I meant to post this last week but server issues prevented it.  Now that we’ve moved (yes, once again and hopefully for the last time), I can finally show you what I’ve been up to.  The start of the new year seems to always bring out the organizer in most of us.  Whether it’s the turning over of the calendar, the long days of winter that lend themselves to long stretches inside, or the need to find room for all of the stuff accumulated during the holidays, it just seems the natural time to take a look around at your home and do something to make it more liveable.

Shop for freezer organization supplies online

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Now I admit these are 1st-world problems and it’s a little embarrassing that we spend more money on containing our things than many people can spend on food all year.  So to alleviate my guilt, I’ve made several donations to remind myself how lucky I am to have this abundance that needs organizing. That said, what I tackled was my refrigerator and freezer. Sounds simple – fill it, eat it, move on. But somewhere over the last few weeks it’s gotten completely out of hand. There are four adults living here now and I think we were all afraid to overstep our bounds, so things piled up.

Kitchen Organization (Video)

Well, I took the proverbial bull-by-the-horns and fixed the problem. First I went online to The Container Store and printed out the ad pages for any item I thought might be helpful. Armed with these printouts and a measuring tape I started dividing the refrigerator and freezer into zones. At this point it probably would have been wise to clean and toss, to see what was truly left, but I was in a hurry so I placed my order online and picked it up the next day on their loading dock. Yep, I never stepped foot in their store – priceless!

The cost of disorganization – multiples of items we can’t possibly use up before the expiration dates

Start with a Clean Slate

Armed with my bag of goodies (plus enough to tackle the ridiculously messy drawer next to the fridge that I’ll share later), I set about taking care of my albatross.  I pulled out everything and tossed anything that was out of date. Sadly there was a lot to toss.  Then I incorporated the multiples – yes, that’s FIVE bottles of salt-free ketchup I found in there. Dear hubby has gone on a salt-free diet and lost track of how many he’d purchased in the mess. There were also multiples of other condiments and especially dairy – cream cheese and butter being the most overbought.

Once I wiped out the fridge and freezer I repacked it according to the layout I determined when buying the containers. My favorite are the two in the door. Our refrigerator is a 1988 model and it’s poorly designed. Those door racks fall out at the slightest touch – so annoying! The new trays keep it all intact and safer from falling to the floor.

Label It

Simple to use P-Touch Label Maker – a must for every organized home

Next I fool-proofed (aka husband-proofed) the whole arrangement by labeling every section.  I used a  P-Touch PT-1290 Label Maker (about $30) and 1/2″ Brother Laminated Black on White Tape (TZe231).  I chose the black on white for easiest readability, but there are other colors and sizes available.  I experimented with size and fonts until I found one that was large and blocky, again because we’re getting older and I wear glasses – I wanted to be able to read them even if I didn’t have my glasses on.  There are text decorations you can use to make them fancier as well – like adding hearts and stars which would be fabulous for labeling kids’ items.

I labelled the bins with the P-Touch  Label Maker  with what seemed like good categories now; but thankfully the labels are easy to remove and replace, so if our needs change, the labels can be swapped out as well. My son did give me a hard time about the “Dairy & Dog” label…I assured him it didn’t mean we’d started eating dog, rather it’s the dog’s Pill Pockets. I did use some creative license and kidded my husband with his “Steve’s Junky Food” bin. I can’t help myself. And the wine slot in the fridge is for him as well…only he wants to know why it’s empty.

Time & Cost

Total time to redesign, clean, and restock? About 2 hours. Total cost? Expensive, but the cost of all that food I tossed?  Socially it was irresponsible.  Monetarily?  It was probably about $50 total including the freezer.  And sadly, we’re pretty typical according to studies.  So if organizing saves us from going through this again in the future, it’ll be worth it.

Refrigerator Organization Costs – $113.92

Wide Fridge Binz Tray Clear

1

$10.99 ea

$10.99

Narrow Deep Fridge Binz Tray Clear

3

$10.99 ea

$32.97

Wide Deep Fridge Binz Tray Clear

2

$14.99 ea

$29.98

Divided Deep Fridge Binz Tray Clear

2

$19.99 ea

$39.98

 

 Freezer Organization Costs – $27.45

Large Tote Frosted

5

$5.49 ea

$27.45

Refrigerator Organization Made Easy

The durable Brother labels last until you remove them

I chose the containers based on size but also on durability.  I fully expect them to last my lifetime (easy to say when you’re 50!) and they’re completely washable as are the Brother labels ( just wipe clean).  Everything is durable and ready for the long-haul s,o I’m pleased with my purchase and happy to be done with the bulk of it.  The labels stuck beautifully to every type of plastic I threw at them as well as the ugly, faux wood-grain door panel.   My labeler will be getting a workout in the coming weeks as I organize even more areas of my life.  We’ve lived in our house 23 years and it’s amazing what you can accumulate in that time.

What needs tidying up in your home? Any big plans to work on it?  A New Years’ resolution perhaps?


Please note:  I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Brother P-Touch and received a product and gift card to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.