The concept of organization can help simplify your life in many ways and can be applied to just about anything: your closet, garage, work supplies, food, etc. When it comes to storing food, there is a right way and a wrong way to go about it. Regardless of your living situation, following these smart steps will make things a whole lot easier in the food department.

Having all the living space in the world is one thing, but if you’re like the rest of us, chances are you don’t have enough space for everything, food included. From cramped apartments and studios to condos and homes with limited space, making room for your food items can be somewhat of a hassle. The challenge to making food storage work for you is to make the best of what you’ve got. If you know your kitchen isn’t equipped with plenty of storage or pantry space, then you’ll want to shop accordingly and avoid buying more than you can accommodate. Keeping this sense of practicality will undoubtedly help in your day to day functions.

Even if you’re currently being pretty smart about your food storage habits, you’ll need a few days out of the month to dedicate to cleaning up shop. That means getting rid of old food items and products you haven’t touched. Many of us have navigated our pantries, food storage spaces, and refrigerators and found food items we forgot we had. So take the time out to begin clearing up space by removing what you don’t need. If it is a canned item or other food product that has a long shelf life, don’t just throw it away. Food donations are available year-round so pack up your items and make a difference in another family’s life. While cleaning things out also be sure to remove miscellaneous items such as old bags, sticky food items, and anything that is past its expiration date. Once you’ve thoroughly cleaned out your food storage spaces (refrigerators and freezers included), you’ll find that you have a lot more space to work with. Now the key is to keep it that way as you eventually buy new products.

Having everything organized will give you a better idea of what food items you use often and which ones you rarely need. Put those items that are only used occasionally near the back of the space and the more frequently used items up front so you don’t have to dig around. Keep similar food items grouped together and to save more space, get in the habit of using special storage containers that are air-tight to keep products such as flour, sugar, and baking powder instead of keeping them in their original packages.

One great way to get your family into the habit of eating healthy foods is to keep all the snacks and other nutritious foods in the front of the fridge and other appropriate areas. This will teach them to reach for the good stuff instead of junk food.

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