Inside this edition: Is a how to de-clutter and organize your fridge in an hour or less and a few bonus tips.
Hey y’all. It’s me your girl Rainey helping YOU – my tribe – the Rainey Crew de-clutter one room at a time. Refrigerators can quickly become a trap when it comes to food storage. You save a piece of this and a little of that. Things migrate to the back of the fridge through no fault of their own. The mere fact that the fridge is cold storage helps us to forget things are there, otherwise they would smell. In this post I give you six things to consider when you set out to de-clutter and organize your fridge.
Before I start I should mention I de-clutter a little every time I make a trip to the grocery. Either before I go to the grocery or when I get home before I put things away, and here’s why. If I declutter before I go, I will know what I need. Declutter when I come home, and it allows me to make room for the new items. We are all busy parents, and maybe you make your grocery run on the way home from work. Most times that is why I have done a declutter after I get home. The important thing is to do it regularly and things do not get out of control.
Past Due
The first items you hit when you set out to de-clutter and organize your fridge is anything that is past its expiration date. Also keep in mind that there is a difference between an “Expiration Date” and a “Best If Used By Date”. An expiration date from the manufacturer means it is not safe to consume after that printed date. A best if used by date means the product is not at its peak freshness but is still safe to consume. For more authoritative detail I have included a PDF from the US Department of Agriculture on Food Product Dating.
Also, while you are chucking expired items out don’t be too quick to put them back on your list of things to buy. Think about why they were not used and will it happen again. Maybe don’t buy as many as you did before or don’t buy it at all. For items that have passed or are near to their best if used by date bring them up front. Make a point to use them in a recipe that day or as soon as possible.
To Chill or not to Chill – That is the Question
Depending on where you grew up or where you live today may dictate how you store food. Where I grew up you could not keep anything on the countertops – like sugar and flour. You would just be asking for trouble with insects like ants. Where my husband grew up his family kept bread in the fridge. Today we have a seasonal ant problem, so we keep a small container of sugar in the fridge. However, if we tried to keep bread in the fridge we would reduce our storage space. My point is if it does not clearly say to refrigerate or refrigerate after opening you can store it in the pantry on a shelf. This opens up more room for an item you use more frequently or would like to have on hand. You’d be surprised how many things do not actually require refrigeration.
The Shelf Shake-Up
If you are one of those people who never changed the position of the shelves in your fridge from the day you started using it. You may want to consider repositioning some shelves. Everything does not have to be perfectly in line, and it is amazing what a difference an inch makes when shifting a shelf. You don’t have to do this every time you de-clutter, but keep it on your radar if you constantly have difficulty making things fit.
Just Like Taking a Group Picture
One of the reasons we lose sight of food or containers for leftovers in the fridge is because they are hidden. Just like taking a group picture you want to have the taller things at the back and the shorter things at the front. Unless you have a clear plan to use that item within a day or two that item is a goner if it is hidden from view. Remember organize your fridge so you can see the items. If you see it you are more likely to use it.
No Due Dates
I struggled with items with no due date for a long item. Lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes etc. I know fruits and vegetables are good for me and my family, but honestly we never ate those items fast enough before they would start spoiling. Piggy-backing off the last tip, most times I was unable to see them because they were in the produce drawer at the bottom of the fridge. I did two things. First, I stopped buying lettuce. I buy cabbage (red or green) now for my salads. There is more roughage content, and it lasts almost three times longer than any lettuce I could buy. Second, I buy with more intent. I buy only if I intend to use it within three days or less. Every time I throw food away I think of it like throwing away money. I make an exaggerated effort not to throw money away.
Where Does it Go?
If your young ones are old enough to take it out of the fridge they are old enough to put it in. When I get back from the store I call my kids to put the groceries away. Why is this important? Everyone should be on the same page to understanding where the items go in the fridge and why they belong there. This is a way to get them involved in the organization of the fridge. Get them on board in bringing the small containers forward, and reading and understanding food product dating. Some people recommend creating a map. I thought it was a good idea so I made one of my own with best tips and practices. It is a great idea for full sized refrigerators and is a informative fridge organization tool. If you are interested in owning my Refrigerator Map you can purchase mine HERE.
Final thoughts
If you know your refrigerator is a hot mess you are well overdue for a clean out. It never fails that after I do a clean out of my refrigerator I realize how much food I don’t have! It also helps your refrigerator to run more efficiently if it is not overcrowded. I have a few more quick tips:
- Label your leftovers. You can use post it notes to record the date that you put it in the fridge. Don’t fool yourself you will not remember when it went in.
- I keep a permanent marker in the kitchen to record when I put an item in a ziplock bag in the freezer or the fridge.
- When I bring the new eggs in I use the permanent marker to mark the older ones for use first.
- When I buy shredded cheese in bulk I separate the contents into smaller quart size ziplock bags. If the cheese starts to mold not all the cheese will go bad in the same bag. It is also cheaper to buy it in bulk.
- For leftovers I use glass food storage containers instead of plastic. The plastic tends to hold on to the food smells. If it is in your budget to upgrade to glass, I highly recommend doing so.
Last thing if you do these things consistently, you can do a de-clutter and organize your fridge in an hour or less. I can pretty much guarantee it.