Have you taken a good look in your refrigerator, lately? Month-old leftovers are now candidates for Junior’s next science project. Follow these tips to save you time, space and wasted food:

 

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Purge.

Grab your garbage can, position it next to your refrigerator and purge it of all spoiled food. Look for tin foil sculptures and anything that wasn’t green before you bought it. Keep repeating to yourself, “When in doubt, throw it out.”

Make it shine!

Use some elbow grease and give those shelves, drawers and crisper a good cleaning. Clean one shelf at a time, starting with the top one. All crumbs, liquid and unidentifiable objects that don’t make it into your paper towel will land on the shelf below, which you will be cleaning next. Once you’ve finished cleaning the bottom shelf/drawer, continue with the inside door until you’re satisfied with the job.

Group ‘em.

Group similar foods together. For example place drinks on one shelf, small snacks in a drawer and fruits/veggies/salad products in the crisper, so you are not constantly hunting down the food you want at that moment. This arrangement saves you time and makes retrieving food come mealtime a less arduous task.

Pay attention to the height of your jars and bottles. It is easier to spot your food and drink if you put large jars towards the back of the refrigerator and smaller ones in the front. You’ll never see that container of yogurt if it’s trapped behind a family-sized jar of spaghetti sauce. That’s money (and spoiled yogurt) down the drain.

Give ‘em a home.

If you have young children, you can create a container for each child and fill it with healthy snacks, punch boxes, a loving note. This keeps little fingers from rummaging the shelves and you can control what goes into their snack box.

Give ‘em a quality home.

Your containers should work for you and not against you. Consider spending a few cents more for quality containers. Lids are less likely to get stuck or fly off. You don’t want to spend your time cleaning the floor or removing stains from your shirt because your container failed to do its job. Choose transparent or translucent containers — they allow you to see exactly what’s inside — no surprises!

Give ‘em the same home.

Keep your refrigerator organized by making your best attempt to return food and drink to the ‘home’ you’ve created for it. Haphazardly throwing your groceries in the fridge may save you time when you come back from the store but it will cost you precious minutes at meal planning and preparation time.

With determination, patience and the right tools your refrigerator can become an organized and functional area of your home.

 

 

About Stacey Agin Murray

Stacey Agin Murray, professional organizer and owner of Organized Artistry, LLC, transforms 'mess' into 'masterpiece' with patience, organizing know-how and a sense of humor. For more articles and to get your FREE e-list of 'Top Ten Tips for Organized Living' visit www.organizedartistry.com.
stacey@organizedartistry.com
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