March 2015 Frugals

[ApatheticNoMore]

Actually, I do have a question about that. Those of you who have the cavernous fridges they are making now - how in the world do you keep stuff organized and so you can see it and remember you have it? We lose things in the back and waste them.

a note in front of the fridge (stuck on with a fridge magnet) saying what's in there. The trick is to remember to update the note. I don't have a cavernous fridge, actually it's a small (but not mini) fridge that I have to clean and reorganize just to get the weekly groceries in there, but it's still easy to forget.

[rosarugosa]

Great to see you again, Kelli! I have no frugals to report today, but had to say hello!

[SteveinMN]

Hi friends!

First of all, congrats Steve!!

Thanks, Kelli!

Those of you who have the cavernous fridges they are making now - how in the world do you keep stuff organized and so you can see it and remember you have it? We lose things in the back and waste them.

I don't know as our refrigerator is "cavernous" but it was the biggest one we could shoehorn into its appointed location in the kitchen (22 cu ft).

What works for us (well, me) is well-defined locations for what's in there. All the vinegars are together. All the condiments save pickled food are in one location; all the pickled food (we really like pickled food) is together on another shelf. We have a "meat drawer" and all the meat I'm using in the next few days goes in there -- unless it just won't fit, in which case it goes on the shelf right under the meat drawer. Leftovers from meals go onto the second shelf on the right. That way I can look there for dribs and drabs. Lots of see-through containers, so little guessing about what's in there. It works for us, in no small part because DW rarely has to do anything that messes up the order.

[frugal-one]

"Actually, I do have a question about that. Those of you who have the cavernous fridges they are making now - how in the world do you keep stuff organized and so you can see it and remember you have it? We lose things in the back and waste them."

We just got a big refrigerator and I LOVE IT!!! Everything is not piled on top of each other so it is easy to see what there is. We have wasted very little since we got it. I always had trouble with the side by side remembering or finding what I had. The drawers and shelves on this refrigerator are clear so it is very easy to see what is available. It cost a bit more but has saved in that we use what we have now. It is not buried. It was one of the best decisions!!

[lessisbest]

I don't own a cavernous refrigerator (a side-by-side WITHOUT a water dispenser or ice maker), but I do keep it tidy and organized with baskets and other containers purchased at the Dollar Tree, and keep like-kinds of things together. Items not used frequently are stored towards the back, and new leftovers and things that need used quickly in front. One of the larger containers has coconut flour, almond flour, homemade gluten-free baking mix, and Pamela's Baking Mix. Another container has nuts, various seeds, and goji berries. I divide the food in the freezer in plastic baskets too. Since I vacuum-seal many things using a FoodSaver, I freeze them flat in a single layer and "file" them in a basket. I can easily remove a basket and "flip" through it to find what I want or determine what I need. I have a vegetable/fruit basket, breakfast meat basket, chicken/fish basket, beef/pork basket. The drawer on the bottom is a "catch-all" for odd items. The narrow top shelf is filled with lunch items.

[rosarugosa]

Steve: that's interesting, we have never refrigerated vinegar. That goes in the cupboard at our house.

[fidgiegirl]

Thanks all for the ideas and the well wishes. Useful!

[cdttmm]

Last frugal for the month of March, although it's not really something new, but a solid day-to-day habit. I've been making pots of tea to drink and bringing them to work in my various travel mugs. But I've recently "invested" in some high quality loose leaf tea -- much more expensive than the stuff I usually buy. I've found that I've been able to get as many as three pots of deliciousness out of the tea leaves. I can steep them a second and third time without the bitterness or weak flavor that I get on a second or third pot of the cheaper tea. All this (unsweetened, green) tea drinking has certainly helped me stay well-hydrated!!!

[lessisbest]

[QUOTE=cdttmm;201274]Last frugal for the month of March, although it's not really something new, but a solid day-to-day habit. I've been making pots of tea to drink and bringing them to work in my various travel mugs. But I've recently "invested" in some high quality loose leaf tea -- much more expensive than the stuff I usually buy. I've found that I've been able to get as many as three pots of deliciousness out of the tea leaves. I can steep them a second and third time without the bitterness or weak flavor that I get on a second or third pot of the cheaper tea. All this (unsweetened, green) tea drinking has certainly helped me stay well-hydrated!!![/QUOTE

I have an electric kettle I use for boiling water and the minimum amount I can make in it is 2-cups, so I make my first cup of tea with fresh-boiled water, then I save the tea bag. I place the remaining hot water in a Thermos to use later. The hot water has other uses than just a hot beverage, so I always pour any extra boiled water in a Thermos. After I've used the tea bag twice, I place it in a container in the freezer. When I want to make iced tea concentrate I'll use the used bags + 1 new bag (something strong) and make a tea concentrate using 4-cups of boiling water, all the used bags + one new bag. When I need a glass of iced tea I'll add the tea concentrate to a glass of water plus ice. Tea concentrate takes up a lot less space in the refrigerator.

Instructions for the perfect cup of tea:
1. Add freshly boiled water to your mug with the tea ban in the mug.
2. Brew 2-minutes.
3. Remove bag.
4. Add milk.
5. Wait 6-minutes, or until the tea reaches 140°F.

My last frugal savings in March was when hubby and I used the rest of our fuel points for March to get gas last night. We fueled two cars from one pump and saved 10-cents per gallon.

[SteveinMN]

Steve: that's interesting, we have never refrigerated vinegar.

It's entirely possible the vinegars ended up there because we didn't have enough of the right cupboard space (tall bottles, lots of fixed shelves). The fridge, by comparison, had lots of room.