Maintaining an organized refrigerator hasn’t always been my strong suit. Think about it, how many times are you in and out of your fridge each day? For us, I would guess at least 10, making it that much more difficult to keep it in order. I recently did a complete overhaul of refrigerator and it was also the perfect opportunity to pull everything out and give all the shelves and drawers a thorough scrub down. All in all, it took about 45 minutes. For such an easy task, it has made a giant impact! This is what it looked like just a few weeks ago.
I have tried and failed at organizing the refrigerator in the past, but I have a good feeling that the results will actually stick this time around. In fact, I even labeled everything, which means I’m committed to keeping it this way.
Before I show you what it looks like today, I wanted to share my motivations in taking on this project. My husband and I are trying to be extra cautious about our spending lately, and an organized refrigerator prevents us from overbuying because we can clearly see what we have. It also helps to combat food waste. I can’t tell you how many times I have thrown out hundreds of dollars worth of food because it went bad before we could use it. I always felt so guilty when tossing it out, but I’m happy to report that we haven’t had to throw out a single item yet! Since all of our leftovers are now kept in one location, we have been eating out less and are making a conscious effort to use what we have. Another positive result that I wasn’t expecting, is that I find myself reaching for healthier options when I get hungry rather than grabbing whatever is convenient out of the pantry. I have been taking the time to prep fruit and veggies when I get home from the grocery store, and can easily grab a serving of carrots rather than the oatmeal cream pies that my pregnancy cravings made me buy!
After living with our newly organize refrigerator for a few weeks, here is how it’s looking today.
I keep all of our bulk produce (items I plan on using for recipes or excess leftover from my snack prep) in one drawer, and breads in the other since we never use all of it before the expiration date.
Keeping fruits and veggies out of the produce bin and placing them in plain sight has made the biggest impact on our day-to-day life. Before doing this, it seemed liked they would always get lost in the mess or I would simply forget we had them.
Like I mentioned above, I also took the time to label everything so that I’m more inclined to keep it this way. The general categories I have are: meal prep, fruit, veggies, eggs, deli, lunch, beverages, bulk veggies, bread, leftovers, and meat. I keep condiments, milk, creamer, and butter in the door bins. It is suggested that you avoid storing milk in the door because it is the warmest spot in your refrigerator, but we have been doing it for years, and have never had a problem.
Call me crazy, but I want to do a happy dance every time I open the doors. It’s a shame that all this hard work is behind closed doors, because it is currently the most organized space in our house. I’ll just make it a point to casually open the refrigerator every time we have guests so I can show it off and in turn, they don’t think I’m a complete slob!
Hi! I'm Kristin from The Orderly Home. I love all things organization and I'm a sucker for pretty storage solutions and anything that makes life easier for me and my family. A little about me: I'm 27, married to my best friend, and mama to a precious little boy. I'm a Texas girl who enjoys cooking and baking, spending time outdoors, and barre workouts. My idea of fun involves an iced coffee, some good music, and a label
