How organized is your refrigerator? To be honest, my fridge was never really on my mind when I was completing my kitchen organization. I cleaned it out regularly and replaced items as needed but I never considered actually organizing it.

A few years ago, I decided to tackle the fridge as its own project, and let me tell you, the benefits of having an organized fridge are huge! In this post, I’ll share with you my tips on how best to organize your fridge and how to keep it maintained going forward.

The very best time to organize your fridge is the day you do your grocery shopping!

Before you leave – take the time to empty the fridge, toss anything expired, or uneaten leftovers past their dates and bad produce – wipe down the shelves, take note of anything you are out of and add a replacement for it to your shopping list. Before you go to the store or place that online order, make sure to have a well-organized shopping list so you can be sure that you have room for what you are buying and avoid purchasing duplicates of something you already have. Do the same in the freezer, check for freezer burn, old frozen items, and things that are past their prime.

When you return, unpack your groceries, and set the produce off to the side to be handled later. The best and most efficient way to organize a fridge is by sections, like with all organizing projects, grouping like with like is the simplest way to create zones so that you and your family will know exactly what you always have. Samples of zones in the fridge are Drinks, Dairy, Produce, Meat, Leftovers & Condiments. I like to have two additional sections in our fridge; the school lunch area where I keep the yogurt, juice boxes, string cheese, and anything else I typically pack for lunches, and also, I keep one door of the fridge empty to store the family’s water bottles. This keeps the water always cold and the bottles from sitting out on the countertop all day long. Do what is best for your family, think of your daily lifestyle and create zones that make your life easier.

Take items out of their original packaging to create a more organized space. Removing cardboard can really free up a lot of space. Cheese and yogurt, for example, could be opened and stored in a clear bin on one shelf, and condiments can be stored on a turntable at eye level. Use clear bins and baskets wherever you can to group like items together, and labels can be added to help keep the organization consistent. Do the same thing in your freezer. Freezer categories can be things like Dessert, Meat, Freezer Meals, and Fruits / Veggies. Use small bins to contain things- bins with handles work great because you can pull them in and out easily
Once the fridge is separated into zones and everything is put away, you will want to leave two areas open, one for leftovers and one for produce. At this point, a lot of your fruits and vegetables can be washed and cut up and then stored in produce keeper containers for maximum freshness. There are warmer and cooler zones in every fridge and knowing the particular zones of your fridge is important for storing items properly. Keeping fresh fruit and veggies at eye level will help you and your family eat them more especially when they are washed, cut, and ready to go.

There are a few tips to follow to be able to maintain an organized fridge:

Create an EAT FIRST area- these are foods that are close to their expiration date, and you want to make sure they get used up first in either a meal or a snack. I like to put these on my leftover shelf at eye level. I make sure to plan a meal around that particular food for that same evening so I can guarantee that it gets used up. If the fruit is looking funny and can be frozen, I like to pop it in a freezer bag to use in my smoothies.
One in, One Out Rule - sometimes I buy food that I already have and when I do this, I like to put the newest one in the far back of the fridge and the older one near the front of the fridge. This ensures that the older product gets consumed before opening the new one. A good example of this is yogurt, I like to buy large containers of it, so I will sometimes get a new one before the older one is finished up, by lining them up, we always finish the older first.
Don’t Overfill the Fridge- make sure to not overbuy or overfill your fridge. This can cause poor air circulation causing some items to spoil sooner than they should. It also created a mess to keep track of inventory- leading to duplicates and expired products which is ultimately a waste of money.

Benefits of Keeping an Organized Fridge

Save Money- an organized fridge will help you see exactly what you always have so you will be more likely to eat the items in your fridge in a timely manner without having to worry about them going bad and throwing them out
Healthy Habits- creating a healthy snack zone in eyesight and reach of everyone in the family will prompt them to grab something nutritious – fruit, cheese sticks, yogurt, cut-up veggies, hummus, or guacamole cups are just some of the items you can keep in this section
Easier Meal Prep- an organized fridge can allow you to see what you have and plan your meals easier – when you know what needs to be used up you can create your meals around it
Clean up is faster- it’s so much easier to wipe down spills when the fridge is organized, you can move the items quickly out of the way, give it a wipe and then put the items back

Organizing your fridge and freezer is a time-consuming task that will 100% be worth every ounce of effort you put into it. Take the time this weekend, to clean your fridge out, make a detailed list of what you need, create a meal plan for the week, and then restock. Set yourself up for ongoing success!

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience, in which I earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

An Organized Fridge Can Help You Save Money And Eat Healthier