So you all know what my freezer has been looking like lately… Yes It’s an embarrassing mess!
What I really wish my freezer looked like is this…
(Image above courtesy of Google Images)
Well in order to get this mess under control I wanted to share some tips I use to get organized. While I will relate these tips to your freezer they can be used in all areas of your life and home.
Here are the steps to a clean and organized freezer.
PURGE!
This is the single most important step in the process of getting organized. To start your purge empty all items out of your freezer to see what you have hiding in there. I’m sure you will be shocked by how many half bags of frozen corn are hiding in there 🙂 If the items are freezer burned or have been in there longer than you can remember it is time to toss them. The more you can toss the better.
Take Inventory.
Now that you can see what items you have, take inventory for future reference. I know that I often end up buying multiple freezer items because I’m too lazy to look and see if I already have that item before I go to the store. I guess when your freezer looks like mine you don’t want to spend too much time looking at it… In addition identify what has been in there the longest, but is still good. Once you identify these items make an effort to look for recipes that incorporate these items. Not only will this save you money, but I will also free up more room!
Label
This step is just as important as the purging step of getting organized. I know that I have put things into my freezer and failed to label and date them. I can tell you that these items often get tossed during my purging step. While I thought that I was being frugal by freezing that extra soup it usually ends up sitting there taking up valuable space. Generally no one knows what that brown frozen block is and it sits uneaten for months. This can be an easy step if you print out pre-made freezer labels. The ones I use were made by one of my fabulous friends. Here is the link to her blog and below are the printable labels. If you keep a stash of them in your kitchen drawer you will be more likely to use them. Once I get a link too the stickers I will update this post so you can print them for your own kitchen.
Restocking your freezer
When packing thing back in be sure to sort your freezer into sections. For example store meat in one area, fruit and juice in another, veggies in another etc… This will depend on what types of items you have so do what works best for you. In addition it is important to place newer in the back and older items in front. This way you see those items that you need to use up, and you can effectively rotate your food.
Here is an updated shot of my nicely organized freezer. Pretty right??? Since we are renting we have one of those freezers that is a box with no shelves. So to get more room I added a stack-able shelf from Target for the low low price of $4.99.
I must say I am very proud of the transformation and really intend on keeping it this way in the future!
Final notes… Here is a list of approximate length of time you food will last in the freezer.
Now that your freezer is labeled and organized you can move on to that pile of laundry that you have been neglecting…. I swear laudry multiples like bacteria in a petri dish. I hope you enjoyed my tips, and maybe feel inspired to do some spring cleaning in your freezer this weekend!
WiscoWhit 