Compared to most refrigerators I see, my refrigerator is pretty bare. I have seen people who live alone with 2 refrigerators full of food. I have seen families of 7 with refrigerators that are not stuffed. No matter the number of people in your home, your refrigerator can still be stocked with what you need without excess.
There are many reasons I keep my refrigerator this way.
- We eat leftovers. We eat a meal and if there are leftovers, we eat them for lunch, dinner or sometimes breakfast! We eat what we make.
- I don’t mindlessly buy a bunch of food. I look ahead at the week and know when I’ll be cooking. I look in the freezer, refrigerator, and pantry to see what food needs to be eaten and base the decisions about my meals on what I have.
- I don’t like “losing” things in my refrigerator. If I have too much, I can’t see what I have, therefore I don’t end up using what I have.
- I hate wasting food. Yep, I channel my grandmother when I save a little bit of food to eat the next day. Food is wasted when you don’t eat or freeze what you’ve made.
- It is much easier to clean a refrigerator that is not overflowing with food, condiments, and beverages.
- I am thankful for the food I have. That may sound odd, but if you have ever lived with scarcity, you know you appreciate what you have so much more. I don’t take the food in my refrigerator for granted and am grateful for what it represents.
Look in your refrigerator. Are you constantly buying too much? What can you use this week in the meals you are preparing? What did you mindlessly buy that you will never use?
Pay attention to your buying and consuming habits. If you do, you will save time, food and money. A win-win!