Using everything in freezer

jcr16

has anyone every done this ?

i plan to use up everything i have in the freezer , then give it a really good clean and start a fresh with filling it up. i have a feeling that by the end the meals we have are gonna be interesting. i not too worried about using up cupboard stock. but in my freezer i forget i have thing's. so thought this is an ideal way to do a proper sort.

i would just like to know if this is something that other members have done sucsessfully or has it gone pear shaped.

thanks in advance

evilwitch

we're doing this now. Freezer had got to lid only just shutting point and finding the bottom was a distant memory. Had a sort through and have found so many things I didn't even remember buying.

Have found an unlabelled mystery so that'll be a fun evening meal one night!

Hope it goes well for you

Lucie_2

I did this a couple of months ago and it was worthwhile on 2 counts:
1) We used up food that needed to be eaten
2) we hardly spent anything on food shopping as there was so much in there!

The most valuable tip I can offer is to make an inventory of everything in there & stick it on the door. Helps with meal planning too.

Good luck!

lil_me

Only have a small freezer 3 shelves, but do this every time I clean it, usually every couple of months. Inventory is great idea, I have an on going one, list what's in there all the time now, cross off as used and add more on when I put things in, means I always know what's in (even if I can't always find it) last 2 meals are usually a mix up of different things, mixed meat and veg stir fry/curry usually works well!

LJM

we emptied ours not long before xmas,so luckily now i know everything i have in there

froggergirl

Doing this just now - started just after new year and still seem to be at the top of it - might see the bottom eventually. Figured January was a good month to do it seeing as money is usually tighter just after christmas and will be even tighter if I dont stop buying stuff in the sales

jcr16

i do have a wonderful inventory. unfortunalty it doesn't relate to anything. i think i may of written it long ago and forgot to update it.

my chest freezer is huge and i'm already finding things i didn't know i had. because i have a fridge freezer indoors this keeps all the day to day food in and the chest freezer is for store. so things get forgotten. outta sight outta mind u know.

well thanks for replies i guess it will seem worth while doing it.

rach

i'm doing the same thing. its iced up a bit and makes sense to use stuff up before defrosting it! mine's only 2 shelves but there's only me! sausage casserole was a start this week, next week there'll be fishfingers and waffles, leftover chilli, salmon, tortilla wraps, bacon.....

comping_cat

I keep meaning to do this, but i keep going to Mr Ts and finding yellow stickered items that i cant resist!!!!

in_my_wellies

The other day I found broad beans dated 1995.

rosy

I've tried to do inventories for the freezer like lil_me, crossing things off and writing them on etc but when I do it it gets so messy and confused so quickly. I've thought it would be a good idea to have little magnets with the names of the food written on them ( a bit like the fridge poetry you can get ) and then they could be kept in a better order on the freezer door and maybe more likely to be kept up to date. Has anyone tried this and if so does it work? Also what would be the cheapest way to get the magnets - I'd like personalised labels as I can make some odd things - would just buying a pack of the poetry magnets and somehow writing over the words work? I wonder if it would if there are some Christmas related ones to be had in the sales... Sorry everybody just thinking out loud to myself here! Would be grateful for feedback if anyone's tried this though.