Hello, friends! I recently did a little organizing to our refrigerator, and while it’s not ground-breaking, I thought I’d share a few of my tips with you guys. Plus let you in on how your fridge can be this clean and cheerful!
With any organizing project, it’s always best to clear everything out first, and give it a good scrubbing. Unfortunately, with a fridge, that has to be done more than once every few years months. Most of the time, I’m a meal-planner, and list-maker, before heading out to the grocery store. If not, I come home with tons of stuff, but nothing in which to actually prepare dinner! (We aren’t home during the day, so breakfast and dinner is all I shop for.) And I only buy for the week ahead, so our fridge never gets over-stuffed.
While making my list, I go through the fridge, freezer and pantry, and toss any sad or outdated food. We try to stick with lots of fresh foods, so I only buy those in quantities we can actually eat in a week.
Keep reading for more fridge organizing tricks, and info on how you can win a set of these cute liners!
Fruits and veggies each have their own drawer, and meats and cheeses are in another.
The door tends to be a hoarding ground for me, since most condiments have a pretty long shelf life. But I’ve found if I keep them well separated and organized, I won’t buy more than can easily fit and be seen.
Yeah, we’re pretty serious about salsa, it gets it’s own shelf.
Packages of fruit cups, yogurt, pudding, and popsicles take up a lot of space, and as soon as one or two are eaten, the rest tend to get lost in the back. Or you think you have plenty, only to find out there’s only one left in the box! So I keep a plastic bin (like these) for all the individual-sized food cups. It takes up less than half the space as packages, and they stay together. It’s also really easy for the kids to see their snack options.
Another thing I finally did, was toss all the mis-matched tupperware, and invest in a single size with universal lids. Not only did this eliminate a huge mess in my cabinet, but they stack more efficiently in the fridge. No more little forgotten containers in the back. Unless you’re trying to grow your own penicillin, no one likes finding those!
To encourage the kids (and Mr. Sugarplum!) to make healthy snack choices, I keep a bowl of fresh fruit and veggies clean and at their eye-level.
Yes, we keep breads and cake in the refrigerator…I just prefer them cold. Oh, and side note… our kitchen appliances are Whirlpool for Ikea….we bought them during the Kitchen renovation, and we’ve been absolutely thrilled with them! Not to mention, the-easy-to-use, no-questions-asked, 5-year warranty!
Now that your fridge is all tidy, you probably want to make it look as cute and cheerful as mine, right?! The colorful drawer and shelf liners are Fridge Coasters, and they’re pretty amazing. They are actually a cardboard-like material, and they absorb drips and leaks, so you no longer have that nasty ring where the milk sits. Not to mention, it makes me so dang happy to open my fridge!
To read a bunch of other great fridge organizing tips, and to win your own set of Fridge Coasters, hop over to I Heart Organizing!
What tips do you have for keeping your fridge tidy? Do you keep your bread refrigerated? I’m cool with that, just don’t tell me you keep the peanut butter in there, too?!
Your fridge puts mine to shame for real. I so need to clean it out. The yogurt in tupperware idea is genius, stealing that idea for sure. Off to vote for you! xoxo
Wow. I wouldn't know what to do with a clean fridge… Lol! Looks amazing and I totally need those coasters! I voted for you on every device I own… Will be sharing on FB soon to see if we can get some more votes!!
Cass, It's great to see another person with the appliance set we just purchased, and is arriving tomorrow!
I like the idea of bins to keep like together in the fridge, but fridge coasters? Wow! Those are nifty!
So envious. Mine still needs some work. Great idea with dumping the frozen desserts. Those half empty boxes are such a pain. Well done, cutie.
Looks great. I love an organized fridge (well heck, I love anything organized)…it really does cut down on waste. Love the fridge coasters…I can just hear my sweet hubby now after opening the fridge for the first time after placing the fridge coasters in "Oh Lord, now she is even decorating the refrigerator!" LOL
I need to clean mine out – and I would LOVE some of those coasters – how cheery are they?!
Jealous! We have a hard time keeping a clean fridge in this house. The tupperware for yogurt and pudding is a great idea that I will be implementing. I keep our bread in the fridge too; it keeps longer that way! I think I'll be doing some summer fridge cleaning this weekend, thanks for the inspiration!
Great tips! I really like the container you use for yogurts and things! I need to get a more efficient one for our fruits. We keep our raw meat for the week in the drawer where fruit should go, so I have a bowl in the fridge, but it takes up a lot of space.
I also keep cut up fruit at eye level and it works wonders! How can anyone pass up a nice bowl of fresh cut strawberries and blueberries?!
Do you really keep bananas in the refrigerator? I've heard that you should never do that, does it not make them weird and brown? Because I never go through as many as I think I will and would LOVE to extend their life!
Well….I usually buy bananas really green, and leave them on the counter. Once they get ripe though, they seem to go fast…so I stick them in the fridge to slow it down. They do turn brown, but they last us a few extra days. Once they get too soft, I peel them, and store them in freezer bags in the freezer for smoothies. 🙂
Okay, so your garage AND your fridge both tick me off royally. Good thing I like you, or I might hate you.
Where do you find fridge coasters?
You can get them online — click over to Jen's blog (link in the post) for info and a chance to win a set!
That is one fun frig! Great tips on organizing it and those polka dots make me happy. I went to put peanut butter on my toast the other morning and out house guests had put it in the frig! I do not like rock hard PB. I've been voting for you!
Loved all the tips and those frig coasters! Brilliant! I line my drawers with paper towels, but those so cute. Very curious how they hold up
I have been crushing on those Fridge Coasters since I first saw them! One question: if they get drips or food on them, can they be washed and reused?
Hey Brittany! The coasters are more of a cardboard material…so they absorb the drips. You wouldn't be able to rinse them, but after 6 weeks, mine still look straight from the package! So I guess they just soak up the mess and store it away 🙂
I try and try to keep my fridge organized but the four other people living with me don't feel the need to put things back where they belong. Ugh!!! 😉
I am cleaning out my fridge tomorrow and I am so excited to use the tips you've shared for organizing snacks, yogurt, popsicles, etc. My favorite tip you shared is something I have struggled with for a while now… food storage containers. I love that you only purchase one size so it's easier to store your bowls/lids and I love that there is no hunting for the perfect size bowl…one size fits all! 🙂 Thank you for sharing such great tips and your fridge looks super cute! I am a new follower!!
Hugs,
Bridgett
did I see you post once about chalkboard decals that stick to a stainless steel fridge? Been looking for some so I can post What's for Dinner each day ~ SO sick of being asked that question