Before & After: I Organized My Messy Freezer with a Single Trip to the Dollar Store

After an unfortunate incident with a Diet Coke exploding in my freezer, I needed to pull everything out in order to properly clean it. I decided to use this as a good excuse to try to get organized. Which means, once again, here I am, sharing my super-disorganized space with you (last time it was my pantry!). I don’t care about judgement; all I really want is to inspire someone to get organized because it feels so good. Ready? Here we go.

The last few months have consisted of me marathoning grocery deliveries in the wicked heat up to our hot apartment, where I basically chuck everything in the freezer and slam the door as quickly as I can to keep stuff from melting. I’d completely lost track of what was in there and ended up with eight bags of frozen broccoli (not complaining, we’ll go through it!). My dollar store pantry makeover worked well for us, so I decided to mask up and head back out to see what else I could find there that could help make my freezer storage more efficient. Here’s what I came up with.

Magazine organizers and shoebox containers for the win! Not as creative as last time, but I wanted it to look streamlined and needed storage bins that would fit perfectly in the space I had to work with. My hubby bought me a label maker for Valentine’s Day (he knows the way to my heart!) so I was able to label everything and keep the magazine organizers facing the back of the freezer (to keep things looking uniform when I open the freezer).

Let me take this opportunity for a little PSA: If you’re the type of household whose freezer has a steady supply of Popsicles, you’re going to love this. No more frozen missiles shooting out at you when you grab a bag of peas off the shelf; no more scattered yogurt tubes in the way when you’re trying to put something back inside! It’s the perfect solution.

Before heading to the dollar store, I measured the inside of my freezer and found that it was approximately 27 inches wide and 20 inches deep. I knew I’d be able to fit seven magazine holders on the top shelf with ease, and four shoebox-size tubs horizontally in the bottom. I was a little worried about the door closing because I forgot to account for the shelves on the door, but everything fit perfectly! My advice for using dollar-store items — or whatever you can find at home — is to know the measurements of the space you’re working with, and to be open! You never know what random storage container will be the organizational hero you’re searching for.