Store Cupboard Management

Your digital inventory system for tracking all food items in your household. Add items by taking photos with OCR recognition, manually entering details, or scanning barcodes. Perfect for caregivers managing multiple households and preventing food waste.

Quick Start with Photos

1 Take or upload a photo of one item at a time
2 OCR automatically extracts name and expiry date
3 Select category and location, then save

Key Features

Photo capture or upload with OCR
Three main item types
Configurable storage locations
Automatic expiry tracking

Item Types

The Store Cupboard organizes items into four main categories to help you manage different kinds of household inventory:

Ready Meals

Pre-prepared meals, takeaways, and ready-to-eat foods

Perishable Food

Fresh items with expiry dates: dairy, meat, vegetables

Non-Perishable Food

Long-lasting items: canned goods, pasta, rice

Household Goods

Non-food items: cleaning supplies, toiletries

Storage Locations

Organize items by where they are stored in your household:

Fridge

For perishables and dairy products that need refrigeration

Freezer

For frozen foods and long-term storage items

Cupboards

For dry goods, spices, and shelf-stable items

Custom Locations: You can also create custom storage locations like "Pantry", "Garage", "Utility Room", or specific room names to match your household setup.

Managing Items

Keep your store cupboard up to date with these workflows:

Photo Workflow (Recommended)

Take or upload a photo of one item at a time
OCR extracts product name and expiry date
Review, select item type and location, then save

Manual Entry

Click "Add New [Item Type]" button
Enter name, item type, location, and expiry date
Save to add to your store cupboard

Food Waste Prevention

The Store Cupboard helps prevent food waste by tracking expiry dates and highlighting items that need attention:

Expiring Today

Items that expire today are highlighted in red for immediate attention

Expiring Soon

Items expiring in the next 2 days are highlighted in yellow

Best Practices

Use photo capture for faster data entry - OCR automatically extracts product names and expiry dates
Organize by item type first (Ready Meals, Perishable, Non-Perishable, Household Goods), then by storage location
Always add expiry dates to get automatic notifications and prevent food waste
Use the meal planner to plan meals using items from your store cupboard before they expire

Portions Management

Housekeepa tracks portions for all food items to help you plan meals and manage quantities effectively:

🍽️ Food Items

Ready meals and perishable foods use portions tracking:

• Set initial portions when adding items
• Portions automatically reduce when planning meals
• Items are archived when portions reach zero
• Perfect for tracking servings and meal planning

📦 Non-Food Items

Non-perishable and household goods use both portions and amounts:

• Track portions for countable items (e.g., 3 cans)
• Track amounts for measurable items (e.g., 500g flour)
• Flexible system adapts to different item types
• Helps with shopping and inventory planning

How Portions Work with Meal Planning:

1️⃣

Add Items

Set initial portions when adding food items to your inventory

2️⃣

Plan Meals

Drag items to meal planner - portions automatically reduce

3️⃣

Auto-Archive

Items with zero portions are automatically archived

💡 Pro Tips:

• Use portions for items you can count (e.g., 2 ready meals, 5 apples)
• Use amounts for items you measure (e.g., 500g pasta, 1L milk)
• The system automatically tracks what's been used in meal planning
• Check archived items to see your consumption patterns