I’ve lived in my new home for almost a year and realized I have never really officially organized my freezer drawer. It helps that I have a giant freezer out in the garage, but I think it’s about high time I came up with an actual system of organization for my freezer! You may not have a bottom freezer drawer like I do, but regardless of what kind of freezer you have- an organized freezer is never a bad thing:). It saves so much sanity when trying to find things ;), and it’s much easier to make sure that food gets used up before going bad.

So where to even begin with freezer organization?

I think the most important place to start is to recognize how often you use particular foods and making sure those are the most accessible. If you’re a smoothie lover and make one every morning for breakfast, it might be wise to keep all your smoothie ingredients in one place that’s easily accessible, such as the top drawer in a bottom drawer freezer, or the top shelf in a side by side. If you have chicken for dinner every night, make sure the chicken is easy to reach.

Another important thing is to label EVERYTHING! Things you buy from the grocery store like frozen vegetables and ice cream aren’t a problem, but anything you bag or wrap at home needs to be labeled! Keep a Sharpie near the freezer so you never have to look around for one. When you wrap meats in freezer paper, label it with what’s inside as well as the date, so you know how long it’s been in your freezer and when you should use it by. Same goes for anything you may put in a baggie or tupperware- chopped bell peppers, fresh strawberries, extra frosting- label and date everything.

I also love the concept of bins. I think sometimes we limit ourselves with organization because we forget that there’s tools out there we can use- like cute bins for our freezers! :) Look for containers that are plastic and easy to clean- and bonus points if it’s something cute that you love! Bins can help separate things even more, making it easier to find items in the freezer. Which saves sanity, time, AND money :). A great way to utilize those bins is to take things out of boxes! Whether it’s chicken nuggets, Eggos, or Creamies, if the food is packaged in a plastic bag, why keep it in the box? Throw it out and use a bin instead to save a lot of space and to keep things organized and neat!

If you’re really into organization, it might not be a bad idea to keep a running list of everything you have in your freezer. You can keep a notebook, a piece of paper on a clipboard, or use one of many list apps, but keeping a running list of what you have in the freezer can potentially save you a lot of money in the future- how often do we buy things that we didn’t realize we already had- it was just sitting in the back of our freezer? I know I’m guilty;). Keeping a running (and updated!) list of what’s in the freezer can help with this :).

The last tip I have is to schedule time regularly to re-organize and clean out your freezer. If you’re doing this regularly, it should never be too big a chore, but making sure that you’re regularly cleaning out your freezer will make sure that it never gets too nasty, and you’ll be able to stay on top of your organization system, as well as see what meats/veggies are close to expiring.

What other tips would you guys give each other to help with freezer organization? I’d love to hear your thoughts!