Cold Comfort

I can hardly believe that I am posting a picture of my refrigerator! But yet, I am. I HATE cleaning the shelves in the fridge, so when I saw this idea on Pinterest idea (so sorry, to whomever the original poster is -I forgot to pin it but the idea is great) I knew I had to try it! Plastic place mats now line my shelves. I had to trim the back end to make it fit the depth. I tried adding bits to the side since the mat wasn't wide enough, but I didn't like the look. So far, the shelves are staying clean! And, it looks pretty so I smile now instead of cringe when I open the refrigerator door. I like being able to find things inside again, too. So much easier to stay on top of the leftovers.

I also relocated my refrigerator thermometer. Turns out I had the temperature set far colder than it needed to be! No wonder I had such a hard time defrosting meat. I just may go completely crazy and pull the fridge out & vacuum the coils. If I do, you'll know that I have completely succumbed to cleaning fever.

How do you keep your fridge organized?

Saving Inspiration

Copyright (c) 123RF Stock Photos

One of the titles that inspired my saving money at the grocery store effort was Your Grocery Budget Toolbox by Anne Simpson.  I appreciated her focus on how to buy the healthiest food possible based on your budget. (I think if there were a Trader Joe's nearby, my grocery list would look very similar to hers.) Nutrition is a vital component in managing my Fibro symptoms, and I'm not willing to sacrifice all quality for the bottom line. I also like how her method acknowledges that coupons can be useful in saving money, they are not the basis for keeping your food budget under control.

She too is a proponent of Once A Month Shopping (OAMS), but makes weekly forays to get fresh produce and dairy. I may try this myself as I'm not sure I like the limits of buying produce once a month, at least until it is CSA season. DH didn't mind doing the weekly grocery shopping, so I'm sure he would be willing to continue with the job.

At any rate, check it out if you too are trying to stretch your money dollars. You can get some of the information in the book from her blog as well!