The Best Small Refrigerators You Can Buy Right Now for $1,000 or Less
Bigger isn’t always better. Sure, lots of us would love to have a 28-cubic-foot refrigerator. But if you have, say, a city kitchen or a kitchen that’s in a home on wheels, you may be much happier with a small refrigerator (like an apartment-sized fridge or something even smaller). But did you know there are actually quite a few types of small refrigerators out there? Let’s take a look at all of your options and then browse some of the best small refrigerators on the market today.
Types of Small Refrigerators
- Office-style cube fridge: These are tiny boxes and you can’t do much more than store cans of soda and a lunchbox in them.
- Dorm-style mini-fridge: These are still quite small and also relatively inexpensive. You can store a few days’ worth of groceries in them, but freezer space is limited; and forget about refrigerating trays of prepared foods. One advantage of these mini-refrigerators is that they fit in tight areas so you don’t have to sacrifice much floor space.
- Apartment-sized compact fridge: These are small and slim but they have most of the height and relative proportions of a full-sized refrigerator. They tend to be about 10 to 12 cubic feet, as opposed to the 20 to 25 cubic feet of full-sized refrigerators.
- Extra-narrow fridges: Some brands make models in 24-inch or 28-inch widths, as opposed to the 32- to 36-inch widths of most standard-sized refrigerators. These units work well in both small- and average-sized kitchens and offer plenty of food storage space.
Do you need a refrigerator with freezer?
There’s one final question all apartment dwellers should ask themselves when shopping for a small refrigerator: Do you really need a freezer? Some of us cook in ways that would allow us to sacrifice a freezer altogether, and fridge-only refrigerators like the office-style cube models are much less expensive. So if you never find yourself in need of a freezer, feel free to skip it entirely. If you have a little extra space, you can also fit in a small chest freezer or an under-counter freezer. Depending on your space limitations, buying your fridge and freezer separately can actually be a great way to save money.
Do you have a recommendation for another model? Jump in and add it in the comments below.
