Get ready for winter hibernating by organizing your freezer(s) and creating a freezer inventory list. Links to free printables below.
This is a dumb post.
Like dumb because everyone has to do it at some point, and I’m not really ‘inventing the wheel’ with any dramatic insights or prize-worthy ideas,
BUT
I’m feeling pretty chuffed with myself, so I’m going to share it anyways.
Waaaaaaaay back in 2015 I shared a blog post on organizing your freezer. I wasn’t showing any neat organizing containers or anything, just a way to keep an inventory of what was inside my chest freezer.
My solution was to create a freezer inventory list right on top of the freezer lid.
It worked…
but only if I went to the basement before grocery shopping or meal planning to find out what I had.
Which I never did.
So the list on my deep freeze never changed because I never really removed anything, and I definitely never updated the list.
If you like this idea and think it will work for you, then using a dry erase marker on your freezer surface is all I did. Alternatively, That’s what it is all about, attached a white board to her freezer to keep track.
Honestly, with that handwriting I’d be listing stuff on appliances everywhere.
This past week the weather turned cooler, and my nesting kicked in – where I suddenly feel the urge to stockpile food in the freezers ready for winter. I like to put away different homemade soups, jams, and shepherds pies – but I had no idea what I had in stock already.
Out came the coolers to store the food, and the kettle to clean off the massive iceberg that had grown since my last freezer inventory (which I believe was in 2019 🤦🏻♀️).
I wrote down everything on a piece of paper as I tucked it back into place and then moved on to the next freezer.
Yes, I have 3 freezers; a small chest freezer in the basement, the freezer in my kitchen fridge, and a third freezer that is part of an old fridge we inherited from my parents.
I had shit everywhere!
And no idea what or how much.
For instance, I’m down to my last four servings of my Aunty Edie’s chili and homemade spaghetti sauce. All of my shepherds pies were completely freezer-burned, and the soup I was worried I was all out of – my Mum’s cream of tomato – I actually had dozens of containers of (Woohoo!!)
I created a freezer inventory list that separated out what was in each freezer and then printed it out – I wanted it to be pretty since it will likely hang on my fridge all year.
The handwritten list is my fridge-freezer contents. There didn’t seem much point typing that one up since it’s our primary go-to and will change frequently. The other list I can just add tick marks to show how many items I’ve pulled out and used.
I told you this wasn’t a brilliant idea post, but organizing my freezer (s) feels so much better!
I won’t overbuy or waste anything, I can meal-plan around what I have on-hand already – which is a surprising amount – and I’ve created space just by keeping like with like.
I’m so happy!
Yes, I 100% need to get a life! lol
To help you with organizing your freezer, I’m going to share some links to BRILLIANT women who have come up with free printables you can use for your inventory lists:
The Savvy Sparrow offers this free printable and even had the brilliant idea to laminate her list so she could use a dry-erase marker on it!
Thermomix Diva Recipes offers this free freezer inventory printable – which I really like because it has tally boxes with it:
If you like organizing your freezer contents by groups, The Organized Housewife has a free freezer inventory list that is sectioned:
I also like that she has “date frozen” versus “use by”; once something is frozen you can keep it forever can’t you?
Maybe I’m wrong?
If you have a large chest freezer (mine is just a 48 incher), then you likely have a LOT of food tucked away.
Scattered Squirrel created a free printable for your freezer AND pantry that has room for three dozen different items on it:
Finally, if you are a no-frills kinda person – then this “get to the point” minimalist freezer inventory printable by Pjs and Paint might be up your alley:
That’s it – my Sunday accomplishment and a shared idea (as dumb as it is) that you might find worthwhile.
I’m going to go eat one of the 30 containers of tomato soup I just found. 😂
Have a great one!