Have your grocery bills skyrocketed in 2022? Are you constantly throwing out food? I’m going to show you easy ways to organize your fridge…and save you money.
Now you don’t need to go out and buy a ton of organizing bins. The whole point is to save you money.
Food has become expensive with inflation and supply chain issues. Now more than ever, you need to implement a system that will save you money.
The amount of food that is wasted annually is insane. Almost 30-40% of our food supply is thrown away.
We are going to go over easy ways to organize your fridge. Once you put a system in place, it will be easy to keep it organized….no more throwing out food.
There are so many benefits to keeping an organized fridge:
- Less Waste
- Saves Money
- Time Saver
- Helps Maintain Healthy Eating Habits
So many people hit the drive-thru because they are in a hurry. Once you have an organized fridge, you will always have food ready to eat. Implementing these easy steps can save you loads of time.
Being able to eat at home will keep you healthier also. Eating at home has been shown to keep your weight stable.
Now let’s take a look at how we can organize your fridge…
Clear Out the Fridge
The first step to organizing your fridge is to clear everything out. Be sure to throw out any expired foods.
This is also a good time to give the fridge a thorough cleaning. Cleaning is one of the easiest ways to organize your fridge. Having a clean slate will encourage you to keep your space clean.
Contain
Containing is one of the easiest ways to organize your fridge.
Take an assessment of what type of items you buy. How are you storing these items? Are they easily accessible?
I have found when items are not easily accessible, then you tend not to grab them. This is how we end up with expired foods.
I recommend that you contain items in clear bins or glass jars. This way you can always see what you have.
You don’t need to go overboard on buying containers. Buy what you need.
FIFO
First In First Out. This is a very popular accounting method. This method is another way to organize your fridge.
Don’t complicate things…the first items purchased are the first items used.
You can FIFO your whole kitchen
Be sure that when you add new items to the fridge, that you rotate the oldest items to the front. This way you will use them first. This will help you eliminate waste.
Leftovers
Another way to organize your fridge is by keeping leftovers front and center.
My house lives on leftovers. I purposely cook more food than needed, so that we have leftovers. I make sure to leave the leftovers in front at eye level.
By the end of the week, we have eaten all the leftovers and then I will start meal planning all over again.
Organize by Temperature
Most people don’t know that the fridge is meant to be organized by temperature.
Here is an example of how I organize my fridge:
- Doors: Condiments, Butter, Juice
- High Humidity Drawers: Veggies or items that wilt
- Low Humidity Drawers: Fruits
- Bottom Shelf: Raw Meats, Fish, Raw Chicken
- Middle Shelf: Dairy, Deli Meats, Eggs
- Upper Shelf: Leftovers, Snacks, Drinks
This is a road map of how to organize your fridge. You find what works for you.
Prep Food Immediately
I recommend prepping your food as soon as you get home from the grocery store.
This could mean rinsing all your fruits. These are usually berries in my house. Then I store them in clear containers. When things are accessible, you tend to use them up.
I also like to clean and cut all my veggies. This way we are sure to use all the veggies. This also helps with healthy eating. People are more likely to eat food when it is ready to eat.
If you have bought in bulk, now is the time to separate and freeze the items for later use. Be sure to date everything. This will help you with your FIFO.
Don’t Keep Everything in Fridge
There are countless items that do not belong in the fridge. Storing food incorrectly will cause food to spoil. We are trying to avoid wasting money. Some of the items that should not be in the fridge are:
- Bananas
- Avocados
- Tomatoes
- Onions
- Potatoes
- Coffee
- Bread
- Peanut Butter
Keep a Grocery List
I recommend keeping a grocery list near the fridge. Every time you run out of an item you add it to the list.
I clean out the fridge right before I go to the grocery store. This way I can add anything that I need to my grocery list.
This keeps you from buying duplicate items. This is another easy way to keep your fridge organized and save you money.
I hope this gets you started on your path to keeping an organized fridge. This should help you track your grocery spending so much easier.
If you need help keeping track of money. I suggest trying the 50/30/20 Budget Method. This has worked well for my family.
