Edibles need to be stashed in an organized manner so you can find everything easily.
The Pantry. No pantry? No problem. Just assign a few large cabinets close to your refrigerator and stove.
Group foods by type. Don't just stuff stuff into the first open space you see. Instead, stock foods in the same place each time.
I put crackers, chips and other snack foods on the highest shelf not easily in reach; cereal and other breakfast items on a second shelf; pasta, pasta sauces, and boxed pasta and rice mixes on a third; canned vegetables and fruit on the fourth; and soups and canned beans on the bottom.
This way, I can tell at a glance what I have and what I need to buy. If there's no oatmeal on the second shelf, I know there is no oatmeal in the house.
Use lazy Susans, pullout shelving, and wire racks to maximize storage space.
Repackage shelf hogs. Get rid of half-empty cartons of cereal and place the cereal in smaller, airtight plastic containers.
Then, label them with the contents and the expiration date. Unlike wine, foods don't get better with age!
