1. If your fridge is not equipped with enough drawers for your food habits, create your own drawer. Buy long narrow plastic bins that run the depth of your shelf. Place all of your cheeses into one container with lunchmeats next to the cheese in a similar container.
2. If you have more condiments than space in your doors, keep the most frequently used condiments in the door and store the remaining sauces together towards the back on your shortest shelf.
3. Beverages follow a similar pattern. Keep a few in the door and the rest clustered together on the top and back of the tallest shelf, which is generally the coldest zone. If you mix your own juices, keep this decanter next to the other bottles and jugs.
4. Create spaces for “like with like” for instance, dairy with dairy, meat with meat and so on.
5. Leftovers and prepared foods should have their own zone on a short shelf at eye level. This way, they are more likely to be seen and eaten. The short shelf makes it less likely that other items will be piled on top.
6. Use square or rectangular plastic storage containers for the fridge, Round bowls create wasted space and do not stack or fit well side-by-side.
7. If your family eats more than a dozen eggs per week, consider forgoing the egg container provided by the refrigerator manufacturer. Instead, stack your eggs in their original lidded crates on the short shelf beside the cheese and meat bins. A bonus: Your eggs stay fresh longer in their original container.
8. To create a long-lasting order, mimic your favorite grocery store departments. This organizational habit will make it easier for you and your family to remember where to find and return items in your refrigerator.
9. For quick snacks, keep a bowl of peeled carrots, cut celery or other healthy foods on the front of the shelf nearest eye level. This tactic might distract the hungry hands that normally root around and rearrange the fridge.
10. Organize and clean out your fridge every week before you buy groceries. This makes it easier to create a shopping list and makes restocking a snap because containers will be at a minimum and space at maximum.
Bonus:
Click here to get the bonus gift for you – 5 Freezer Organizing Tips
Would like to feel more organized? If so, Kathi is here to help you.
Kathi’s expert advice has been featured in national media outlets including Oprah Magazine, Martha Stewart Living and Better Homes and Gardens, Entrepreneur Magazine, and more.
As the author of 2 books, Kathi has also developed several online courses to help clients get better organized and energized in all areas of their home, life, and business.
