a tray of baked beans on top of a case of tomatoes on top of a case of rice, on top of a case of pasta, I don't want to shuffle through all those boxes every time I want to reach out just one older tin of beans or insert one newer tin. So rotation goes to hell as I end up with boxes of newly bought 'assorted tins' not entering the rotation process and because they are easy to access, get used out of order.
It doesn't matter whether it's shelves or trays or boxes, accessing the old and inserting the new is a right chore. So is maintaining levels. I don't go shopping every day, so there needs to be 'top-up triggers' to send me shopping infrequently.

Is my quandary making sense? Kudos for reading this far.

I know there are mechanical ways to ease stock rotation such as using a length of drain pipe as a first in first out stack, but I need a plan that uses shelves and trays or boxes( I'll use bale arm crates). I'll just consider similar sized tins or jars for now.

So...... Do I segregate food types, such as having all tins of beans in one tray and all tins of fruit in another ( for example)? Or do I have one long FiFo queue where only date is important?

Well. I think segregation works best, so I'll do it that way, except, I'll group a few things, such as 'all soups are Soup.' and if I take the oldest soup, it's pot luck which flavour I get.

So, here's my thoughts for a rigid process that lets me do FiFo without forever rummaging through a dozen crates or constantly shuffling my shelf of beans. My thoughts.... Adapt, adopt, or ignore.

Importantly, whenever a tin of food is bought, emblazon the top with the BBE date as YYMM in marker pen.

Decide the max stock level required for each item type. Have that stock level set as either a whole tray full PLUS 4 tins or, half a tray full plus 2 tins for less frequent foods. Stay with me...

Adjust the '4 or 2' to suit the maximum number that you will normally consume between shopping trips.

You will have stackable trays for 'extended pantry' and a regular 'goto' cupboard or pantry for up to 4 of each item. Items in your regular pantry are only sorted by type. NOT by BBE.

You might, for example, have a tray that holds 32 tins of beans, and another that holds 16 tins of chick-peas and 16 tins of kidney beans. Your 'Extras will be 4 tins of beans, 2 of chickpeas and 2 of kidney beans. The 'Extras' live in your 'GoTo' pantry.

A 600x400 Bale Arm Tray holds 32 tins or jars. So my max stock is 36 tins of popular stuff like beans and 18 of less popular stuff.

Have a regular use 'GoTo' kitchen cupboard or pantry big enough to hold the 'extra 4 or 2' of each item.

Pop the oldest 'extra 4 or 2' in your regular pantry, then fill ( or half fill, as appropriate ) a crate with the newest 32( or 16 )
You are now fully stocked. Have a shopping list pad or whiteboard in your pantry. The list starts off empty!
As the days progress you will feed yourself from the 'GoTo' pantry, and each time you take an item, add it to the shopping list...... But don't go shopping yet. Don't visit your extended stock yet.

When ONE type of item completely runs out in the pantry, take the shopping list and go shopping. Buy everything needed to replenish both the 'GoTo' pantry and the extended stock. OR, Raid the one tray of your extended pantry for the requisite 4 ( or 2 ) items and defer the shopping trip.
Don't defer too often, but don't go shopping too often, either.

Only on shopping day, will you visit and faff about with your reserve stock. You might need to access each crate once, to take out however many tins are needed to replenish your 'GoTo' pantry, and to insert newly bought tins into your trays. Obviously, use the emblazoned BBE dates to extract the oldest.

You read it all? Wow. I bet you think I'm a right *****

[ForgeCorvus]

All makes sense to me.

You stock your Go-To from Stores.
Replenish Stores on shopping trips which you try to space out (ten days/ Fortnightly, Monthly or just whenever?)

You keep a list of stuff used and buy to it (unless a stupidly good deal comes along )

Stores are segregated by basic type, "Soup" " Baked Beans" "Tinned Meat". Rather then tomato soup, chicken soup, mushroom soup, hedgehog soup.... etc

Seems fine.

