Tuesday's Tip: Keeping Inventory

Shortly after Bubby was born, my in-laws found this cute little chest freezer, which Bbil referred to as a "starter freezer," for us. I'm not going to say that I don't know what I'd do without my chest freezer, because I do know. After all, I managed to survive for more than 3 decades without one, but I'm glad to have the extra freezer space so I can take advantage of sale prices on meats and frozen items.

It's great to have extra freezer space, but, as we all know, empty space begs to be filled, and it's difficult to keep track of exactly what's in the freezer. Enter today's tip.

For at least a couple of years now, I've kept a dry erase board magnetically attached to the door of the freezer--I use it to keep inventory. When I take something out, I erase it; when I put something in, I add it to the list. It's not perfect, because sometimes I send one of the kids to the freezer, but I try to remember to add or erase the next time I'm there.

It's so great to be able to just look at my list to see how much more ground beef I have, or how many pork chops, or which frozen meals are available to me--so much nicer than digging around in there.

If your freezer has a smooth finish, you might be able to skip the dry erase board and write directly on the surface with dry erase markers.  Just be sure to test the markers in a hidden area first.  This is a great way to keep track of leftovers in the refrigerator, as well.

Bonus tip: to remove dry erase markings that have been left too long, just use glass cleaner, vinegar, or rubbing alcohol and a cloth or paper towel.