Organize and arrange fridge
I can hardly judge if this tip is trivial and everyone does it anyway, or if it really helps someone.
Although I'm a pretty decent person, for years I did not think about keeping my fridge clean and consistent. Each family member has more or less arbitrarily put things in the closet, and no one had the overview. After cleaning it was okay, for a few days, but then ... Until one day it annoyed me and I decided that it would be different.
So I have the compartments of the (not very large) refrigerator reserved for certain foods and consistent only granted. I explained the principle to the family, but did not annoy her. If children and men put something in the wrong place, I silently put it to the right place. After a while, everybody got it. Today, everyone automatically puts things in their place, and everyone knows where they find something.
For me, the seasoning sauces and utensils necessary for cooking, such as tomato paste, are right at the top of the top shelf.
On the second shelf are things that belong on the table: spreads, butter, cream cheese, cheese, sausage and so on. I have sweet and salty separated, so jams on one side, salty things on the other side.
On the third shelf yogurts, desserts and sweet desserts.
On the fourth drinks and leftovers are housed in plastic pseudo-Tupperdosen. In addition, vegetables that do not fit into the drawers below.
And then at the bottom these drawers.
Cream and butter with creme fraiche are in a compartment in the fridge door.
Since I've sorted my fridge so by function and every thing has its place, it's also much easier to make the shopping list. At a glance, I see if there is any pesto or peach yoghurt or plum jam.
Also the fridge cleaning is much easier, because I can save myself the cleaning up and sorting. I just empty a shelf, clean it quickly, put it back in and lock it in. Nothing is more with rearrangement, etc. I do not have to do the whole refrigerator at once, but if a shelf needs it, I can quickly put in the cleaning. Not a big deal. Every week a shelf, and the fridge is always neat and clean.
Of course, I put new things, as other tips already indicate, always behind the older stuff, so that the first get away. Vegetables never in bags, I clear a lot in bowl or punch, ready for processing. I take off superfluous packaging. And I keep sesame, pine nuts, grated cheese, etc. in the freezer, where they just keep better.
As I said, maybe everybody does it anyway ... but for me the organization principle "things with a related function belong together" has become the motto in the whole household. And therefore also in the fridge.
