Makeover Day!

As you may recall, our beloved (not old) fridge died suddenly. While we were able to get a fridge to use while it was waiting for repair, and are exceedingly grateful to have it, it is not the most user-friendly fridge. Because ours is still waiting for repair- the part is backordered until the end of February- I decided to give the fridge a makeover.
If you have a basic fridge without a lot of good storage options, maybe my search for betterment will help you too!
​Before:

After:

​Some quick suggestions on a fridge and freezer makeover:

• Before you buy a storage solution, determine your needs!
• Dollar Stores are your cheapest and likely best solution if you must buy- but see what you have lying around the house first
• Rubber Feet are important to help baskets stay in your door
• Use packing tape only if necessary
• Consider your use of the space- put things you use often near the front of your fridge and freezer, and the lesser-reached for things near the back
• Stacking can be a superpower if it doesn't make it awkward to grab what's underneath- think "Functional" first.

If you want to walk through my fridge and freezer with me, I'll give you a quick rundown of why I corralled things as I did.  The door is the biggest improvement, I think.

Two of the shelves had lost their stoppers, so things couldn't really be kept in the door without them falling out. Dollarama baskets + rubber feet + packing tape kept those baskets in place. I use it for things we don't use too often, like the many bottles of hot sauce we keep collecting, and our salad dressings.

I found the vegetable and fruit compartments in this fridge significantly lacking in space, so I added a basket to help keep the apples in place with the berries, and grapefruit happily sits under the butter compartment. (Yes, I know that's a lot of butter. I had planned on baking at Christmas, but didn't.) 

In the main fridge itself, adding a shelf and a basket to help store some items and use the vertical space available made a massive difference for us. We don't often eat condiments but we seem to have a lot, and they need a home. The upper basket holds jam, ketchup, mustard, and salad dressing. The lower holds what we use more often- cream, yogurt, and pickles. Allowing milk and juice to hang out on one side helps everyone know where the beverages are.

Underneath my fruit compartment is my leftovers, meal starters to get into the freezer, and a grease can. More condiments on the back of that shelf, and the already-prepped beginnings of tonight's dinner are on the right.
The lower shelf isn't very tall, but it's deep. Things can get lost in the back so everything on that shelf is out in the front. Earlier in the week that's the shelf I used to defrost my food, behind everything fresh. In one basket are salad greens and snap peas, and in the other the yogurt my kids love as well as my jar of yeast- I don't use it often, so it's ok behind everything else.

The freezer is much better now too. It's hard to know what you're looking at, right? The top basket on the left holds my already cooked meal starters and lunch items. The middle and right one holds purees for baking. I guess I should do some of that baking, eh?

Under the main shelf are vegetables, prepared meals (shepherds pie, chili, and meat sauce), Grana Padano chunks, and berries.

Hopefully I've inspired you to organize your fridge and freezer. If you're tired of not knowing where anything is, this may be the key to sorting out your frustration!

All the best today, friends!
​Stacy