Do you have stuff in your freezer that's taking up a lot of room, making you unable to get to the things that you need right away? Do you forget what you have in your freezer because you can't see it? If so, then it's time to organize!
When it comes to organizing your freezer, the first thing you need to do is clean it out. Go through the contents and throw away everything that is freezer burned or otherwise unusable. This goes for large bags of French fries that only have a handful left in the bag. (Might be a good time to make yourself a snack!)
Next, you need to come up with a plan to put the rest of the stuff back in. If you have some things that have been opened but are still good then try removing them from their boxes and placing them in freezer bags instead. This works particularly well for popsicles.
Now you can start organizing the stuff you have left. Think of your freezer in terms of planning a meal. Keep your meats, your sides, and your vegetables together. On one side of your freezer (or one shelf) try stacking your poultry, fish, beef, etc. On the other, stack your frozen peas, French fries, and broccoli. For the remainder of your space, put "fast" foods and snacks together such as pizzas, Hot Pockets, ice cream, etc.
If you're the type of person who buys in bulk and ends up getting a package of 20 chicken drumsticks even though you only have a family of 3, open the package when you get home and divide it. Place however many drumsticks your family will eat at once into separate freezer bags. The bags themselves are generally easier to store than the large packages. That way, you won't have to thaw the whole thing the next time you want to cook chicken, you'll just have to thaw the portion that you're actually going to cook.
Note: Remember that when you're thawing your meats it's always safer to thaw them in your refrigerator overnight or in a microwave than to place them on your kitchen counter and let them thaw at room temperature.
About The Author: Rebecca Patrick-Howard is ThriftyFun's organizing expert. Click here to ask an organizing question.
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As part of of our New Years resolutions my husband and I worked together to regain control of the pantry and freezer. We went through everything and listed it all on a spreadsheet, including the expiration dates and location of the food (top shelf left-pantry; bottom shelf right-deep freeze, etc).
We printed it out and I keep it in the binder I use for a day planner-organiser. It really helps when planning meals and the grocery list. Maybe the best part is that a lot of the meals are being planned using foods already in the pantry and freezer, our grocery bill is going to be considerably smaller as we work through the contents:)
If you have a chest freezer, check to see if a milk crate will fit inside. We have enough room in our freezer for 4 milk crates stacked 2 high with room on the side for a couple of turkeys and or whole chickens. We can slide pizzas, pie crusts and other thin items in front or behind the milk crates.
Then we designate each crate for pork, beef, chicken and veggies. It keeps the freezer organized and allows easier access by lifting out a crate instead of digging. It is also easy to see what types of meat you need when you make your shopping list.
Also, in reference to the "chicken legs"... put each piece into a sandwich bag and freeze it overnight. Then put all the pieces into one bag and you can take out as many pieces as you need. Also works great for fish fillets.
I needed to organize the freezer and cleaned out old stuff, freezer burned things, etc. When I started to put things back in the freezer, I took large ziplock bags and put in the small, similar items, like personal size pizzas, nuts used for baking, etc. It helped to have them in one spot instead of throughout the freezer. I, then, decided one shelf (this is for the refrigerator freezer) would be for meats, and the other for vegetables. It solved the issue of having to root through the freezer to find items. Ice cream, snack items, etc. shared the vegetable shelf. I was able to use things up quicker and efficiently and not have so much waste.
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