Leah Ingram is one of my writer idols. She’s written more than a dozen books, and if you’ve read a magazine in the last decade I can pretty much guarantee you’ve seen her byline. Suddenly Frugal, her blog (and book), is devoted to living well on as little money as possible. Seriously, this woman knows how to make a quarter feel like a Benjamin.
Leah’s new book is Toss, Keep, Sell!: The Suddenly Frugal Guide to Cleaning Out the Clutter and Cashing In.
If you’ve been reading Words to Eat By for a while, you’re likely familiar with the state of my freezer, and maybe even my fridge. In this guest post, Leah tells us what stays good, where, for how long.
I’m proud to say I already use a Sharpie on my freezer bags, as Leah advises, and I regularly consult Still Tasty for details on specific foods. What’s your best tip for making the most of the deep-freeze?
Decluttering Your Refrigerator and Freezer
By Leah Ingram, author of Toss, Keep, Sell!: The Suddenly Frugal Guide to Cleaning Out the Clutter and Cashing In
Itâs important to keep in mind that the food in your refrigerator doesnât keep forever. Even items that you freeze so that they donât rot immediately have expiration dates, too. These items need to be used within a certain amount of time, or theyâre not going to give you the quality food that you expected when you first purchased them.
A great way to get started with decluttering your refrigerator and freezer is to purge any food that is past its prime. I realize that Iâm asking you to throw away good money, but to be honest, once you let food sit around for too long, youâve already thrown away good money. Iâm just encouraging you to actually put the stuff in the trash.
Here is a brief rundown on how long certain foods retain top quality in the refrigerator and the freezer. This will allow you to plan accordingly when you go food shopping and make sure that you donât overbuy (thus creating clutter in the fridge) and end up throwing away food that expires before youâre able to use it.
Food: Chicken and turkey
Time in the Refrigerator: One to two days
Time in the Freezer: Nine months to one year
Food: Ground beef or ground turkey
Time in the Refrigerator: One to two days
Time in the Freezer: Three to four months
Food: Fresh deli meats
Time in the Refrigerator: Three to five days
Time in the Freezer: One to two months
Food: Hot dogs
Time in the Refrigerator: One week (open package); two weeks (new package)
Time in the Freezer: One to two months
Food: Bacon
Time in the Refrigerator: One week
Time in the Freezer: One month
Food: Bread
Time in the Refrigerator: One week
Time in the Freezer: Three to four months
Food: Milk
Time in the Refrigerator: Use by expiration date
Time in the Freezer: One month (make sure you empty out a little milk before freezing it in its plastic container to allow extra space for expansion when it freezes)
Food: Cheese
Time in the Refrigerator: Use by expiration date; if you see mold on hard cheese, you can cut if off and eat the rest
Time in the Freezer: Four to six months (be sure to put cheese in freezer-safe bags first)
Food: Fresh fish
Time in the Refrigerator: One to two days
Time in the Freezer: Three to six months
Food: Eggs
Time in the Refrigerator: Four to five weeks
Time in the Freezer: Never freeze eggs in the shell. For instructions on how to freeze them safely, check out Still Tasty.
Food: Leftovers
Time in the Refrigerator: Three to four days
Time in the Freezer: Two to three months
Also, keep in mind that from here on in, you should take a marker and write on all of your food packages, in big letters that youâll be able to read through any frost on the package, the âuse byâ date. Youâll write this based on the life spans described in this accompanying chart. Then be sure that you stock your food in the refrigerator or freezer with the oldest stuff towards the front so itâs easier for you to find it and use it first.
Copyright 2011 Leah Ingram, Reprinted with permission from Toss, Keep, Sell!: The Suddenly Frugal Guide to Cleaning Out the Clutter and Cashing In.