When I started this blog, I didn’t think my first post would be about having an organized refrigerator, but as I was putting away my groceries and tossing out my boyfriend’s forgotten leftovers, I realized that this was a perfect opportunity to introduce you to the way my brain works!
When your refrigerator is organized, and you can see everything in it, you’re less likely to forget what’s in there. The result is that you waste less money buying stuff you already have, and you waste less food that’s past its expiration!
Let’s start with the fridge door:
In the top dairy keeper, this is where I hide the real butter. I use margarine out of a tub, which doesn’t fit in here, and since the little door is usually closed, this is a perfect place to hide the stuff you don’t use all the time, like real butter.
On the top shelf I have condiments on the left, my tub of margarine right within reach, and then the salad dressings & sauces like soy sauce and ketchup.
On the bottom shelf I’ve got drinks, salsa and pickles. Always keep like items together – if you have sweet pickle relish on the top door shelf, dill relish in the main part of the fridge, and pickles on the bottom door shelf, you have to look in 3 different places to find what you’re looking for, and you’re more likely to forget when it’s time to pick up more at the store!
Moving on to the main compartment of the fridge. The back of the top shelf is usually the coldest place in your fridge, so you have to be careful what to keep there – I’ve had eggs freeze up there! So I try to keep as little as possible on the top shelf, and also keep it toward the front of the fridge where I can see it. Right now from left to right I’ve got: 2 leftover hot-dogs and 1 bun that need to be eaten pronto; blueberries, hummis & olives.
On the left hand side of the 2nd shelf I’ve got my veggies: spinach, carrots & cucumbers (pre-peeled & sliced so I’m more likely to grab those as a quick snack). On the right hand side I’ve got my meat, cheese & dairy (eggs, heavy cream).
On the bottom shelf I’ve got the rest of the beverages, the beer, milk, water & iced tea in the back, because I don’t drink it as often. I like to keep the stuff I drink the most right at the front, within easy reach.
You may have noticed that I don’t keep the produce or my meat & cheese in the drawers, and there are 2 reasons for that. First, one of my drawers won’t open all the way unless I open the laundry room door first and swing the fridge door all the way out. This is poor design in my apartment, and since I rent, there’s not much I can do about it. The second reason is because my drawers are opaque, so I tend to forget about the stuff that’s in them because I can’t see it! So this is where I keep the sodas for guests, or in this case, the juice boxes for my godson when he visits. Things that you don’t use every day, or things you want to hide out of temptations’ way are perfect down here.
So, that’s how I put away my groceries. Oh, and every time I put away groceries I take the time to go through the fridge and throw out anything that’s expired or rotten. And I’ll take the time to rearrange things if necessary to keep like with like. Hopefully some of these tips will help you keep your fridge organized too so you save food & money!
Summary of tips for keeping a clean fridge:
- Keep like with like.
- Keep frequently used items within easy reach.
- Out of site – out of mind, use these spaces for less frequently used, non perishables.
- Out with the old, in with the new.
Bonus tip: pre-peel & slice a bag of carrots or a cucumber to keep within easy reach for a quick snack.
Feisty Girl 