One reason I’m drawn to the KonMari Method®️ is that it can be used to get a small section of your life organized, like the refrigerator, phone, or closet. Or it can be used to organize your whole life.
Getting a small section of our lives organized often motivates us to tackle bigger goals.
How to use the KonMari Method®️ to organize food items:
1. Toss Expired Food
First, toss all expired food. Empty the food content into a compost bin and recycle the empty containers/wrappers/plastic bags.
Take stock of what you’re tossing and why.
Did the food go bad because too much food was bought at once? Or because you and your family members didn’t really like the food that was bought?
2. Let Go Of Food That Doesn't Spark Joy
Second, let go of food that hasn’t expired but you know you will not eat it. Take it to your office, offer it to your kids’ school, or offer it to the larger community through food drives or local buy-nothing groups.
3. Group Like Items Together
Thirdly, group like items with like. Use one section of the fridge for condiments, one section for proteins, one section for produce, etc.
Keep leftovers together as well where they are easy to spot. If you assume you’re not able to eat the leftovers within the first couple of days, freeze what you can.
The temperature in the refrigerator is coldest in the middle and warmest on the door. Take that into account when choosing what to store and where.
For pantry items, group together all breakfast items, all grains, all drinks, etc. Small baskets and bins are useful on shelves.
4. Avoid Buying Big Quantities At Once
The easiest way to keep your food items organized is to not buy too much at one time. Avoid the temptation to buy more than you know you need.
We are made to believe that buying in bigger quantities saves money but if you end up throwing food away, you didn’t save any money but rather wasted it.
Buying big quantities of food at the same time also means that you take on the additional job of inventory management. Let the stores do that for you.
I like to refill my own jars twice a month at a local store that offers a wide range of pantry items in bulk.
5. Organize New Food In The Back, Older In The Front
When you bring new groceries in, make sure to put them in the back and move the items that were bought earlier to the front if you have more than one of the same.
In the refrigerator, this applies even if the items are not identical. You want to make sure you eat items before they go bad.
Nearly 40% of all food in America is wasted. Food wasted in our homes makes up 39% of all food waste.
6. Leave Room
Finally, don’t stock your shelves and drawers so full that items are hard to reach and you can’t really see what’s in there.
The refrigerator needs some space inside it to keep the cool air flowing.
You can think of your fridge and kitchen as limited containers. They can’t expand. Take this reality into account when shopping for food and let there be some breathing room!
