One simple thing that can make everyday life feel easier is an organized fridge. So today I’m sharing 5 of my favourite practical organizing picks that help your fridge work harder for you and your family.

How an Organized Fridge Makes Life Easier

When food is visible and zones make sense, meal prep, lunches, snacks, and weeknight dinners become far less of a daily scramble.  Additionally, when you can easily see and access everything you have, you save money because there’s less food waste and duplicate buying.

So, let’s get to my picks, which are all tried-and-true things I use in my own fridge! Please note that this post contains some affiliate links.

Fridge Organizing Favourite #1: Turntables

I hate to pick favourites, but if I had to, I’d say turntables.  I have two in my own fridge and they are game changers!

You can use typical round turntables, but I suggest these rectangular ones.  They have suction cups on the bottom to keep them secure, and their larger size and rectangular shape eliminates wasted corner space that comes with standard round turntables.

The turntable pulls out smoothly and rotates, letting you see everything at a glance. This prevents items from getting lost and expiring in the back of the fridge, and it lets you access everything without shuffling a bunch of things or knocking them over to get what you want.

You can also find them at Ikea, or often at HomeSense, Winners and Marshalls.

Fridge Organizing Favourite #2: Deli Container

If deli meat and/or cheese are constant fixtures in your fridge (like they are in mine), this container is fantastic.  The airtight seal keeps meats and cheeses fresh longer, the split design lets you store two types of meat and/or cheese together while keeping them separate, and the slim profile means it doesn’t take up a lot of space.

It’s a small thing, but I love that I only need to reach for one container to get the meat and cheese I need for my sandwiches.  We also like different flavours of pepperettes and use a second one to keep them together, but separate.

I’ve had mine for years, and the price was lower when I purchased it.  However, it’s not uncommon to see them at HomeSense, Winners and Marshalls.

Fridge Organizing Favourites #3: Drawer Inserts

If your deli drawer is one large space with no dividers like mine, then anything you store in it shuffles and migrates around the drawer, requiring a mini-search every time you need a specific item.   

Drawer dividers create designated “homes” for different categories of items, making it fast and easy to find and retrieve what you need.  And, not to sound like a broken record, easy visibility and accessibility also help reduce food waste and unnecessary duplicate buying (i.e. it saves you money)!

The best drawer inserts depend on the size of your deli drawer and your specific categories, but here is one option that may be right for you and you can also check the Dollar store.  Just be sure to measure your drawer before buying.

Fridge Organizing Favourites #4: The RIGHT Food Storage Containers

Whether for fruits and vegetables, meal prep, or leftovers, food storage containers are typically a must in most kitchens and fridges. Having the right ones for your specific needs and fridge makes a big difference.

So, what do I mean by the right one?  As with drawer inserts, this comes down to your food habits/consumption and the size of your fridge, but one universal tip is that size and shape matter.

Avoid round food storage containers because they waste corner space.  Instead, opt for squares and rectangles that better maximize space.

My fridge is counter-depth, and the pictured long and narrow Biokips fridge storage containers I found at HomeSense are perfect for our needs. Their length takes advantage of the fridge’s depth, so I never lose items in the back, they’re rectangular, so there is no wasted space, and they’re stackable, allowing me to use the vertical space.

We complement them with glass rectangular containers for leftovers.  Again, no wasted corner space and they’re easy to stack. With this combination of containers, we avoid having lots of smaller containers floating around our fridge and getting lost in the back.

Fridge Organizing Favourites #5: Labels

At first glance, it may seem “extra” to add labels to your fridge.  But your fridge is probably one of the most-used spaces by everyone in your house.

Labels create designated “homes” for each food category.  And when everything has a designated home, it’s easier for everyone to find what they’re looking for and return it to where it belongs (no more “Mom, where’s the jam?” or finding the mustard pushed into the corner behind the milk).

Additionally, labels create zones that make it faster and easier to prepare meals, since you’re not searching the whole fridge for your ingredients.  Finally, it’s easier to keep track of what you have and what’s running low at a glance, greatly reducing, wait for it…, unnecessary duplicate purchases and food waste!

 Conclusion

An organized fridge is a simple way to make your everyday a little easier. These five fridge organizing products help your fridge work harder for you and your family by saving time during meal planning and prepping, and saving money by reducing food waste!  And who couldn’t use more time and money???

Do you use any of these in your fridge?  Did I miss your favourite fridge organizing product?  Let me know in the comments.  And if you liked this post, please share it.

Happy organizing!