1. If your fridge is not equipped with enough drawers for your food habits, create your own drawer. Buy long narrow plastic bins that run the depth of your shelf. Place all of your cheeses into one container with lunchmeats next to the cheese in a similar container.

2. If you have more condiments than space in your doors, keep the most frequently used condiments in the door and store the remaining sauces together towards the back on your shortest shelf.

3. Beverages follow a similar pattern. Keep a few in the door and the rest clustered together on the top and back of the tallest shelf, which is generally the coldest zone. If you mix your own juices, keep this decanter next to the other bottles and jugs.

4. Create spaces for “like with like” for instance, dairy with dairy, meat with meat and so on.

5. Leftovers and prepared foods should have their own zone on a short shelf at eye level. This way, they are more likely to be seen and eaten. The short shelf makes it less likely that other items will be piled on top.

6. Use square or rectangular plastic storage containers for the fridge, Round bowls create wasted space and do not stack or fit well side-by-side.

7. If your family eats more than a dozen eggs per week, consider forgoing the egg container provided by the refrigerator manufacturer. Instead, stack your eggs in their original lidded crates on the short shelf beside the cheese and meat bins. A bonus: Your eggs stay fresh longer in their original container.

8. To create long-lasting order, mimic your favorite grocery store departments. This organizational habit will make it easier for you and your family to remember where to find and return items in your refrigerator.

9. For quick snacks, keep a bowl of peeled carrots, cut celery or other healthy foods on the front of the shelf nearest eye level. This tactic might distract the hungry hands that normally root around and rearrange the fridge.

10. Organize and clean out your fridge every week before you buy groceries. This makes it easier to create a shopping list and makes restocking a snap because containers will be at a minimum and space at maximum.

Bonus Report:

5 Freezer Organizing Tips

1. Stack flat boxes together in the freezer.

2. Save space by storing frozen leftovers in square or rectangular containers.

3. Store cans with cans, Juices with juices, ice cream with ice cream and so on.

4. Store your frozen vegetable bags in the door whenever possible. If you have more bags than door space, consider storing them in a deep plastic bin. They will stack and you will avoid the hazard of bags toppling out of the freezer when you open the door.

5. If you make smoothies regularly, store your frozen fruits in a long narrow plastic bin in the freezer to keep the sticky fruit residue off of the kitchen counter and the freezer shelf. It also makes it easy to grab all ingredients with little effort.

by Kathi Burns - addSpace To Your Life!^TM,
a Professional Organizing and Image Consulting Agency
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Dear Kathi,

I have a small refrigerator and am constantly losing things in my refrigerator. I often buy items that I already have on hand. The worst part is trying to get my family to eat the oldest item first when I accidentally purchase a duplicate refrigerated item. What is the easiest thing to do when this happens? It seems that they always gravitate to the newest item when given the choice of two! Or better yet, how can I stop buying accidental duplicates?

Maria, San Marcos

Maria,

Begin by creating a master list of staples that you buy on a regular basis. You might want to make the list according to the aisles in your favorite grocery store. Keep a copy of this list on your refrigerator door at all times.

As you or your family members use the last of a product, add a checkmark to that item on the list. This will save you time every week as you are deciding what to buy. Before you head to the store, clear the fridge, make room for the new groceries, and take note of what items you need to add to your list.

If you have a small refrigerator, you need to spend time keeping it organized and optimized. The smaller the fridge, the more time you will spend. A great new habit for you would be to check your fridge and clear it out before you go shopping. If you clear out all of the old leftovers that are past their prime and consolidate half- used jars, you will have a much better understanding of what items you need. This is also the easiest time to give the fridge a quick wipe down.

When you return home from the grocery, you will have space set aside to load your items right into the fridge, without first needing to move other items out of the way. If you have duplicates, place the newer items toward the back of the shelf.

It helps to store leftovers in see-through plastic ware. This way, you can see what is in each bin without spending the time to open and look inside. Chose plastic ware that is square or rectangle for optimum space savings.

Group items like with like; beverages with beverages, condiments with condiment, and so on. If you don’t have a separate drawer for certain groupings like meats and cheeses, use an open rectangular bin that is narrow and as long as the shelf it will live on.

Install a lazy susan or carousel on one of your short shelves. Condiments can be found at a spin when you need them and you will no longer have to shuffle jars around to find your favorite mustard. If space prohibits a carousel, group your smaller jars together in a shallow long Tupperware container. This way, when it is time to make a sandwich, you simply pull out the entire tray to choose your condiments.

Please submit your questions to: advice@addspacetoyourlife.com
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San Diego Professional Organizer