Get your fridge ready for back-to-school

Getting ready for back to school can quite an undertaking. There are supplies to buy, clothes to shop for, haircuts to get, anxieties to quell -- getting the family ready to head back to school isn't easy. One thing you may not think about is how to get your fridge -- yes, your fridge -- ready for the busy school season. Using these tips, you can be sure that your fridge is ready to go when the busy school season starts.

Purge, baby, purge!

If it's been a while since your fridge has been cleaned out, now is a great time to do it. Have a "clean out the fridge" meal (more on that here), toss anything questionable, and give the fridge a good cleaning. It's always very satisfying to stare into a clean fridge, isn't it?

Take inventory

Purging and cleaning your fridge also helps you to know what's really in there. This can be very helpful in figuring out quick and easy meals to have at the ready when back-to-school season is in full swing. Make a list of everything in your freezer and keep the list on the fridge. When you use something, cross it off the list so you always have an up-to-date list of what's on hand. This will help with menu planning, will save you money on groceries, and will keep you from staring blankly into the fridge at 4pm trying to figure out what's for dinner. That's a win all around, right?

Create a snack zone

There's nothing worse than getting ready to make your kids' lunches only to find out they've devoured all of the packable snacks and juice boxes. (OK, there are lots of things worse, but you know what I mean). Create a "for school only" zone in your fridge so everyone knows those things are off-limits when it comes to at-home snacking. This can just be something as simple as a bin in the fridge for applesauce cups, juice boxes, pre-portioned fruit, etc. (Do the same thing in your pantry, too).

Clear off the outside

It's pretty likely that if you're a parent, the outside of your fridge is probably full of notes, receipts, party invitations, your child's artwork, school notes, etc. If those things are still hanging on as remnants of the last school year, now is the time to clear them off and give yourself a clean slate for this year. File away the things you need, toss what you don't, and give the fridge door a good clean. Then, you can add a new calendar and start fresh this year. For many families, the fridge becomes something of a "mission control" centre for the family, and it will be much more effective in this role if you start from a place of clutter-free organization.

Stock up on necessities

Every family has their favourite foods. When back-to-school season hits, be sure you can hit the ground running by ensuring that your fridge is fully stocked with everything you'll need to pack your kids' favourite lunches, to keep their after-school snack attacks at bay, and to create some of your family's go-to favourite meals to get you through the transition to back-to-school schedules.

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Using these tips, you can easily give your fridge a makeover and get it back-to-school ready!

#backtoschool #organization #kitchen