Food Storage Containers

All right, friends. We are starting the October Mini Sort Series in the kitchen, because I think the fall is the perfect time to make that space more efficient and useful. And we're going to start out with an easy win: food storage containers.

Now, here's the truth about food storage containers. They are a lot like socks. They start out as matches or pairs, and before you know it, all you have are lids, or all you have are containers—and none of them seem to match each other. It's super frustrating, so this is a great time to weed those out.

Here are the suggestions I have for making these edits:

1. Match everything up.
Go to your food storage container zone (if they’re in multiple areas, I encourage you to consolidate). Match every container to a lid. Whatever is left over—meaning containers without lids or lids without containers—let them go.

2. Clear out the one-offs.
Maybe somebody brought you cookies, or soup when you were sick, and the container doesn’t go with anything else you own. If it doesn’t nest nicely in your section, let it go.

3. Consider your lifestyle.
For us, we moved away from plastics some time ago, so we only use glass, insulated metal containers for the kids, and mason jars for the fridge (especially for soups, which I love in the winter). Weed out anything that doesn’t fit your lifestyle.

4. And of course, if something is cracked, chipped, stained or damaged, let it go.

These are quick, easy wins—and when you finish, you’ll be amazed at how much space you free up and how much easier it is to keep your kitchen organized. Grab those mismatched lids, orphaned containers, and random pieces you no longer use. Clear it all out. This sets the tone for the rest of the month. Good luck, and report back to me on how it goes!