What a Difference a Label Makes

You know the way a fridge looks when it's full. You can't find the cheese, you have to move six things out of the way to get at the cream for your coffee... and what the hell is in that old tupperware?? Yuck!! Oig. Close the fridge. Clean it. Put everything away logically. Two weeks later the logic has failed and the cream is again buried.

At least, that is my experience.

Or WAS my experience. It is no longer so.

Enter my Label Maker.

It wasn't an intentional organization project. Brother-Bug loves to label things and it is great spelling and reading practice. So, one day while we were cleaning the fridge we decided to label what goes on what shelf.

((Side note: a sorting project like that is great early math!! Homeschooling rocks.))

To my surprise, the labeling stuck. That was a pun.

All of a sudden, you could always find what you are looking for in my fridge. Leftovers were a breeze to clean out. Making the shopping list was a joy because I could easily see what was missing.
Papa-Bug and I both put things back where they belonged. Brother-Bug is able to easily find the snacks that we get for his enjoyment. When the system gets messed up it is obvious, as well as being quick and easy to fix.

It's amazing, the power that a label has.

When we moved into a new house a couple of weeks ago, the fridge got loaded in a rush. No time to put things away neatly, just get them put away and move on to a more pressing issue. But over the course of two weeks, I watched every family member struggle with the disorganization of the fridge. Where were the carrots? The string cheese? What happened to the leftovers we were planning on eating? Why on earth is the Hoisin sauce always in the way?

I got out my label maker.

Things are calm in the fridge again. The salad dressings and hot sauces have their shelf. The Hoisin sauce is where it belongs. Lettuce is no longer mingling with yogurts. The organization makes the fridge feel more spacious. I did the freezer and pantry too.

Contented sigh.

I just put this week's groceries away. It took half the time that it took last week, because there is a place for everything and now everything is in it's place.