TIP #8 – KEEP A CLEAN FRIDGE AND KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE ON HAND
I had to laugh the day I read Annie’s definition of a “Forgeterator.” That’s exactly what can happen to my Fridge, if I’m not careful. I always swear there’s some kind of “black hole” that food slips into and then re-appears right after it expires.
There are several benefits, aside from health reasons, of why it’s good to keep a clean fridge. The obvious one is so that you don’t let foods expire. But one of the most important reasons is so that you know what leftovers you have and work them into your weekly meals.
Being a stockpiler, my fridge can sometimes look like my pantry…full! I started to not only keep one specific area for leftovers but I also write them down on a paper when I put them in the fridge. I then cross them off when I use them. It works out great on those nights when you are like, hmmm, is there anything easy I can fix…oh yeah, supper from two nights ago!
Another benefit of keeping a clean fridge is reduced stress after shopping trips! 🙂 We’ve all done it. We bought up a bunch of good deals. We come home and then we’re like, OK, where is all of this going to fit? I do my best to always clean out my fridge the night before a planned shopping trip. Then I get home, throw everything on the table for a quick picture and boom, in the fridge they go. Having it cleaned ahead of time can also help you avoid buying too many deals that you don’t have the fridge space for.
And the last benefit of keeping a clean fridge is so that you know when you are getting low on something. You don’t know how many times I thought I had Ketchup, cream cheese, butter or sour cream, only to find out there isn’t any. (Or else, it’s dropped off into that black hole!)
All of these reasons helps you save $$ in the long run and stretches your grocery budget a little further.