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The Heart of the Kitchen
by Alice Osborne
 Kitchen Activity is Easier if the INSIDE of the Fridge is Organized!
Get rid of the clutter in the refrigerator by starting at the grocery store, washing veggies carefully and making shelves and partitions, and using clever containers and other tools to help avoid spills and accommodate smart stacking:
Tips for grocery shopping
Be conscious of the quantities you're buying. We often buy far too much of a perishable item without thinking of when we'll consume it.
Watch the warehouse shopping. Saving money is great, but purchasing in bulk is usually better kept to dry goods.
Washing your veggies
 When vegetables come back from the store, they're covered in bacteria that speed their decay. Washing them in a sink filled with water and a half-cup of hydrogen peroxide before storing will extend their life. Drain well.
When you store these items, always do so in a resealable plastic bag, which in many cases can be washed and reused. OR, we like the large plastic containers with lids that organize salad greens come in (Costco is our source for these).
Covering shelves with Plexiglas
 Shelves are often the dirtiest part of the fridge because they can accumulate grime over the years from sticky spills.
Other fridge shelves are made of wire that causes some items to fall over.
Measure the interior of your fridge and take the measurements to the hardware store where the Plexiglas can be cut to form. These are so easy to clean. We just pop them in the dishwasher once or twice a month.
Other tips
 Buy a small magnetic dry-erase board for the exterior of your fridge. Use it to keep track of the perishables inside, write expiration dates for individual items and post a list of snack items for your children. You can also post items inside that are designated for recipes, and therefore are not up for grabs.
 You can use the same turntable you use in your cupboards to help organize the inside of your fridge!
 The freezer usually has little or no shelving, which leads to containers being piled aimlessly on top of each other. Use wire racks and shelves to compartmentalize and organize it. (The Container Store, the storage section of Home Depot, and the housewares dept. of Walmart are good places to start looking for these.)
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