I read a blog a few years ago called Eat Your Freezer and completely embraced the sentiment from that day forward.  The article encouraged people to take stock of their freezer twice a year – January and July – and use up what they have, refusing to buy a single freezer good for those two months.  I am a sucker for anything goal setting and even more so when you combine goal setting with decluttering.  With those two things, I was a complete convert. 

Here’s what I have noticed since Eating My Freezer:

-       Encourages goal setting.  I always include the family into these months.  As I take stock of what we have and need to eat up, I write it on our kitchen chalkboard.  As I do, I remind my husband that we are once again eating the freezer and every time he shops yell out the door ‘NO FROZEN FOODS!’  The list on the chalkboard serves as a reminder when making meals.

-       We save SO much money in those two months!  January is an expensive month as the credit card bills from December roll in as well as our salaries dropping back slightly with CPP kicking in again.  Our kids are still of daycare age and the summers also tend to kick us in the ass financially.  So, this small but effective habit is helpful financially in both of these months!

-       I get some Tupperware back into rotation!  I know this may seem minor but it’s always right before that I find myself wondering where all of it has gone.  One month later, voila! - Tupperware is back where it should be!

-       I bake more.  Cleaning the freezer helps me remember all of the old bananas, shredded zucchini, and frozen fruit I threw in there with the intention of grand snacks.  School snacks switch from store bought to homemade and I may even make a pie or two!

-       We eat things before they expire!  Before doing this challenge, my freezer is where food went to die.  Seriously! I would keep things so long that I would forget what they were or question just how long they’d been in there, and usually toss them out of fear.  This way, I know the max amount of time something has been in there is 6 months.  No fear there!

-       Frees up time.  A lot of the stuff in my freezer is already made, delicious, healthy soups/stews/meals that I made an extra batch of and froze (with the great intentions of eating sooner).  I simply take it out and reheat.  Easy peasy!

-       Keeps me in check and humble.  In today’s society where excess is the norm this helps me to stay grounded and mindful of my role, how I want to raise my kids, and how truly blessed we are.  Too many options can create confusion, the freezer is simply a microcosm of our larger society in all of its excess and waste.

January is fast approaching, who’s with me?