Week 1 - Planning and Paperwork
Week 2 - Calendar and Creativity
Week 3 - Me & Mine
Week 4 - Close to Home
Week 5 - House Room
Week 6 - Wardrobe
Week 7 - Bed & Bath
Week 8 - Family Space
Week 9 - Public Space
Week 10 - Cooking Space
Week 11 - Food Storage
Week 12 - Dining Space
Week 13 - Entryway
Week 14 - Storage
Week 15 - Final Clean
Week 16 - Nearly There
Week 17 - Celebration
Week 18 - New Year’s
This Week's Focus: Food Storage Areas
Our homes hold an amazing bounty in the pantry and freezer, and never more so than during the holiday season. This week, we turn to food storage areas in our home to prepare them for the coming weeks.
Whether your home includes a dedicated pantry and stand-alone freezer, or simply stockpiles food in cupboards and corners, it's time to clean and organize areas used to store food. Include the refrigerator in this week's activities, to bring order and make space for holiday goodies.
In holiday prep, we'll check equipment, supplies and ingredients so we're poised to prepare Thanksgiving dinner with ease. Find ideas to streamline food storage with these resources:
This Week's Household Checklist
This Week's Holiday Prep Checklist
Week 2 - Calendar and Creativity
Week 3 - Me & Mine
Week 4 - Close to Home
Week 5 - House Room
Week 6 - Wardrobe
Week 7 - Bed & Bath
Week 8 - Family Space
Week 9 - Public Space
Week 10 - Cooking Space
Week 11 - Food Storage
Week 12 - Dining Space
Week 13 - Entryway
Week 14 - Storage
Week 15 - Final Clean
Week 16 - Nearly There
Week 17 - Celebration
Week 18 - New Year’s
This Week's Focus: Food Storage Areas
Our homes hold an amazing bounty in the pantry and freezer, and never more so than during the holiday season. This week, we turn to food storage areas in our home to prepare them for the coming weeks.
Whether your home includes a dedicated pantry and stand-alone freezer, or simply stockpiles food in cupboards and corners, it's time to clean and organize areas used to store food. Include the refrigerator in this week's activities, to bring order and make space for holiday goodies.
In holiday prep, we'll check equipment, supplies and ingredients so we're poised to prepare Thanksgiving dinner with ease. Find ideas to streamline food storage with these resources:
This Week's Household Checklist
- Clean out the refrigerator. Time for a refrigerator clean-out. Make space for holiday cooking by tossing expired bottles and jars, and bring holiday sparkle to the Great White Whale with a top-to-toe cleaning session.
- Clean out the freezer. In the freezer? We'll cull the clutter, organize the contents, and make room for holiday baking and the fruits of a freezer cooking session.
- Clean out the pantry. Finally, dry storage areas deserve a shake-down, too. Toss stale or expired food items, clean shelves and organize the survivors for efficient holiday cooking.
This Week's Holiday Prep Checklist
- Start a freezer inventory. Keep track of your frozen assets with a freezer inventory. Update your list as you add holiday goodies, side dishes and freezer meals in the coming weeks.
- Inventory the pantry. The year's best sales on staple foods lie just ahead. Know what you need--and make space to store it--with a pantry inventory form. Set aside foods you won't use to donate to holiday food drives.
- Give spices the sniff test. Soon holiday cooks will be reaching for the sage, cinnamon or nutmeg; how fresh are your spices? Give the spice rack a sniff test, and replace any stale or outdated spices before you cook.
- Review recipes and make a shopping list. This week sees the year's lowest prices at the supermarket, as grocers battle for your holiday food dollar. Get ready to save: check holiday recipes and make a shopping list. Include all pantry or frozen items that you'll need for the rest of the season, because these low prices won't last long!
- Eat from the freezer and pantry this week. To free up funds for holiday food shopping, rely on stored food to feed the family this week. It's a two-fer: you'll reserve cash for food bargains and make space in food storage areas!
- Stock up on seasonal staples. It's loss leader time at the supermarket, as merchants compete for your holiday food dollar. Take advantage of low prices and stock the pantry for holiday cooking ahead.
- Stockpile freezer meals. Whether you do an at-home freezer cooking session, try the new meal assembly franchises or simply cook some extra pots of chili or spaghetti sauce, stow away a few pre-cooked freezer meals. In December, you'll appreciate the convenience of having dinner ready to go on busy nights.
- Check out cooking equipment. Do you have all the equipment you'll need to cook a holiday meal or complete holiday baking? Make a quick check of kitchen cupboards. If you need new equipment like a roaster, cookie sheets or a meat thermometer, add it to the shopping list. Kitchen equipment goes on sale soon!
- Plan potluck meals. If you're part of family, church or social groups that hold Advent potluck dinners, be ready. Our potluck meal planner will help organize and delegate appetizers, entrees and desserts for community dinners.
Last edited:
