For the next few weeks, ConsumerBell presents our new series, Project Pantry, where we take a look at kitchen pantries around the country and break down what’s inside: expired goods and the dangers that can come along with them, food recalls and making sure you have the information you need to protect your family.

A healthy kitchen requires a clean pantry. To kick off our Project Pantry series, we’re going to start with the basics: organizing your kitchen cupboards and pantries. When was the last time you dug around trying to find something you know you just bought?

“I know I have rice in here…”

“Mom? Where’s the popcorn?”

“Get some pasta. I think I have some at home, but let’s just be sure.”

We took a peek inside pantries and cupboards to see what we could see – and what we saw wasn’t pretty. In our findings, which we’ll present to you in the next few weeks, we found plenty of expired items, half-used packages, and even decades-old jello.

Organizing your pantry will save you time, money and keep your family safe and healthy. To help you, here’s 10 tips toward organizing your pantry.

1. Dig in and get everything out - Depending on your previous pantry-organizing habits, this could get ugly. Clear off the kitchen counters and table and organize the contents of your pantry by type.

2. Purge old goods – Throw it away if it’s expired, opened, or something you’ll never use, taking up space for items you actually do use. If you’re not a professional chef, you probably don’t need four different types of flour on hand.

3. Group like items together - Designate shelves and use labels to make everything easy to find when you need it. This will make sure the entire family knows where everything goes.

4. Organize based on frequency of use – Just like grocery stores, put the stuff you’re most likely to use at eye-level and within easy grasp. For younger children who like to look through the pantry, put age-appropriate and healthy snacks at eye level, too. We all have a secret box of cookies hidden, but make sure your kids can’t grab it.

5. Stock your pantry like a pantry – Only stock items that you’ll use and belong in a pantry: dry goods, paper products and cans. Leave out other household supplies like light bulbs and cleaning supplies.

6. It’s okay to accessorize - Buy more racks and shelving that allow you to store more, in less space. Use baskets, mason jars and air-tight storage containers to make your food last longer. Use containers you can see through to make identifying contents a breeze.

7. Buy in bulk – Use your new storage containers (see above) to store items from the bulk department from your local grocery store and save money. Buying in bulk saves plastic and money – you’ll pay pennies for the same spices – literally.

9. Rotate stock – Organize and rotate perishables to keep the oldest items in front. Doing so will ensure you’re using everything before it expires.

10. Maintenance – Make it a monthly task to check dates and take inventory. You’ll have a better idea of what’s in the kitchen so you buy less at the store. Make it fun and encourage your kids to play along – they’ll understand the value of a dollar more and you can help guide them toward healthier choices, using the time to explain basic labels.

The first time you go through your pantry and clean it out, it may be a shock, especially if you have multiple kids and multiple pantries. The amount of truly old stuff is both entertaining and slightly scary. Would you want to mistakenly eat a jar of tomato sauce that’s almost ten years old? Or popcorn that expired five years ago? Jello from the early ‘90s? All of those are true “oldest item” stories from our participants.

If you want to join Project Pantry, send us an email through the contact form below.

Help us clean up America’s kitchens! Share your pantry organization tips below.