Home Organization

Freezer Organization 101

Ohhh, I’m loving Microsoft Excel.  For years I was intimidated by its mysteries but since I’ve started messing around with it – learning tips from my boys -I’m really finding it useful.

This time around I used it for my freezer organization.

First let me begin with the cleaning of the freezer because that was the very beginning of my freezer organization and the beginning seems like a very good place to start. 🙂

Every year around this time I clean my freezers (a chest and upright) because hunting season is just around the corner and having a place to put the meat when it’s brought home is sort of important, I figure.

Now you may wonder, why would anyone need 2 freezers.  Well, I didn’t always have two.  I started off with just the upright but then my mom started supplying me with all kinds of bounty from her garden. She would plant, tend, harvest and the preserve the harvest by freezing and canning everything she raised.  Not only did she do all of that for herself but for me and my 2 sisters.  My mom is simply amazing – but that’s another story.

So my freezer started to fill up with all this wonderful bounty and then about that time, we got bugs in our grains  (I buy bulk.)  and I decided there was no way I was going to grind up those bugs in my grain mill and use it for cooking.  So the grains were tossed and I bought a new bag.  Same problem.  That’s when I decided I needed a chest freezer to store my grains.  Not only will my grains be kept bug free but they will remain fresh.

A chest freezer was purchased with the intent of storing grains but over the years it has also become the place where we put our elk/deer/antelope meat.  The meat is starting to take up a little too much room as it now owns about 2/3 of the space.

When I started cleaning the chest it looked like this on top. Of course, that is the very worst thing about a chest freezer – you have to dig for items.  I didn’t get a picture of when I took the baskets off the top so you’ll never know what it looked like underneath.  Dreadful realization, I know. 🙂

freezer organization1.  The first thing I did was empty every single thing out of the freezer and group like items together.

2.  Then I vacuumed up any spilt grains, removed the ice build-up and vacuumed up the water that had gathered in the bottom.

3.  I wiped down the interior.

4.  Then my son and I got down to business.

5.  I used a wonderful and simple organizing sheet from Simple Productivity Blog that can be downloaded if you go to the above link.  I’ve looked at different freezer organizational charts before but I think the difference here is that LJ of Simple Productivity blog  explained how to use it.  I never said I was a rocket scientist, folks.  I need things ex–plainnnn–ed!  LJ’s suggestion that really made the light bulb come on for me is to put a diagonal slash through the box for every item you have in your freezer and then complete the x when you take the item out and use it.

Crates Are Wonderful for Organizing a Chest Freezer

6.  All of our meats were then separated by type and placed in crates.  Something new I’m doing this year was to number the crates and then I wrote on a separate sheet of paper what type of meat was in each numbered bin.

See the 4 at the top of the crate?

freezer organization

 

 

 

 

 

7.  Toss anything that is freezer burnt.  My chickens loved the few packages of meat I gave them.

8.  This step took me the longest because I decided to place many of my smaller bags of grains, legumes, etc. into containers.  I’m hoping for no more spills from bags splitting because they can’t hold up in the freezer.  The part that I’m a little unsure about is whether there will be any breakage from the glass jars or if they’re sturdy enough to withstand any jostling they might get.  I did use some plastic containers I had on hand, too.

freezer organization

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then I went to Excel and I made the same type of form that LJ of Simple Productivity Blog had designed.  The reason I made one of my own was because I couldn’t figure out how to write on hers using the computer.

Now everything is typed up and I can tweak things around if I need to without writing my whole list over again (not that I would do that anyways).  It’s in alphabetical order according to its kind.  For instance under Grains I have in alphabetical order: Amaranth, Hard Red Wheat, Hard White Wheat, etc.

Here’s the first page of my “What’s in the Freezer?  inventory list.

freezer organization

Now I know exactly how many roasts I have left. Before if i didn’t see anything on top or after digging a little while, I would assume we were getting very low or were out. Now I’ll be able to look at my inventory list. It’s another step in the whole getting organized plan.

Organization happens one step at a time.

It can be a slow process sometimes but even if we take one idea and make it work for us over a long period, that’s one thing that we’ll have down pat and it will become a habit to do.

Good habits are wonderful because they require no real effort.  Why?  Because we now do that task unconsciouslyor without great thought.  It has become a habit.

 

Joining up with The Homestead Barn Hop #27

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8 Comments

  • Lily Pyatskowit

    I had been procrastinating in the worst way, but as usual, you inspired me! We have one small and one large chest freezer and the only item anyone could find in them was CORN! (It was everywhere.) The cleaning was not quite as simple as yours sounded…a split bag of apple cider mixed with some spilled flour complicated matters as did the 2 inches of ice clinging to the sides…BUT…it is now sparkling clean and organized. Granted, we will either have to eat an awful lot of veggies or buy a new freezer in order to have space for our hunting season, but it’s nice to know what and where everything is.

    I had made an inventory list a couple of years ago, but forgot that it was lost on our old computer, so your link was very helpful in making a new one. Excel is a very dear friend of mine!

    • Elisabeth

      Lily, The reason I’m willing to post my dirty messes is because I get inspired when I see the changes others are able to make with just a little bit of cleaning. I’m glad you were motivated to do a task that many would find onerous. It feels good to do something like that every now and then, doesn’t it?

  • Leigh

    Hi Elisabeth. I wanted to return the blog visit and thank you for the comment. What a great post! I only have one small chest freezer, but use it to store grains for the same reason as you. Add to that milk, cheese, eggs, and meat, and I’m outta room! Your organized freezer looks fantastic and I love the inventory sheet. You are so right about habits. So much better to develop the habit of being organized and tidy (not that I’ve actually accomplished this one, LOL)

  • Gretchen

    I love the idea of the sheet. I have an upright freezer and a small chest freezer and an extra fridge/freezer in the garage. So you are not alone. But I definitely need to organize it. I do a lot of freezer cooking.

  • Martha Peterson

    Heh…thank you for the encouragement! I also like to see other ways that people organise, and if Jordan is ever going to get me a deep chest freezer, I’m going to have to show him an inventory sheet like that. He’ll regularly ask me what is in our freezer/fridge, and he/we *sheepish* are always making lists of what needs to be eaten next, and what we have stored.

    • Elisabeth

      That must be a thing with men. Russell does the same thing to me. I’m thinking that if I have everything on a sheet, I’ll be able to better plan my meals. Right now I don’t need to do any planning. I’m still eating lasagna from Heather’s wedding and tri-tip from Zachary’s grad. lol With our family size on the small side right now, it’s taking longer to eat those leftovers.

  • Lucille

    I have a freezer list too, but towards the end of the season I would forget sometimes in hurry to mark off list. I do love the idea of using a slash and then crossing it off when used, so my next list I will do that instead. Thanks for the great idea and your unending inspiration!!!

    Another suggestion for those who freeze meals ahead or for others (who are sick or new babies born, etc) laminate your list, use wipe off marker then you can wipe off when use up meals, then can reuse that row (for marking on/off) when make more of a certain dish for those situations. I have to do that because we live so far from everyone from our church and this way at last minute I can grab and take if hear of a need when no time to make one up in time. Because of travel time, the frozen meals are nice for transport. 🙂

I love hearing from you! Thank you for taking the time to comment.