Who Knew?

BACK TO BASICS | by JANNA LUFKIN

NOVEMBER IS NATIONAL CLEAN OUT YOUR FRIDGE MONTH ― WHOOPEE!

Actually, I didn’t know this either, until I was talking with with my cousin, with whom I write the That’s Neat Organizing blog. I had just finished cleaning out my refrigerator/freezer and was gloating about how great it looked and felt to have this often put-off task completed. It was then that she informed me November is dedicated to the discovery of the icky, sticky, gooey and furry. I was ahead of the game!

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If you think about it, stuffing the turkey can take on a whole new meaning as you’re trying to make room for it in your already over-stuffed fridge, so do this task as soon as you can.

Another project I’d been meaning to get to for some time was to create a Freezer Inventory Log. Honestly, for someone who is perceived as being “so organized”, this one had slipped by for years.

My freezer log started out as nothing fancy: A small, re-purposed three-ring binder. I added a couple of dividers (I have a fridge/freezer in my garage too), then divided the binder into Inside and Outside categories.

I made a list of the items in each freezer, divided it alphabetically and by types of foods. For instance; Baking, Breads, Fruit, Meats (which are divided by types), and so on. I added the date each item was purchased by each entry. Note: Keep a marker by your fridge/freezer and write the date purchased on each item before putting it away.

It’s as simple as that. BTW, once I had my “hard copy” finished I quickly realized I could just keep the log on my computer desktop.

I can’t tell you how much we’ve managed to eat up this month. Diver scallops ― yum!