Labels in the fridge - too much?

[Luci45]

My pantry is also a minor disaster.  Fortunately, I know that if I ignore it long enough, it will eventually drive my oldest DD to the brink of insanity and one day she'll go off the edge and empty it and organize everything again. She's actually really good at it! 

NOW you are my new hero! Talk about a role reversal!

I am transfering my hero worship to DD - she needs to be encouraged! You are already good.

[Cami]

In my experience, it's far easier to keep and put items in their "proper" places when there isn't too much of it. When a storage space is mostly or entirely full, there is disincentive to put items in their "proper" places as a lot of people do not see the separate items or the categories -- all they see is a bunch of blurry "stuff".  So one way I've found that works is to pare my storage areas  at home and work (refrigerator, cabinets, closets, file cabinets, bookcases) down to minimums. It's amazing how much more inclined people are to be neat and careful when it's easier for them to comprehend the individuality and categories of the items they are seeing.

[AngelicGamer]

Heh - I'm really glad that my family leaves me in charge of the fridge and where to put things in the kitchen.  I'm the main cook and I get frustrated very easily if I can't find what I want "right now" and dinner gets delayed.  Like the one time that dinner got started half a hour late because I had to search through the pantry, the Lazy Susan, and all the cabinets for the olive oil.  It was hidden behind something that it never goes behind because my aunt had just visited for Christmas.  I always spend a good two to four weeks putting the kitchen back into my order after major holidays and thought that I had got everything that one time!  Now I always double check where the olive oil is the day after she leaves. 

[TootsNYC]

When I contemplated labeling my fridge, i wasn't going to label for everything--just the few key things that, if they were in the wrong space, it meant stuff didn't fit or someone reaching for the Kool-Aid container had to make several attempt.

[Hmmmmm]

I just saw this article I thought was appropriate to this discussion.

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/eating/2013/01/how_to_organize_your_fridge_ke.php

[joraemi]

I just saw this article I thought was appropriate to this discussion.

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/eating/2013/01/how_to_organize_your_fridge_ke.php

Awesome!  Thanks for posting that!

 Thanks for the ideas and suggestions.  I think I'm going to try just a few labels at first - for staples that are in there all the time that seem to have a problem getting back to where I want them. (notice that I caught myself and didn't say "where they should be"? E-hell is teaching me....) 

I'll definitely let you know how it goes!

p.s.  Yes - DD is a champion organizer - I encourage her to hone her skills anywhere in the house she thinks it needs it. 

[Arrynne]

Oh, totally.

Because of some past work-experience, LadyTango has a strong aversion to washing dishes.  I don't mind it, but in order to fairly divide the labor, that means that once dishes are clean and dry, it's LadyTango's responsibility to put them away.

It seems like after almost 7 years of this, I still find myself hunting for things that I think should be in one drawer, but she thinks should be in a different drawer.

It's the same way with my husband and me.  I think things should go in one drawer, and he thinks they belong elsewhere.  I've learned not to complain (or mention it at all) because he'll quit helping if I do.