We have a rather small square freezer (one room; 1x1 meter), and I have never managed to keep it organized. The freshed produce is on the top, and the further down you go, the older it gets. So every so often I have to purge it, and end up throwing away old food.
Do you have any good tips for organizing freezers? Do you use boxes, some sort of shelving, or other smart methods?
I vacuum seal most of my food that goes into the freezer and then I sort it into plastic grocery bags - raw chicken, cooked chicken/turkey, beef, pork, veggies, leftovers, etc. Makes it easier to find what I want.
I don't have a chest freezer but my grandma does and it's a larger one. She uses milk crates to organize in it and they life out pretty easily. She gets the milk crates for free from stores around town.
I have a large stand up freezer which I organize in baskets and then I have a side by side refrigerator that I try to organize by shelves , Then the one over the refrigerator I keep mostly things that I use most daily such as spices, fruits, burritos, etc. We are looking for another freezer because of all I froze this summer pretty much filled up the upright and we have a pig to kill next month and some chickens we are going to slaughter in the next little while.
For the upright, I use one shelf per each kind of meat. One shelf for venison, one for chicken, one for beef, and one for pork. If there is any space on a shelf left over,
I put odd things there, like margerine, frozen veggies or bread to fill up the holes. Last time I defrosted, I got organized. And it sure does make a difference. Now I can see when I am low on something and then add to the shopping list.
I have chest type and it a little bigger than the one described I was using baskets but they are breaking so I am switching over to reusable bags..and I like this better....it is easier to find his food..
As much as it sucks, I do freezer inventory once a month. This gets me to bring up the older stuff, get it on a meal plan and get it eaten! Very little goes to waste unless it was never vacuumed sealed or the vacuum broke and it got freezer burnt.
I also use milk crates to separate the meats and such.
if your freezer has shelves, put new food at the back and move older food to the front. This is how they replenish the shelves at supermarkets to make sure shoppers buy the slightly older food after a fresh delivery. This works wonders and means you don't have to rummage around for the oldest food to use up. Try it in your fridge too!
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Frugal Village Forums
1.8M posts
47.4K members
Since 2001
A forum community dedicated to the frugal lifestyle and the enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about simple and green living, cost effective tips, life hacks, debt reduction, recycling, gardening, other homesteading techniques, and more!