We are organizing the fridge…again. My fridge stays fairly organized until the holidays. During the holidays every system that I have in place goes out the window and the priority becomes making space for the ham or the casserole. This is how my fridge looked after hosting Thanksgiving, a Christmas Day brunch, a small New Year’s party and a New Year’s Day brunch. My fridge needed some love (and soap!).
The picture below was taken at night so the lighting is horrible. I wasn’t intentionally trying to make the before pic look bad. Totally off-topic, but isn’t it funny how people always have to look miserable in those before pics before they start a diet? They are never smiling. Can’t they also be happy pre-diet?
But I digress.
So the next morning I decided to empty my fridge and give it a good clean. I spot clean the fridge all the time, but sometimes deep cleaning is necessary, and this was one of those times. Almost all the drawers, bins and shelves in my refrigerator are removable and they are easy to clean. I am always surprised how much food falls through the back of the bins in between cleanings.
Once the refrigerator was clean, I added some FridgeCoasters to line every bin and shelf. I have been purchasing these for years and they really help to keep the fridge clean from spills and (almost more importantly) they are so cute! I change them out every year and chose a new color. This year I ordered 2 different colors (gray and blue) and I think I will do that from now on because I love how they look!
Note: There is a FridgeCoaster giveaway and discount code at the end of this post!
When the fridge is empty is a great opportunity to move the shelves (if adjustable) to the best positioning for the items that you purchase. So many times we leave things the way that the manufacturer placed them, instead of taking advantage of the adjustable shelving.
Once the shelves are where I want them, I add all the food back. I had not shopped for our regular food items for a few weeks, since I was making space for all the food I needed during the holidays.
I also added fridge bins to my deli drawer. I am a big fan of these bins but only for the items that you purchase again and again. They have some that are perfect for placing little juice boxes, but if you rarely buy those for your kids, then it will be another bin taking up space in your fridge. Only buy the ones that will be used every time.
I did get rid of a few condiments that were expired and I tried to put back the good ones into the fridge with like items. Fun fact – I don’t even like mustard. I do use it for cooking sometimes but my husband is a mustard fan and apparently he has enough to last for the rest of 2016.
One thing that I purchase frequently is asparagus. I always keep a wide-mouth cup with a little water to store it and it seems to last longer. Also, I like that I see it and it doesn’t get lost in the crisper bin until it’s past it’s time.
This refrigerator model originally came with 2 bins on this side and a butter bin (the one with the little retractable door). I eventually got rid of that butter bin since I prefer to keep my butter in the deli drawer and I ordered another regular-sized bin online. There are a few websites that you can input your appliance model/serial number and then choose what you would like to purchase. In this case, I added the top bin that I use for chicken stock cartons.
Another shot of this organized fridge so that I can at least document that once upon a time all the cans faced forward.
I know that not everyone keeps oranges in the refrigerator but since I often juice them, I like to keep them cold. Also, I keep a bin within the drawer to separate items. Otherwise, everything in that big drawer ends up mixed. Also, this keeps produce from getting damaged by heavier items.
I have a fridge bin in the very top dedicated to defrosting meat. This will avoid so many yucky spills! Next to it, I have a small turntable that I place all my jellies and jams. You know that I am a big fan of turntables and they are even great for the refrigerator.
Here is a closeup of the deli drawer. There is so much butter and cheese that was left over from the holidays! I can’t possibly consume that much leftover cheese? Just kidding. I can and I will. Then I will go on a diet, but not before taking a before picture with a miserable look on my face. 🙂
One more exciting detail…a giveaway! FridgeCoaster will be giving two winners – two Fridge Packs of their choice! Follow the prompts to be entered into the giveaway. You do not have to complete all the prompts to enter the giveaway, but each one will better your chances of winning, since you will have more entries. So no worries if you don’t have an Instagram or Pinterest account, you can still enter by leaving a comment.
If you want to order them for your fridge, they have also generated a special discount code for all Graceful Order readers – just enter SWEET16 at checkout and save 16% off your order!