[Cyd]

It helps to have a specific place to put items. If you have trouble remembering or persuading other family members, add labels. Example: bread on the low shelf above the vegetable crisper means you can get bread, lettuce, tomato etc. with one hand. Keeping mayo, mustard, ketchup on the low door shelf allows sandwich construction with one stoop.

Likewise the fridge freeze, one shelf side meat, other veggie, middle goodies like ice cream or instant items.

[Beryl]

You can use organizational products in the fridge just like you would in a cabinet to "go vertical." There was a lot of dead space above the shelves in my fridge, so I got a couple "add-a-shelf" units to give me another layer of shelving. I also use plastic storage bins that I found at the dollar store to help with grouping like things together. I can pull out the whole bin and see everything, so no small items get lost in the back of the fridge.

-Beryl

[Abe]

Beryl,

"Going Vertical" is an awesome idea, especially in areas where space is very tight like you have indicated below. Lot of folks do not consider the vertical option or simply overlook it and go horizontally instead. Not sure why? Going vertical is a great way to maximize your existing space that is already available for storage.

Originally Posted by Beryl

You can use organizational products in the fridge just like you would in a cabinet to "go vertical." There was a lot of dead space above the shelves in my fridge, so I got a couple "add-a-shelf" units to give me another layer of shelving. I also use plastic storage bins that I found at the dollar store to help with grouping like things together. I can pull out the whole bin and see everything, so no small items get lost in the back of the fridge.

-Beryl

[Smilla]

Once a week i look through the fridge to clean up any spills, throw out anything too old and make sure everything is in it´s right place. I do this the day before I go groceryshopping so I have room for new groceries and I use the oppertunity to look if anything is running low or used up and needs to go on the shoppinglist.

On one shelf I have a servingtray where I keep everything needed to make sandwiches. That way, when someone wants to make sandwiches, they can just grab the tray, instead of searching for each item and they automaticly get put back in the right spot.

[janet]

I do a very quick clean once per week. I don't think I'm wasting energy by doing this. Possibly we are wasting food and maybe should have thrown it away before it went into the fridge? But sometimes DH will take it for lunch or I'll reheat for lunch. So I would prefer to at least attempt to eat the food rather than just tossing it. I also don't believe in eating just so we aren't wasting and I do try to scale down proportions before cooking, it just doesn't always work.

One thing I don't do is put the fruit into the "crisper". I put bread/bagels/biscuit tubes, etc. in that drawer since I keep the bread in the fridge. It keeps it from getting smashed.

The fruit and veggies go in bowls on a mid-level shelf so that I can see them and remember to use them! Plus my kids will grab them as snacks.