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I’m a firm believer in meal planning as a great basis for a thrifty lifestyle and having a clean, organised fridge keeps things ticking over just that bit easier. Our fridge is a small under the counter jobbie which came with the flat. It’s small and requires crouching down/sitting on the floor to get a good look inside. I want it to be organised, not glossy-ooh-pin-this-quickly-it-is-so-pretty organised but useful and easy to use. My tips are below but I’ve also made a quick video chattering away about what is in my fridge and how we do things a Thrifty Towers. If you can’t view the embedded version you can click over to my YouTube channel to watch it there. Subscribe to my channel (it’s free) to be updated when I publish a new video.
Cleaning a Fridge
– Wipe spills and splashes as and when they happen.
– Give the inside of the fridge a wipe down with a mixture of white vinegar and bicarbonate of soda once a week.
– Take all of the shelves and drawers out once a week or once a fortnight and wash with hot water and washing up liquid. Do the same with the grooves and fittings. Clean the door seal with a paste of bicarbonate of soda and water using an old toothbrush.
– Place an open small pot of bicarbonate of soda in the back of the fridge to keep it smelling fresh. Stir weekly and replace monthly.
– We have a few flexible chopping boards from Ikea (these ones) which we use to line the fridge shelves if we are placing in very ‘drippy’ items. They are easy to remove and wash.
Organising a Fridge
– Keep like with like. Our cheese is all kept together, sandwich meats in the same area and fresh meat is kept together for ease of use and also so it is unable to drip onto other items.
– Make it easy to grab at things. We use baskets and trays to we can pull things out.
– Make sure not over stuff your fridge as it can become inefficient.
– Know what not to store in a best fridge (see below).
– Keep open items in sealed containers.
– If you’re decanting items make sure they are well labeled – I often use these stickers with a cheap but always useful chalkboard pen.
What we don’t Store in our Fridge
– Bread. We don’t live in a warm environment it isn’t needed.
– Fruit and vegetables. (with the exception of a few things like berries, leaves, peppers and chopped or peeled items). It doesn’t go off easily and it takes up valuable space, we keep our fruit in a bowl in our dining area and our veg in cool (but not cold) dark place.
– Good cheese. We’ll happily keep cheese for sandwiches in the fridge but we keep really lovely cheeses on a cheese dish in our dining area because refrigerating certain cheeses can actually spoil their flavour. We tend to eat it for a main meal so it is eaten quickly.
– Eggs. Eggs take on other smells and fridges are full of smells. Mmm onion-y cake anyone? Plus the quality degenerates very quickly. We buy in small amounts, store in a cool and dark place and use quickly.
– Preserves/jams/ketchups/mustards etc. I know this causes a lot of debate but we’re of the ‘keep it in the cupboard’ camp here at Thrifty Towers – well, mostly. Cold HP Sauce? Oh hell no. Salad dressings and fresh sauces dressings which go off quickly are of course kept in the fridge.
– Butter. Butter stays in a butter dish on the table apart from in very, very hot weather. Butter alternatives stay in the fridge.
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