Is Your Pantry A Holiday Disaster Zone Like Mine

Can You Relate? The Holiday Chaos Clean-Out I Didn’t Know I Needed

If you’re anything like me, keeping things clean and in their exact spot is the secret sauce that keeps your brain running smoothly. When everything has a home, life just… clicks together a little easier, right?

Holiday Hussle > Holiday Mess

Well, this time of year — when you’re traveling, hopping between holiday functions, and running on sugar cookies and caffeine — that sense of organization can fall apart fast. And nothing sets off my stress alarm quite like opening the one place that should bring me comfort… my pantry.

Let me paint you a picture (because I am not showing you the before result) (this is what it looks like now): cans stacked on cans, on cans. I’m halfway out the door to buy chili beans, when really, if I’d just moved the green beans, I’d see TWO cans of chili beans already waiting there like, “Hey girl, remember us?”

On top of that, I have a full calendar of holiday get-togethers. And when I get invited somewhere, I love bringing a dish to share — because food is best served with friends… not chaos. But the chaos is exactly what greets me every time I open that pantry door. Nothing kills the holiday spirit faster than rummaging through a bag avalanche of Walmart sacks (yes… I USED to have a mountain of them shoved in there too). Now the Walmart sacks are securely in a bag hanging inside the door where my apron goes - much better than the floor in the corner.

Holding Myself Accountable

Honestly? Writing this article is my way of holding myself accountable. Someday I dream of having matching plastic organizers, everything labeled with my label maker (which, yes, I absolutely own), and a pantry so neat it could land me my own HGTV special. Dry goods? Labeled. Noodles? Labeled. Random holiday sprinkles from 2017? Also labeled. Since I have held myself accountable for this task by writing an article about it... maybe I should write an article about organizing my closet next?

I don’t know why my brain functions best when everything has a spot… but it does. And the older I get, the more I lean into it.

So tell me — can you relate?

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