Hopefully you have a better system than most people, who not as frequently as they should, find their way to the back of their refrigerator, and pull out a dish of mold-covered something that they can’t recognize or remember. But that seems to be the standard for refrigerators: messy and confusing.
However, with a trip to the supermarket teetering between depressing and down right sad, finding ways to reduce food waste is a must and eliminating refrigerator waste is an excellent starting place.
So, we searched the web for ideas on how to organize your refrigerator and here are some of the best:
A Lazy Susan – it’s an idea that I’m effectively using to organize toiletries in my bathroom,so it made sense that it would work in a refrigerator. The turntable helps keep things from getting lost in the back and allows for easy access. You could use it for drinks – juice, milk, creamers, or for small containers of leftovers. You’ll always know where to find them.
Small sheet pans – This is an idea I remember seeing when I worked fast food back in the day. Small rimmed baking pans like ¼ or ⅛ sheet pans can help divide your shelves into zones and make it easier to pull items out. I’d suggest putting like items or project-related items together on a pan. For example, put things you need to make a sandwich – like deli meats and cheeses – on one tray. How about a breakfast food tray, pull out all of the things your family members grab for break on one tray and let the last eater easily load them all back into the fridge.
Clear bins – If you don’t like the sheet pans, try clear bins, They’re useful for smaller loose related items. The important thing here is clear, so you can see what’s in them.
Stackable food-storage containers – The ability to stack them goes a long way to helping organize your refrigerator. Also, consider clear containers so you can see what’s in them.
Painter’s tape – Still not sure what that item is in the back of your freezer? It wouldn’t be a problem if you had labeled and dated it. That works particularly well in the freezer, but it also helps family members recognize food in the fridge.
A white board or notepad – To keep track of what needs to be used up in your fridge and freezer, write it all down on a white board or paper notepad. Look for a simple magnetic option and stick right on the fridge.
Set up a reorganization plan – This may require a small investment, but you can also work with what you have. I converted a square baking pan to catch the loose items I use for my morning yogurt and/or smoothie mash. I can’t tell you how much it’s helped. No more digging around looking for all the items. I just pull them all out at once, and even though it’s just the one change I’ve made so far, I can see and feel the difference.
The experts recommend a big one-time overhaul of your refrigerator: Pull everything out, clean her up and start loading things back in a structured manner. Once you have a system in place, they say keeping your fridge tidy should take a lot less time.
I used the complete overhaul approach with my toiletries cabinet and, I must say, the organization has held up. Based on my initial success with just one pan in the refrigerator, I’m certain there’s a complete refrigerator rework in my future.
Driven by the high cost of groceries, I’m also planning a freezer reorganization. One expert shared how she uses a whiteboard to track everything that’s in her freezer and that she and her husband consult when they’re planning dinner and writing their grocery list. Great idea! I’m going to try that too.
