A refrigerator can quickly become a hot mess, and fast. From tossing in the leftovers to shoving produce away where it’ll never be seen again, it’s no wonder why food waste is a problem. Nothing is worse than having to toss out what you would have eaten, should you have seen it when you opened your refrigerator before it got moldy or expired. In the video above, Lindsay from Shrink That Footprint explains a simple habit of reorganizing your refrigerator to help eliminate food waste. Instead of tossing every other food item anywhere, there needs to be a reason to your madness. Just like supermarkets rotate their stock, when you carry in new food from the grocery store, bring your older food items forward, and place the new stuff in the back of your fridge. You can even apply this method to your kitchen cabinets, pantry, and even your secret stash snack drawer (shhh, we know nothing). In addition to bringing forth older items, Lindsay also rearranged his perishable foods that need to be eaten within the next couple of days right to the top shelf of his fridge. Depending on your family and refrigerator size, you can designate each of the shelves in order of their importance to be eaten. It’s essential to instill a habit in which you move at least one item in the refrigerator each time you open the door. Shuffling items each time the door is open will help you be more conscious of what’s in the fridge, and no perishable foods get left behind.  If you’re feeling really proactive about your refrigerator, go ahead and grab yourself a marker; date each of your food items so they will be prominent and noticeable. Either way, it’s a simple habit to get into that will help you stop tossing your money out by reducing food waste.

Photo by: Featured Image: Ben Tesch | Flickr

Shuffle Items in the Fridge When You Open the Door to Reduce Waste