Throwing away food is painful, it’s like throwing money down the garbage.  When you have an organized refrigerator, the chances of throwing out food diminish because you can find what you need.  Plus, an organized refrigerator makes meal planning easier to do.  Today’s post is going to teach you how you can organize your refrigerator.

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Finding moldy food can instantly ruin your appetite by smell and sight of it.  Thank goodness Tupperware has evolved and now comes in clear containers.

Getting your refrigerator organized is challenging because of the variety of shapes and sizes food is available in.  You’re trying to fit an assortment of condiments in one area but run out of room.  That leaves you with condiments all over the place making it frustrating to find what you need.

Here’s how you can organize your refrigerator

Get clear containers, turntables and labels.

Regardless of the configuration of your refrigerator (side-by-side, french door, or bottom mount) they all can use these containers to keep them organized.

Clear storage bins and organizers make it easy to find what you need and keep your refrigerator neatly contained.

This drawer organizer and clear storage bin can be used to store fruit, vegetables, or meat.  Both containers are ergonomically friendly.  The lip on the container makes it easy to take out what you need quickly.  The handle on the storage bin makes it easy to grab the container immediately.

There are a few benefits of using containers in the refrigerator.  One is they help contain spills.  It’s much easier to take out a bin and clean the bin than having to take out all the items on multiple shelves to get it clean.

Second, storage bins create more space allowing you keep more in there.  The sides of the container allow you to put more in there.

Turntables are a must for any refrigerator.  It’s actually something I wish we’d done years ago.  They really free up space in the refrigerator because of the ability to keep items compacted together.  The fast, fluid spin makes it easy to find what you need.  Turntables are great for round bottles like jelly, mayonnaise, and parmesan.

The last product needed to organize your refrigerator are labels.  You’ll want to have labels with strong adhesive so they stick to the shelves.  P-Touch labels are great as well as Mr-Label.

Empty Out Your Refrigerator

Getting your refrigerator organized is a bit unique compared to any other area of your home because food is sensitive and can’t be out for very long, which is why you want to have your containers before getting started.  Have some cleaner on hand so when your refrigerator is completely empty you can get it clean quickly.

Purge

Get rid of anything that is moldy or expired, no need to explain further 😉

Sort

The next thing you will do is start sorting similar items.  Group all of your condiments together, vegetables, fruits, etc.  Keep your grocery store in mind when creating your category, it’ll make it easier to get it organized.

Create Zones

Once you have your categories created, you’ll want to create zones in your refrigerator.  Think of these zones as work zones.   Dedicate each shelf as a work zone.

Take a look at the categories you created and base your zones off of that.  If you have a few bins for vegetables and fruit, you could label your zone as “produce”.  If you have yogurt, sour cream, and butter, you can create a zone that’s dairy.  It all comes down to what you eat and how often.  We eat meat and eggs frequently so there’s a shelf labeled as protein.

One zone that every refrigerator should have is leftovers, unless you never eat them.  Having a dedicated shelf to leftovers minimizes the amount of leftovers getting thrown out because you have it all in one dedicated area.  Be sure to use clear containers so it’s easy to see what’s in there.

Maintain

The last step to keeping your refrigerator organized is maintaining it.  This will be the hardest step because things change on a weekly basis, you’re not always buying the same type of foods.  However, you can do it.  It’s going to take some shuffling and Tetris moves to make it all work.

Know this, it’s not going to be perfect.  Some weeks will be easier than others.  The week of Thanksgiving will likely be harder than most weeks.  Give yourself some grace and keep working at it.

Conclusion

When your refrigerator is organized, it makes meal planning easier and makes eating healthy effortless.  Having clear bins and turntables keeps food neatly contained and organized.  You can find what you need promptly when you create zones and label them.