Organizing Pet Peeve #3: There’s Chaos in My Freezer
Freezer organizing can seem like a daunting task. If you were to open your refrigerator freezer right now, what would you see? An organized space with handy containers separating veggies from fish? Or would you see a state of chaos with freezer-burned rolls and crystallized mystery meats?
I used to belong to the chaos in the freezer crowd. It seemed to me that if I left things in there long enough I no longer felt guilty about throwing them out. I generally find I’m not really interested in eating food when I can’t identify its origins….I’m funny that way. And, of course, chaos in my freezer was all rather frustrating and a complete waste of money.
This all changed for me when I found a simple solution:
clearly labelled plastic bins
They work well because:
- They categorize freezer items
- You can actually see everything in your freezer
- They put a limit on how much you can fit in each one
Here are 4 steps for easy freezer organizing:
Step 1: Measure freezer shelf dimensions and purchase enough clear plastic bins to fill the shelves. Home Depot has shoe box size bins for .97.
Step 2: Empty freezer completely and discard all old or unrecognizable food.
Step 3: Categorize remaining food (i.e. meat and poultry; veggies and fruit; bread products)
Step 4: Label bins to match categories and fill with frozen food.
Other hints:
- Always label and date any food that goes into the freezer unless it’s already clearly marked with an expiry date.
- When meal planning for the week, check what’s in the freezer first before buying more food.
I hope you enjoy the results as much as I do.
With calm, cool thoughts,
Maggie
Teaser photo attribution: By Chip Harlan
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