Smelly Food, Leftovers, and What is That?
If you find yourself thinking this when you open your refrigerator, then it is time to figure out a new solution to how you are organizing your food.
With all good intentions, you are planning meals and getting healthy produce! However, it may be getting lost behind other items, and then you eventually find it at the back of the refrigerator all moldy and smelly. I was definitely guilty of food waste before I figured out this organization method that works better for my family.
Yeah, I’ve been there, so don’t feel bad about it. It’s so easy for food items to get lost in the refrigerator when everyone is going in and out of it all of the time. It can be overwhelming trying to keep everything where you can see it especially for deep refrigerators where food can be easily hidden.
Let me tell you how I changed my refrigerator so this never happens again.
1. I measured the inside of my refrigerator and wrote down the dimensions.
2. I looked on Amazon for organizers that would fit these dimensions paying careful attention to the width and depth of each organizer. I penciled it out on paper. I double checked with my husband since he is better at measuring. I double checked with the how it would be set up in my refrigerator.
3. I wanted organizers for putting my greens into so I got the veggie organizers below. I liked how they are stackable and keep my vegetables fresh. I also ordered the other refrigerator organizers below. Remember, they fit my dimensions of my refrigerator, so double check your dimensions before ordering your organizers. I bought 2 egg organizers as well which save me more space. I also ordered refrigerator labels from Amazon ahead of time. (scroll to bottom to check them all out!)
4. The day the organizers arrived, I emptied it all out excitedly. Yes, I know. I emptied the entire refrigerator out!! I wiped it all down as if we were moving out. I threw out bottles that were expired and food that had gone bad. I kept everything else and set it up on my kitchen island.
5. I started at it with labeling each organizer and putting food into it. Take your time with this and find a system that works the best for your family.
7 months has passed now. So is it working?
It definitely helps!
I am not going back to the way it used to be. I am committed to keeping it this way so I don’t get into the same situation I was before. This is working as long as everyone in the family follows the system, and I do weekly clean outs if needed. I have had to teach my family (and yes my husband) to put the fruit in the fruit bins and the leftovers in the leftover bin. When things don’t fit, we put them in the “this or that” bin. When we host, it can get crowded again with all of the food hosting items. What I do in this situation is to temporarily put the fruit bins in my pantry during that time period, so I have more space. I will also take the drink organizers out and allow my family to use them from my kitchen counter. Definitely teach your children to pour their drinks from the drink dispenser (even in the refrigerator) since it saves you space and time. We use a paper towel over where it may drip, and this has helped with any sticky messes inside of the refrigerator. Lastly, remind your kids where their healthy snacks are labeled at the bottom of your refrigerator (within easy reach). I like to store cheese sticks, yogurts, and bagged veggies in that area.
Over time, I have discovered that the “leftover” labeled organizer and “this or that” labeled organizer have proved to be helpful for items that didn’t fit into my other labels. The 2 labeled “drinks” containers really have been nice to pour my drinks into such as lemonade or tea since it takes less space in the refrigerator. My son enjoys using the refrigerator more and knows exactly where his healthy snacks are organized. There is less food waste as well!
This didn’t take too long. Anyone can do it! If it promotes more healthy eating in your house, then I think it was worth it!
Check out my shop below if you want to try any of these organizers out today. It took me less than an hour to do this, and it really helps to make life so much easier.