A couple of things I'd suggest.

Date the bottom of the tins and put them in Stores 'head down', when you move them to Go-To put them right way up.
A few years ago we bought what turned out to be a years supply of B.beans (the local shop had a ridiculously good deal... I think it was 4for2 or something bonkers and I was buying whole flats at a time), six months in it was hard to get the beans out as they'd all settled to the bottom... So I turned the intact flats upside down and left the one we were using to right way up.

Keep your filled (and dated) shopping lists, that will give you an idea of consumption over time.... And you'll get a better idea of what you need to increase (or decrease) in the JJ household.
I do a similar with the kanban systems I work with

[jennyjj01]

Replenish Stores on shopping trips which you try to space out (ten days/ Fortnightly, Monthly or just whenever?)

I do enjoy grocery shopping, so I do it too often. Got to buy bread and milk anyway.
The idea behind my proposed process is to trigger a whole shopping/replenishment shuffle only when an item runs down. By noting which item runs low most often, I can adjust the (4 or 2) extras to as little as one or as much as I would use in a shopping cycle. E.g. No point having two bags of sugar in my GoTo pantry, as I barely use 2 bags a year. And I can adjust the number I should be holding long term if I know what I'm using.
I'll confess that I'm only now trying to get this organised after my copious spread sheet list went to seed. My extended pantry is evolving and I hope to simplify managing it so that it's not a constant churn through heavy boxes

You keep a list of stuff used and buy to it (unless a stupidly good deal comes along )

Stores are segregated by basic type, "Soup" " Baked Beans" "Tinned Meat". Rather then tomato soup, chicken soup, mushroom soup, hedgehog soup.... etc

Yes. I work alongside a foodbank and they do that. A food pack might contain a couple of random tinned meat products, A pasta sauce jar of many types, a box of cereal of any type, A few ready meals of any types, etc.
When dipping into the Soup and ready meal reserves, I can pick and choose a little flexibly and without worrying too much about BBE month. That puts choice in my GoTo pantry.

A couple of things I'd suggest.

Date the bottom of the tins and put them in Stores 'head down', when you move them to Go-To put them right way up.

Good idea.

Keep your filled (and dated) shopping lists, that will give you an idea of consumption over time.... And you'll get a better idea of what you need to increase (or decrease) in the JJ household.
I do a similar with the kanban systems I work with

Good idea. I don't, but I should. Actually, I think Lidl App does that for me.
I had to google kanban and it seems to be a system for project management OR inventory control that uses visual cues. I'll look into that.

[Frnc]

I keep it very simple. I have a corner unit, so, double width, but the far left side is hard to reach. Top shelf is mostly stuff I intend to use soon. Bottom shelf, which is a bit larger, has stuff recently bought, so should have at least a year or two before BBE date. The long live curry's have a bit shorter, up to a year. Much less than a year they go on top shelf. Once or twice a year I go through everything and check all the dates, putting longer expiry to bottom left. This sorting/checking only takes about 15 minutes for everything.

Above is mostly tins, long life curry, and naan breads. The latter only have about 2-3 months, so go on top shelf.

In my other cupboards I have cereals, flour, big box of Bisto reduced salt, tubs of instant parsley sauce. The parsley in in a row, most recently bought to the back. My summer cereals need chucking soon, especially the bran, which I rarely eat. Will chuck cornflakes soon. I mainly eat porridge in winter. Flour I just buy as preps, so will give it away or chuck when close to expiry.

So, no food is on spreadsheets now. Ideally I should note when I open or freeze things, but I'm not doing that at present.

[ForgeCorvus]

Keep your filled (and dated) shopping lists, that will give you an idea of consumption over time.... And you'll get a better idea of what you need to increase (or decrease) in the JJ household.
I do a similar with the kanban systems I work with

Good idea. I don't, but I should. Actually, I think Lidl App does that for me.
I had to google kanban and it seems to be a system for project management OR inventory control that uses visual cues. I'll look into that.

