Top Tips for Organizing Your Diabetes Supplies

Managing diabetes requires ongoing preparation. Organizing your diabetes supplies isn’t optional—it’s essential. Quickly locating insulin, needles, CGMs and emergency snacks while keeping track of what you have left makes day-to-day care smoother.

One company that understands the importance of streamlined diabetes support is embecta. Following its spinoff from Becton Dickinson (BD), BD pen needles and insulin syringes are now part of embecta. With this change, embecta updated their packaging to make it easier to read and organize. 

To explore how people manage their tools—from embecta’s pen needles to CGMs and emergency low blood sugar supplies—we asked the diabetes community to share their best routine hacks.

Streamlining diabetes supplies

Lauren Bongiorno of Risley Health understands that managing type 1 diabetes demands constant preparation. As a new mom and business owner, she’s created a system to streamline diabetes supply organization, reducing hassle for smoother management.

“I organize based on proximity to action, where I’ll actually be when I need something,” says Lauren. “If I’m on the couch and need to change my pump, I want to grab what I need from the closet near the den, not trek all the way upstairs. The fewer steps between me and what I need, the more likely I am to do the thing and not procrastinate.”

Finding calm through organization: A diabetes coach’s routine

Each morning, Danica Collins, a type 1 diabetes health coach, quickly checks her diabetes supplies, a routine honed over years for preparedness. 

For Danica, organization isn’t just about tidiness. It also brings peace amid the chaos.

“Organization helps me feel in control,” says Danica, who uses clear drawers and bins to sort everything by type and expiration date. “When things are easy to find, I feel more at peace.”

Building long-term organization systems

Others in the diabetes community prefer a structured approach.

“We have standing plastic drawers labeled for everything—sensors, strips, emergency sugar and snacks,” says Melissa Cain Laskey, co-founder of Camp Type 1, who raised her son, Michael, who has type 1 diabetes.

The Laskey family also has emergency preparedness down to a science.

“In the kitchen, we have an emergency drawer with glucagon, syringes and medical information,” says Melissa.

Why visibility matters in organizing diabetes supplies

For Taylor Rindfleisch, aesthetics and accessibility go hand in hand.

“I’m obsessive about organizing,” says Taylor. “Clear containers for everything. I mean everything. When I wake up in the middle of the night with a bad low, I don’t want to fumble with packaging. I just reach over and grab what I need.”

Others, like Mariana Gomez, plan ahead for the unexpected, whether it’s a natural disaster or, yes, even a “zombie apocalypse.” 

Mariana takes a strategic approach to organizing her diabetes supplies, ensuring that everything, especially glucagon, is organized in a clearly designated emergency go-bag. 

“In a crisis, the last thing you want is to be hunting through drawers for something important,” says Mariana. “So, I keep my go-bag packed and easy to reach.”

Digital organization matters too

For Julia Flaherty, author of Rosie Becomes a Warrior, digital organization is just as important as physical storage.

“The digital part of the organization is huge for me,” says Julia. “I opt in to receive prescription reminders from my pharmacy and DME provider, but I also set calendar reminders so I can prepare for the financial impact of refilling medications.”

Simple drawer organization can make a big difference

Even small organizational efforts can help.

Erika Szumel relies on a special drawer to keep everything in check, though she admits it isn’t always perfect.

“It’s a bit messy right now, but it definitely helps to keep everything in one place so that I know when I need to order more,” says Erika. “Sometimes I separate supplies into smaller bins within the drawer or divide them into clear sections!”* she says.

Organization can be a family effort

Sometimes, organization is a team effort.

Isabel Mayoras knows that firsthand.

“It helps that my mom is a professional organizer, so my supplies are pretty well sorted,” says Isabel. “I have a big container from The Container Store that has all of my syringes, lancets, Dexcoms and Omnipods. And then in my fridge, I have a little container that stores my insulin pens.”

Keeping everything organized also helps Isabel stay aware of how many supplies she has on hand, making it easier to restock before running low. 

“Having a clear system for tracking essentials ensures that important items—like pen needles—are available when needed, minimizing any risk of reuse, which isn’t recommended for optimal safety and effectiveness,” says Isabel.

Staying organized is a form of self-care

From labeled bins to emergency preparedness, the diabetes community has found creative ways to bring order to their daily routines.

And while no system is perfect, staying organized can bring peace in an often chaotic reality.

This content was made possible by embecta, an active partner of Beyond Type 1. Beyond Type 1 maintains editorial control over its content.