To save space and make extra room in my freezer, I remove the supermarket packaging. I cut out the label, and place the product and label, into a clear "snap lock" type sealed bag. The label tells me the item and date. The bag replaced the packaging which I have found to take up about 30-40% of the space.
Also I separate bulk items into portion packs, each portion is separately bagged. By using the labeled bag last I always know content details of the separated bags.
By Krossova from Melbourne, Australia
This page contains the following solutions.
I was sick of things sliding off each other so I spent about 45 minutes doing this.
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 your bags of frozen foods start getting really tiny, they tend to get crumpled and lost in your freezer, leading to food waste and stale freezer odors. Use binder clips to hang your bags of frozen foods on the rack shelf. Just fold up the bags and clip on the rack from the top.
I've found a way to keep my freezer organized that saves me both time and money. I have plastic bins that fit on the shelves and are labeled as to contents: chicken, beef, fish.
When you freeze leftovers, keep a notepad by the freezer and write down what you have got in there. When you have a "don't know what to cook" moment, you will have inspiration.
The main thing that I have done for my freezers is go to an office store or dollar store and get 'paper' holders. Then I put each filled with separated plastic bags; hamburger, chicken, pork chops, etc. I have done this for many years.
We hang a cork board by the freezer to organize the meat in our freezer. List each type of meat along one side of the board, such as Beef, Chicken, Pork.
I use small meal size containers for berries to go with pancakes or deserts. The first trick is to turn over every second container, so that it's lid rim is down. I get one extra container per row that way.
One great tip I've found very useful is to make a list of what I put in my freezer and place it on the front of my refrigerator with a magnet.
I saw this tip on Thrifty Fun last year and it has really been a big help for me in keeping the food in my chest type freezer separated and organized. I purchased several cloth bags from the grocery store and use them for stacking the vegetables and fruits.
I had a freezer with out the shelf inside. The food, all in different sizes and shapes, would pile up and slide everywhere. I put water in four bottles, found an old soda crate, and put it inside.
I've used shoe boxes and small basins, three on each shelf, to divide my freezer. This still leaves room above the boxes to slide in frozen dishes and pizza.
I always try to have frozen veggies on hand, and often use less than a full bag at a time. To keep from losing these partial bags, I keep a plastic crate in the freezer.
Here are some great food tips for saving money on food by packaging and freezing it:
I got really tired of trying to find things in my freezer. I went to Big Lots and bought some plastic boxes. I stood my bags of meat on end like a file drawer.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
Ideas for organizing an upright freezer. Post your ideas.
It can be challenging to use all the space in an upright freezer. I use inexpensive rectangular plastic dishpans as bins in order to get more on each shelf. I label the dishpans vegetables, meats, etc. This also works well in refrigerator freezers. When I am looking for something, I can pull out the entire container and go through it without having bunches of frozen foods falling out and bouncing off my toes.
By Lynn
I use the shelf helpers and this allows me to more shelf space.
The chest freezers are sold with grilled open bins. They allow the cold air to move in and around and under the stored foods. In the frig the grills are mainly negative space , again for the same reason. In an upright the shelves are grilled. Its best to use baskets with a lot of spaces rather than dish pans or pasteboard boxes. It will cost you less to run the machine, its easier on it. My Dad was in refrigeration business.
To eliminate second guessing on how old food is in the freezer, just write with permanent marker on the bag or use a label and the date and year when you bought it, then when you buy new items put the old ones in the front and the new stuff in the back. This way you won't forget about those items and they will be used up and not forgotten. I do this in my pantry also.
By lizluvs2cook
I purchased plastic bins at the dollar store for keeping in different types of food (one for chicken, another for beef, and a third for "other"...since that is all that will fit on one shelf). I have a different shelf for different foods, which sometimes overlap a bit. (top for meats, second for veggies, third for fruits and desserts, and bottom for breads)
A variation is to use shaker-style (or other sturdy weave and design) baskets - I put fruit in these, and it adds a quaint, eye-pleasing touch to the inside of the fridge.
I find the best way to organize my upright freezer is using seal a meal and line them up like a bookshelf when it comes to leftovers. Labeling them on the side makes it easy to read.. Just one shelf for leftovers , one shelf for older items and one shelf for newer bought items.. Works for me but then there are only 2 of us..
I need ideas for organizing the narrow freezer space in a side-by-side fridge. Is there anywhere that I can get wire baskets or whatever to fit on my freezer shelves, to possibly create drawers or? My freezer shelves are 9 x 17. I have one pull-out shelf that sits 15 inches under a stationary shelf. It is very hard to utilize this space because it is so high and stacked foods come flying out in the front or in the back when I'm trying to get to stuff.
It seems that some kind of bucket/basket to contain the items would at least allow me to pull it forward to get into it. I have a Whirlpool 21.8 cu ft side-by-side. I haven't found any Whirlpool freezer baskets/bins that I can buy.By wondernana
Yes I have nice baskets for my freezer. I got most of mine at the Container Store where they have 2 sizes. I also found that Wal-Mart carries in 1 size. You could first look at their websites. They really make it nice tho to organize frozen foods and you can slide in and out. Now everything is much neater and easy to get at.
Think outside the box! Go to an office supply store for wire mesh baskets or stacking letter file baskets.
Is there a certain way to stack food in your upright freezer? For example, should I put meat on top shelf, ice cream on second shelf, etc.?
By Pat M.
Gosh, I have never heard of a specific recommendation; and will watch to see if others do have one. That said, I like to keep meats together, fruits, vegetables, prepared foods, and the like. I prefer it that way because it makes it easier to keep track of what is in there. As to which particular shelf gets what, for me it has more to do with available space. Because prepared foods tend to come in boxes, they take more space; Bagged and boxed vegetables fit in my door shelves. I use topless cardboard boxes and unused dishpans as 'drawers" for smaller items.
What is really important to me is to make the items easy to find so I can minimize the amount of time my door is open, as my freezer is not frostless! Using boxes and bins let me pull out the bin and close the door while I find what I am looking for.
Always put meat on the very bottom. That way, nothing drips on to anything. I like using the plastic drawer units you can get anywhere. I put bagged veggies and fruit in them, as they are hard to keep their shape. Shredded cheese works good in them, too, and you can label the drawers. Plastic see thru' shoe boxes from the dollar stores work well, too, as they can be stacked.
Also, these items keep the freezer burn problem way down!
Compartmentalizing is the key. I hope this helps!
Here are some food freezing tips. Post your ideas below!
I found out that you can freeze chicken and dressing & the gravy in separate ziplock plastic bags. It's even better than when I first made it,good luck.
This is a page about freezer organization with plastic shoe boxes. Freezers, both refrigerator and chest styles, can quickly become a jumbled mess which can result in waste. One way to organize your frozen food is by using plastic shoe boxes.
ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.
I was rooting around in my freezer the other day and had to throw out some items due to their advanced age.
