Stuffed Fridge Stressing You Out? 7 Pro Tips For Quick Organizing

Staying on top of a well-organized fridge can prevent all that, so we got in touch with Tracy McCubbin, decluttering expert and author of Making Space, Clutter Free, for her best fridge organization tips in time for the holidays:

McCubbin notes she's a big fan of glass storage containers, as they're stackable and can go from freezer to fridge to microwave to oven to table. Plus, they're BPA-free and last for years. She's also really into silicone food storage bags. "You can tuck them in little spots to maximize space; the seal on them is great, so you can put liquids in them, and the ones that have the flat bottoms are terrific for leftovers," she says.

"Limp veggies? Toss 'em in soup," McCubbin says, adding that for most items (with the exception of meat and dairy), "Best-by dates are more a suggestion than a rule." Don't be afraid to use something if it's just past the date, but keep expiration dates in mind when you're figuring out what you want to eat. When in doubt, she says "the best way to know if food is bad is to smell it."

"This is where a Sharpie and a piece of duct tape will be your best friend," McCubbin says. "I write dates on my leftovers so I know when they were cooked. I've even been known to put a 'eat this first' Post-it on a bag of greens!"

"Adjust your adjustable shelves!" McCubbin says. It's easy to let our shelves sit the way they've always been, but you can save yourself a lot of headaches and reorganizing by finding the best heights for your current fridge situation and adjusting as needed. "Dropping a shelf down to hold your tall bottles of almond milk could be the game-changer you've been looking for," she adds. "This is especially true for the shelves in the door."

They will come in handy! Think small, glass jars and bottles for things like sauce, olives, roasted red peppers, etc. Having a few (emphasis on few, McCubbin notes) is perfect for stashing small amounts of leftovers you don't want to go to waste.

You can take this even further and tackle some meal prep, too. For example, if you've got vegetables on their last leg, roast them all before it's too late. And whenever you're shopping, be realistic about how much you'll actually eat. Know it's always better to have to go pick something up than for something to go bad.

And lastly, if your fridge is particularly stuffed (say, come Thanksgiving), McCubbin says ice chests can come in handy for things like drinks or vegetables. If you live somewhere cold, the great outdoors works just as well too. While not something you need all the time, it can get you through the first couple of days of leftovers when your fridge really can't take anymore.

"Take a pass at your pantry and declutter some of the food you bought in your pandemic panic buying," she says. "And remember, the best way to be organized is to have less stuff. The less you consume, the less organizing you have to do."