Ok! I cleaned out any old or expired food from the fridge, freezer AND pantry. Like a motherf%**n adult! But....I haven't yet cleaned any of it. Nothing too scary out of date. A box of cake mix that was "best buy" last month. Dude, when I cleaned out my dad's spice cabinet? He still had spices in those tin McCormick containers from the 80's! And a petrified bag of stuffing mix from about when I graduated high school! I should have used it as a spooky halloween decoration.

Check out pictures of my pantry!
http://queenofthefall.blogspot.com/2010/10/cheap-but-good-meals-pantry-staples.html

I'm horrified! I found a huge ass box of instant mashed potatoes that had fallen off the shelf of the lazy susan corner cabinet. It expired August 10, 2005. 2005!! I believe we bought this when we first got our Sam's Club membership and for some reason, it seemed appropriate to buy an insititution sized box of mashed potatoes for two people. This is the reason I hate that corner lazy susan cabinet!

I have filled 3 large garbage bags so far and several bags of small appliances (toaster, single sandwich maker...) I'm donating. I completed the pantry and 5 cabinets so far. I emptied them all, cleaned and sanitized then returned food I'm keeping. I have not even gotten to the fridge/freezer, yet. I'll be doing that this Wednesday when I have the day off for my birtday. This is hard work!

I started with the outside of the fridge--the magnets, postcards, and assorted amusing ephemera had to be pared down first. The food/cleaning part will be a snap. I am looking forward to reevaluating the organization of all of my kitchen tools.

One of the advantages of having a small fridge is that it never gets too cluttered... you simply don't have the space for that. And the freezer is 100% frozen mixed veggies and fruits for my 7-month old son !

So, waiting for next week ! Come on, challenge !

Yay! I'm even more inspired to keep going on my cleaning streak with my photo featured :) The fridge, freezer and food cabinets are done and it looks so much better already.

Um, also: my husband just pointed out that our last name is spelled wrong (Spontarelli) so I figured it was your typo. Then I checked and realized that I spelled it wrong when I created my flickr account. And I never noticed.

At least my refrigerator is clean...

I didn't go full bore as I intended to, but I did get some archival stuff out of the freezer and into the garbage, and I got the freezer door shelf cleaned. I'd been cooking out of the fridge/freezer/pantry for a week and a half already before the Cure, so I have a little headstart. Tonight I need to get out the step stool and investigate Spice World. Not being able to SEE everything guarantees there will be something lost and forgotten up there (I can relate to the Forgotten Potatoes...).

I got through the cabinets and pantry by myself Saturday then involved the husband in the fridge & freezer on Sunday: we fully dismantled & cleaned the whole unit. Feeling better already!

I did the fridge, freezer and pantry this weekend and have yet to tackle my own cavernous lazy susan corner spice cabinet.

My gems included a package of moldy graham crackers (didn't even know that was possible), a small can of green chiles that was expired by 18 months and some hot peppers that had grown fur coats in the crisper drawer. Yech.

I haven't uploaded to Flickr yet, but I chronicled my purging here.

Lucky for me - my fridge shorted out (coil something coil) and my landlord had to buy me a brand new one.

DONE and DONE. Squeaky clean.

Fridge and freezer are done. It was scary finding things I forgot I had.

The pantry and spice/coffee/tea cupboard are next. I'm afraid...very afraid. Good thing I have 4 days to get it done.

I cleaned my pantry this weekend. I had a lot of ingredients for the the way I THINK I should cook, not the way I really do. So I finally bit the bullet and got rid of all the expensive, gourmet stuff that I'll never use (it had all expired while waiting for me to use it!).

I cleared all the old food out of the fridge, and all that's left is to scrub it out.

I like the idea of doing this, but cleaning out my fridge AND my pantry in the same weekend is just never going to happen. Too much work!

My goodness! Everyone is doing such a good job, I need to keep it up! I'm in the middle of baking cookies for an order, then a small cake for a wedding tasting and my dad is coming in on Thursday for the weekend. If we don't finish until early next week, is that ok?

Judging from the state of my fridge after removing rotting veggies, I am secretly a 20-something dude. Here's the story.

This did inspire me to make the apple-gouda cookies from a couple days back.

@Mochene- of course it's ok if your week is full. Baby steps! I bet you are straightening as you bake, just a wee bit, anyway.

I am washing & wiping down my shelves one at a time. 1) I don't have much counter space & 2) I only have tidbits of time for the rest of the week.

@littlestfinch - You are a lucky finch, indeed!

I am officially stalled. As I open and shut the crisper drawers I am cringing at the spills and crumbs I wasn't even noticing before. I have got a wicked schedule this week, but somehow...somehow I have to get that mess cleaned up. Might happen around midnight tonight.

I did mine in 2 stages, since Ionly have time in the evenings. Day 1: Removed everything from the outside of the fridge and scrubbed until it was spotless. Day 2: Removed everything from the inside, took out all shelves and drawers, scrubbed until spotless.

What was amazing was that there really wasn't that much to throw away, but taking everything out and putting it back in an organized fashion made so much more space; the thing is practically empty.

I love my like-new fridge! Every time I open the door I can't stop staring into it. I started the pantry last night, and hope to finish that project tonight or tomorrow.

Cleaned out fridge, freezer, and three shelves of the pantry. Happy sparkles.

Ditched some hot sauce I didn't like and old flax seed oil. Cleaning the gunk took forever. Surprisingly empty looking now, just a bunch of fresh veg and condiments. I like it.

I started with the fridge, then did the pantries and spices, finished the freezer last week, and even got the under-the-sink cleaning area done. All of that was a HUGE job! But, kitchen has felt so much more functional since then. And, I find myself trying to maintain it. Also, not buying more than I can use!!