April 23, 2009
Welcome if you are a new subscriber! Paper is a cause of frustration for most of us. If our papers are disorganized it can cost us money as well as cause stress, headaches, and anxiety. I have a client's permission to share her paper organizing journey through the following photos and testimonial.
"Thank you so much Jill!! I absolutely feel release!! I have spent the rest of the afternoon in the office just doing stuff - talking on the phone with a business associate, working on some projects. It feels really good!! You are a joy to work with - being able to just pick up a piece of paper, decide what to do with it, hand it off to you and keep going made it so much easier to stay focused on the task at hand. I realized that when cleaning up and organizing there are many tasks involved and easy to get distracted as you move from task to task. You made it so much easier to stay focused. Everyone should treat themselves to a personal organizer!! I will be using your services on a regular basis as I move forward with getting more of my life organized."
Dr. Pamela Avery
What's in your refrigerator?
Is your refrigerator trying to tell you something? When you open the door, does a funky smell greet you and make you lose your appetite? Do your leftovers get lost and later turn up with something growing on top? Have you had a bag of frozen something-or-other land on your foot when you open the freezer? Freshen your fridge this spring. I have organized several refrigerators and find the results to be dramatic. You'll get reacquainted with your condiments and stop making costly and wasteful duplicate purchases. Expired food will be tossed; possibly preventing food poisoning epidemic in your home. Lastly, you will be able to find your leftovers and save some money on take out.
3 Simple Steps to an Organized Refrigerator
1. Keep it fresh
Before you leave for the grocery store, take about 5 minutes to toss any food that's slimy, moldy, or past it's safe-to-consume-date. If it's not possible to do this before you go to the grocery store, take a moment and do it before you add newly purchased items to the fridge. If you regularly find yourself practically filling a trash can full of fresh fruit and vegetables every week, it’s probably because you are over buying. You may have to make several trips to the store each week just for produce in order to reduce waste.
The following links have guidelines regarding food expiration dates.
http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/food_expiration_dates_faqs.asp
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Factsheets/Food_Product_Dating/index.asp
The optimal day for a thorough clean out is the day before your trash pickup. That way you don't have food sitting in your outdoor trash bin for days. Otherwise the odor could get pretty intense.
Store your leftovers in stackable containers and write the date on the container with freezer tape and a permanent marker. Keep the supplies for containing and labeling leftovers near your fridge.
*Storing leftovers in their original container is not the best solution, unless very little has been eaten. It's usually a waste of space.
2. Keep it Together
Group like items together. This organizing principle is also a good one to follow for your fridge and freezer. Most refrigerators have clearly designated homes (drawers) for meat and fresh produce. Set up homes for other items and label the shelves until everyone in your house gets used to the placement. A tall shelf is usually a good home for your beverages. Use small separate bins for snacks. The bins can be easily pulled out when you are making that tough decision about what to munch on. Condiments fit nicely in the door and can be grouped into categories: dressing, hamburger fixings, marinades, and sauces. Place leftovers on one shelf near the front in order to keep them from being forgotten and turning into something that isn't even safe to feed your dog. Don't forget the freezer. It can also be divided into areas with plastic or wire bins. Yours may already have some in place. I put all of my frozen shredded cheese in one bin and veggies/fruit in another. Meat would go it's own section. This really saves time when looking for something. It's easy to forget what you have in the dark recesses of your freezer. Keep a list of frozen leftovers and other items on a small magnetic dry/erase board attached to the fridge, or even on a list inside a cabinet door. That way it will be eaten before, as my dad would say,"it grows hair" (meaning freezer burn).
3. Keep it Tidy
Wipe up spills immediately; trust me it will be much more time consuming once the spill dries to a crust.
Remember the shelving is usually adjustable. Configure the shelves so very little space is wasted.
Maintain your very organized fridge through regularly tossing the old items, wiping off the shelves and grouping like items together. Take a moment this week to freshen your fridge.
Simply,
Jill