[vlmurray]

Now I write the leftovers going into the freezer on my calendar so I know to cook it.....last night I even labeled the beef and peas!! No more ufo's in the freezer!

 

[frugalfranny]

Good idea VL.

I label and date the stuff, I just don't keep an 'outside list'...so if something 'somehow' gets to the bottom --well......could go to the 'big freezer burn heaven in the sky' before I get to it - know it is there. Seldom happens ---but has......

 

[dcompton]

I admire anyone that organized. I would follow through with that for about 3 days. However, I don't usually have leftovers to put in the freezer - it's usually all "first run" stuff. I also have a smallish upright, so things don't get as lost as they did when I had a chest freezer.

I'm going to try a monthly inventory of stockpile and freezer. I haven't even advanced that far on the organizational ladder yet. Let us know how it's working. My hat's off to you!

 

[ladytoysdream]

I try to stay organized the best I can. We now have 2 upright freezers and both are running. One I keep mainly meat in and the other is for veggies and fruits. It's the freezer in my frig that I have to worry about. Stuff gets moved to the back of it. Every so often, I say okay, time to use what's in it, and not to take something out of the big freezer for a meal. It's that time again.

 

[Grainlady]

Great tip! I put like-kinds of things together in small plastic baskets to help me control the foods in the freezer. It's a lot easier to remove one basket (such as the basket that contains fruits/vegetables) and flip through the contents like a file (most are vacuum-sealed in FoodSaver bags) for me than to keep an inventory.

I absolutely don't know how people with multiple freezers ever know what and where they have things (LOL).

 

[Nada.Leona]

I'm a techno geek -- I actually have a program on my iPhone that records my pantry and freezer list. *giggle*

 

[pop goes the weasel]

How doyou label your containers if you use containers? I have a problem with them falling off or ending up on the one underneath. I tried freezer tape and that didn't work. Ihate to use aa permanent marker. The regular marker comes off.

 

[vlmurray]

i use freezer tape and it doesn't come off...hum......now it won't stick if the container is already cold. on freezer bags, I just use perm marker and draw lines through it when I use the bag again. hope that helps.

 

[krbshappy71]

I use my Kitchen freezer for leftovers and immediate items, within the week. I use the garage freezer for storage purposes, anything that I wont be using that week. So when I freeze leftovers, they stay in the Kitchen Freezer because I don't want them lost in the garage freezer.

 

[vlmurray]

They don't get lost.......I just forget....... So as soon as a leftover or extra meal gets to the freezer, I put it on my menu calendar........ I've got a good handle on it, and it sure is nice to look at that calendar and know dinner is ready.

 

[krbshappy71]

Yah my stuff gets lost. I have a chest freezer, also known as a dumping ground sometimes. There's a box of waffles in there that I have no idea when I purchased them. Giant Box.

I like the calendar idea. So you are setting yourself a date to bring it back out? Rather than putting a date on the item of how old it is? How far out are you setting the date?

curious. This sounds like something I could implement.

 

[vlmurray]

Yes, I put the item on my calendar to take it out of the freezer. I count out 4 or 5 weeks and put it on the menu calendar. It's the only thing that has worked for me.....dh is amazed.

 

[zakity]

I use painter's tape and a permanent marker to label things.

I have two freezers and two fridges.

The upright is:
top shelf - work lunches for DH, smooshed bananas (premeasured for muffins), and this is also my "misc" shelf
second shelf - containers of leftovers
third shelf - berries/fruit, french fries, perogies, shredded cheese
fourth shelf - meat
bottom shelf is a drawer for frozen veggies

The chest freezer:
brown sugar
hamburger (cause we have like 17 packages)
homemade applesauce
oatmeal containers
overflow like extra berries

garage fridge:
The fridge is for large containers, extra milk, extra eggs, etc.

The garage fridge freezer is our bread freezer. I buy bread, bagels, and the like from the bread store and it all goes in there.

Fridge in the house:
The fridge is for small containers of open things.
The freezer is for small amounts of flour, sugar, and the like.

Eventually, I want to get the fridge freezer in the house all cleaned out. The goal is to make a trip out to the garage once a week and haul in all the items planned for meals for that week and put those in the fridge freezer. In that same trip, I would gather the pantry items needed and they would go in the cabinet that food goes in in the house. But, I just haven't gotten that organized yet.


I also write stuff on the calendar also. I use Outlook for everything. I have meals planned out through the middle of April. When I toss something in the freezer, I go to the end of my menu and add it on.