Sorry, yes kanban in this context is inventory. Work fills part of another company's system, I turn up and count missing bags of small components or empty tubs for the bigger bits when I return the following week I bring those items and count the new gaps..... As part of this I have a hard-copy picking list that covers a months worth of visits and over time you get an idea of future needs, this means I can taylor the stock levels held at work.

You see where the parallel evolution is here, My work is the Stores (and because we manufacture the components, the Shops) and the other company has the Go-To. So their ready use stuff (should) never run out because I'm topping it up every week....... Just as you're talking about.

[jennyjj01]

You see where the parallel evolution is here, My work is the Stores (and because we manufacture the components, the Shops) and the other company has the Go-To. So their ready use stuff (should) never run out because I'm topping it up every week....... Just as you're talking about.

Drat. Looks like I invented your business process. where do I claim my royalties. Oh yeah : I was too late.

I did mention the drain pipe FiFo* can rotation idea. I wonder if anyone here uses that, or racks that automate the process?
I also like the 'lazy susan' shelf idea as mentioned elsewhere, where there's no need to stretch to the back of a shelf.

Anyways..... Feverishly searching for a cheap source of Bale Arm crates to replace my cardboard fruit trays.

[ForgeCorvus]

You see where the parallel evolution is here, My work is the Stores (and because we manufacture the components, the Shops) and the other company has the Go-To. So their ready use stuff (should) never run out because I'm topping it up every week....... Just as you're talking about.

Drat. Looks like I invented your business process. where do I claim my royalties. Oh yeah : I was too late.

I did mention the drain pipe FiFo* can rotation idea. I wonder if anyone here uses that, or racks that automate the process?

I've seen Can-stack systems like that and Side-roller (even one that was a four ramp type)
These are all quite space hungry, you can store an awful lot more in the same space without them.

I also like the 'lazy susan' shelf idea as mentioned elsewhere, where there's no need to stretch to the back of a shelf.

I've not delt with one of those in the flesh, but I have seen a Canvayor.... This is a track with raised edges that hold the cans in a 'racetrack' you push the nearest can one way and they all slide round

Anyways..... Feverishly searching for a cheap source of Bale Arm crates to replace my cardboard fruit trays.

Ebay.... The answer to this sort of issue is ebay, you just need to know what to ask for.
A couple of sales I've found for the 600x400x200. One CIP in York at £1.17 and another of 10 for £40 delivered
And 600x200x165, ten of for £36.
I suppose it depends on your definition of "Cheap"

I've bought plastic storage boxes from tescos and places like, they're only a few quid each but they don't last. These beasties are industrial build quality and are durable if not pretty.

[jennyjj01]

Ebay.... The answer to this sort of issue is ebay, you just need to know what to ask for.
A couple of sales I've found for the 600x400x200. One CIP in York at £1.17 and another of 10 for £40 delivered And 600x200x165, ten of for £36.
I suppose it depends on your definition of "Cheap"

I've bought plastic storage boxes from tescos and places like, they're only a few quid each but they don't last. These beasties are industrial build quality and are durable if not pretty.

Anything up to £4 each is cheap enough, I've bought assorted stackable trays before from the likes of Wliko, B&M etc. But frankly they are far too fragile and bendy and .... Well rubbish. The industrial strength of proper Bale Arms is no comparison. Bu66er how they look. The 600x400x17 are perfect weight and shape. Tins are only one layer and v little wasted space.
Yes... I'm raving over them, aren't I

[Frnc]

If tins are only one layer, why use containers at all?

[jennyjj01]

If tins are only one layer, why use containers at all?

One layer of 32 tins. I can then stack more cases of different stuff on top, to get max tins into the spacial volume and to allow me to work through them. I have some older boxes that take two layers, and extracting the old tins and replacing with new is a FiFo chore.
I think a show and tell might explain better.