31 days to {a better} ordinary :: day 18 ~ clean fridge

I have a love-hate relationship with my refrigerator. I love the story of how we came to own it and that it's a constant reminder of God's provision. But I hate how small it is, even though it's perfect for our space. Maybe I should hate the space instead of the fridge? Whatever. The fact is, it's a bit small for our family of big eaters.


One of the best ways to combat the size issue (and save money) is to keep it cleaned out and organized. Now, I'm not one of those people who expects to have color coded containers stacked according to food group on top of spotless shelves. Not gonna happen at our house. But using the fridge to store food we're never going to eat isn't a good idea either.


In the past, I would see the dish of leftover chicken on the shelf, realize that it was just barely too old for me to feel comfortable serving (I'm funny about any food that might possibly be past it's prime), and leave it there just in case someone wanted to eat it. WHY??? So someone might eat the food that could be spoiled? Because it would get better with age? Since it could somehow be less of a waste as time went on?


Recently, I've been applying my clean as you go philosophy to the refrigerator. It's been amazingly helpful. Basically, if I see something lingering in the fridge that I know needs thrown away, I toss it into the trash right then. Revolutionary, right?

So maybe it isn't life changing, but it sure has been refrigerator changing. I can see what food we have that's still edible, and I don't even have to spend a chunk of time dealing with yucky, expired foods. Love it.

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Related posts:

1. A Frugal Fridge
2. Muffin Tin Lunch
3. Lessons from a Refrigerator