It can be a persistent challenge to use up all the food you buy before it goes bad in the fridge. And sometimes, the answer can be as simple as finding a refrigerator organizational system that works for you.
TikToker Sarah Biggers-Stewart (@thebiggersthebetter) recently made a video showing off her own fridge's interior to her 560,000-plus followers.
"I've seen the fridges on this app. This is far less impressive, but I'm still going to walk you through how we organize it," Biggers-Stewart humbly begins.
She then takes viewers through the entire fridge, which is optimized to make sure that she and her family use up the items that are in danger of spoiling quickly.
🗣️ When you're buying a kitchen appliance, which of these factors is most important to you?
🔘 Price 💰
🔘 Safety 🦺
🔘 Effectiveness ⚡
🔘 Style and appearance 💎
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
"In the door we keep either fruits and vegetables we want to eat more of or things that tend to go bad fast in our fridge if we don't see them often," she explains. "We always keep lettuce and greens up here because those go bad in our fridge so fast, and things like easy-to-grab fruits."
She continues, "In what is typically considered a crisper drawer for vegetables, we keep things that last longer and therefore can be kind of out of sight, out of mind. So, cheeses, meats, larger jarred items like olives and salsas and such."
@thebiggersthebetter This reduces our food waste by so much and everything fits in better with more room for leftovers/Tupperware than a "standard" fridge setup! #adhdparenting #busymom #momlife #lifetips #lifehacks #adhdinwomen #workingmom #protip #fridgeorganization ♬ original sound - Sarah Biggers-Stewart
Instead of putting condiments in the fridge door, as the majority of people do, Biggers-Stewart keeps them on lazy Susans on the top shelf. "I, like everybody's grandmother who shops at Costco, have an ungodly amount of open condiments at all times. So, these don't even fit in [the door] and I prefer them like this anyway," she explains.
Food waste is a big problem — in the United States, 119 billion pounds of food, or around 40% of our country's total food supply, is thrown away every year, and 39% of that total (42 billion pounds, or $159 billion worth of food) comes from peoples' homes. Once disposed of, that food is dumped in landfills, where it releases planet-warming gases as it decomposes.
That's why coming up with a system to use all the food you buy is good for both your wallet and the planet.
Biggers-Stewarts' followers were impressed by her highly functional fridge organization.
"This is the most smart, functional fridge I have seen," wrote one commenter.
Another user focused on one key element, saying, "The lazy Susan is my favorite and genius."
"Love the idea to put things that go bad fast in the door," wrote another. "I should do that too!"
Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more, waste less, and help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
