
There is truly nothing worse than frantically digging through the fridge to find where the smell is coming from. It can't be just us. Ugh, it's so gross! When I first moved out on my own I didn't know that chicken leaked! It's sealed, how can it leak? It is the nastiest thing ever. Cass from Clutterbug suggested a cookie sheet under your meat to catch any of the 'yuck.' She is so smart! That would have saved me so much time and gagging. I can't even!
Oh, and broccoli! Why? why does it smell so bad? Ok, that's enough of that, sorry.
The first Thanksgiving I hosted was mortifying! My mom and grandma went through my fridge to find something and pulled out some rotten veggies! Oh Tina, you have to do better. They didn't actually say it, but that's how I felt.
Keeping your refrigerator in order will save you from the dreaded 'stink' and from being embarrassed. This is not an easy task and it may be different for each house depending on your needs and what refrigerator you have. Our fridge is still a work in progress, I'll talk you through you some thing's I like and some I don't.
As always, I empty out the space I want to organize and clean it out. I really didn't think this would take long because I clean the fridge weekly, but it took forever. I ended up having to take it all apart and really have to get into some small spaces. I made a huge soapy mess. I deconstructed the entire inside of the fridge and that is not a game I enjoy playing.
Once I got everything out I was truly shocked at what I had. Nothing expired, thank goodness, but many 90% or more empty bottles of condiments, duplicates, and way too many bbq sauces. We had stuff that we tried and didn't like but didn't want to toss because we felt bad about throwing away good food. I ended up tossing about 1/4 of what we had because it was empty. Some went to friends homes for them to try.
I put everything back and really didn't organize anything right away. That was a lot of work and I was tired. I took stock of what I had, made a plan and thought of how to zone my fridge. The first thing I bought was the square lazy susan from Amazon. I like it because I can get to all my condiments easily. I don't like it because you have to pull it out to it spin and I have my milk and juice in front of it. I need to use all the space in my fridge. From Target I bought this cute little clear 4 pack of clear fridge organizers. I do like these and they are perfect for strawberries, grapes, mushrooms. The biggest downside is that they are expensive.

We order Hello Fresh, they come in large brown paper bags and they just overwhelm our fridge. I started to put them in clear bins with the meal tag, this seems to be working. In the same type of bins I've been trying to keep my yogurt together. I've always tried to keep like things together, but items would get pushed around and lost in the depths of fridge. It is nice knowing when I need to buy more and not having to play hide and seek for food.
I see all the Pinterest boards with the refrigerators full of clear plastic drawers, beautifully organized. I am not sure that is realistic. At least not in our home. We enjoy eating! My goal is to not waste food and money by losing food and letting it rot in the back of the fridge. I'm not going to say that strawberries don't go bad before we can finish them, but at least now they are in the corner in time out. You don't need bins, just try and zone your fridge into workable areas: snacks, dairy, condiments.... however you feel it will work for you. That is the goal - making the space functional for you and less stressful.
Remember to start every project at Square 1,
Tina
P.S. Here is the finished product, so far. I know I'll rework this at some point, at to it, take things away, you know how it is. I'll keep you posted :) And - Yes, there are already leftovers in there! What can you do? Everyone cooks and I wouldn't have it any other way.


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