Organization Palooza Day 1: Refrigerator

How goes Day 1 of Organization Palooza? 
Yeah I went ahead and named our tidying spree. Why not right? I've deemed it motivating. And...Go!
So seriously, how goes it friend? Have you gotten started? Any lists made? Organization under way? I certainly hope so. Because let me tell you it feels good to get organized! Who knew? {Well actually I did. Guilty. Prioritizing the sun can get the best of me every time.}
If you are wondering what in heavens name I am rambling about, and why you are about to see the inside of my fridge, do check out yesterdays post. I am taking control of my house - a space a day. I hope you will join in.
So lets check in on the list.

1. Fridge
2. Main Floor Bath Linen Closet {aka. Hodgepodge Storage}
3. Laundry Room
4. Garage
5. Master Closet
6. Spare Room Closet

I opted to start small. You know, to get the motivation flowing. So the fridge was the first to get tackled. Also, it was compost pick up day so it made the most sense. 

Maybe you are one of those people that keeps on top of cleaning out the fridge. Good for you! Take a look around your house and see if there is another smaller job that you could start out with. But, if you are anything like me and it gets ignored until overflowing with outdated foods this is a great job to start with. It will likely overflow into the rest of your kitchen when you get the cleaning/organizing bug.

So take a look. The difference that can be done in under an hour is remarkable. I feel lighter already. 

What do you think? Huh? Huh?

Not too shabby if I do say so myself.

Now I know this isn't rocket science. Anyone and everyone can clean a fridge. And I didn't do anything  out of this world with bins or labelling. Which means FREE. But I did make some simple changes that should help the fridge be more functional as far as our household is concerned.

First things first, I emptied that bad boy. Then gave everything a good wipe down.

The drawers came out and got a wash in the sink. The walls and shelves thoroughly scrubbed. 

Condiments were checked for past due expiration dates then organized by function {dressings, summer BBQ, pizza toppings, etc.}. 

Then it was time to address the rest of the goods. Our fridge has four top shelves to work with so I started there. 

Before, the beverages were on the top shelf, which I think is standard fridge organization, but I opted to switch them to the lowest shelf. My reasoning: beverages are easy to keep track of. I generally know what we buy - milk, juice, wine, the occasional pop, and Sarah's vegan options - and it is easy to quickly glance in and see what we need. They don't tend to get lost, forgotten, and therefore unused.

With the beverages taken care of, I was left with three open shelves. So I surveyed the remaining goods and separated into three categories: breakfast items, snacks, and leftovers.

I am the queen of leftovers. If anything is ever leftover it goes in a tupperware and is stashed in the fridge. Only to be forgotten and discovered in a mouldy state weeks later. But now that they are a little higher, closer to eye level, I wont have to go searching for them and they may get eaten up. Here's to  hoping!

The breakfast shelf holds the jams, natural peanut butter, eggs, and bread for the warm summer months {typically it goes in the breakfast bin in the pantry}. And the snack shelf is self explanatory.

The lower half of the fridge has three drawers which is where I store fruit, veggies, meats, and cheese items. 

I kept the same system as before but switched drawers for the veggies and fruit because the bottom drawer is smaller and this time of year we tend to have more fruit in the house.

The meat and cheese are in one drawer but separated off to opposite sides. 

And that is that. 

There is no one way to organize. No right and wrong. No black and white. Which is why I love it so. 

As most of my life philosophies, organization falls in the grey. Varying based on interpretation and function. How do you live in each space of your home. What is your lifestyle. Just because one approach looks good and works for someone else doesn't automatically mean it will work for you. 

Which is why organization is never finished. If something isn't working for you, as clearly my fridge was not working with me, change it. Tweak it. Take a slightly different approach. Or a dramatic change. Whatever it takes to get your house on track to help serve you and your family to the best of its ability. 

It won't happen all at once. But baby steps will eventually get you where you want to go - a happy healthy place to call home.

Happy Organization Palooza Day 1!

Send along your progress! 

Chat soon.