apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

We make a menu for the entire week (live in the 'burbs - no shopping everyday since the grocery store is a 15 minute drive away). Before I sit down to start planning for the week, I look in the freezer and pick out a few things to have that week that will use up some of that stuff. I don't think we've ever thrown anything away from the freezer (well, maybe some of the overabundance of jalepenos that our garden produces).

Hey Faith,

I don't label anything. I KNOW I KNOW IT'S AWFUL. But I have a teeny freezer anyway, so all of the food cycles out constantly. When it gets too full, I have to "eat down" the freezer. Nothing stays in for more than three months.

As to labeling, have you ever noticed how even permanent pen "freezes" off? If it gets too cold, you can rub it right off the plastic. Silly "permanent" pen!

@bfootnovellista: I use the labelonce labels from the container store and they withstand the dishwasher, the oven, the freezer...everything but boiling (for canning) and you just write on with the included sharpie and erase when you're finished. I only put them on glass, so I'm not sure how they'd work on plastic. They changed my life.

My issue is that I'll pull out an onion and the label will say "Hollandaise - 2/4/08" and clearly that's not right. I should be better about that.

I have a liquid chalk marker that I use to write on containers - the ones cafes use to write their menus up on glass. I got mine from a newsagent.

They work a treat because you can easily (but not too accidentally) wipe off the marker and the container is good as new.

I use a china marker. Once the container warms up, it is easy to wipe off with a rag or paper towel. Works on plastic and glass. However, I had to buy a box of 12 at an office supply store. I'll be handing them down to my children and my grandchildren.

I should start using my freezer more often. Right now it just stores my ice cream maker, alcohol, ice, and some peas. No need to label. ;)

I use a label-maker to print labels, but I like the liquid chalk or china marker options people have mentioned. I didn't start labeling until maybe a year ago--huge, huge difference in manageability. From black hole to happy little galaxy of edible food. This really does make a difference.

it does help i started labeling so i could figure out how old things were mostly to make sure things were getting cycled out, and not the same old chicken breast in the back and keep using up the new ones.

a few months ago I found a big package of plain sticker labels at the office store for 99 cents. I orriginally bought them to label my new spice containers. I have been using the rest of them for labeling fridge and freezer stuff. I cut them all into 1/4 and i just write small. 400 or so labels for $1, not too bad considering it will probably save me from wasting countless dollars in groceries.

I keep a list on the freezer door of what I've frozen, when, and how many containers, and cross off as I go. Labelling seemed great but unlikely/more of a pain - if I know what the possibilities are I can usually figure out which containers are which, and having it on the door helps me remember to eat the various things.

@Emmie - thanks for the tip! I'll check them out.

Very useful post. I linked to it in my 30 Quick, Green and Frugal Meal Planning Resources list.