Clean out the refrigerator before you put away your groceries

Have you ever found leftovers shoved in the back of the refrigerator and forgotten for weeks? Um, me neither. OK, so I have. But not for a very long time, because we have a simple system for clearing out the old stuff these days.

Every week before we go to the grocery store, we clean out the refrigerator. We check all expiration dates, get rid of uneaten leftovers from the week before, and make room for the new groceries.

Not only does this ensure the removal of dated food, it also eases the process of putting groceries away when we return from the grocery store. Because we’ve already shifted and organized everything, it’s easy to fit all of the week’s groceries. It’s also a good opportunity to take stock of your freezer and condiment inventory and make additions to the grocery list if necessary.

Putting away groceries is a lot less stressful when we’re not trying to make space in the refrigerator at the same time.

Looking for more kitchen organization ideas? Check out this week’s Works for Me Wednesday carnival at Rocks in my Dryer.

5 thoughts on “Clean out the refrigerator before you put away your groceries

  1. Kacie

    I try to do this, too. It’s easier to clean out a semi-empty fridge!

    It’s also helpful because you can quickly add things to your list that you might have forgotten, like a bottle of salad dressing or something that you don’t buy often.

  2. susan2009

    Oh, I needed this reminded. I used to do this when I had kiddos at home. Even though I buy fewer grocereies, I still need to do this. Thansk for the reminder.

  3. kittyhox

    I do this to and it saves my sanity! I always find something that I was about to buy more of or something that is about to run out that I need to add to the list. And it’s so nice to come home and have an organized fridge for unloading groceries. I also try to tidy my cupboards at the same time.

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