Spring Cleaning...on the hottest weekend in July

We didn't want to do much to leave air conditioning this weekend, with temps over 100 degrees! So, of course, we decided to clean out the refrigerator. We were inspired by this picture we found on Pinterest (if you haven't tried pinning, you are missing out!)

This is what our fridge looked like before. Think we could find much of anything in there? nope. We decided we wanted to use containers (like in the picture), so measured everything first. The key measurement was depth. If you get containers that are too shallow, you will constantly lose stuff behind them. Then we went to Walmart and got some containers that could work.

Next, we took out all the food, and threw away anything scary (we did find a sauce bottle that expired in 2005!!). Then we took out all the drawers and shelves and while DH cleaned most of those, I got in the fridge with clorox and cleaned the heck out of it. Only when everything was sparking white, did we put shelves and such back in. We had to replace the produce drawer, as the kids had broken it years ago.

Then we tried to organize the food we had. We had LOTS of yogurt and LOTS of cheese (the kids could probably live on an all-dairy diet). So one bin went for yogurts, and another (smaller) bin went for string cheese and other single-serving cheeses. We put the rest of the cheese (good "mom and dad" cheese, shredded cheese, etc), back in the cheese drawer. We have a "toppings" bin with "shaker" cheese, sour cream, bacon bits, tomato sauce and ketchup. Lunch items (cold cuts, lunchables, etc) went in the small drawer. The other big bin has "dinner" items - things I am defrosting, have ready for dinner that week, left overs, etc. Produce goes in the bottom drawer.The top has sort of anything else.

Then we organized the door shelves. They were crazy. We consolidated, threw out much, and tried to organize as best we could (international sauces, bbq sauces, salad dressings, etc).

And here is the big reveal. Not the best pics, I apoligize (iPhone), but gives you an idea. And yes, ASAP I will be switching out that top blue bin for a white one. Makes me crazy, but the white ones we bought didn't fit on the top with the built-in water dispenser. I had this blue one sitting around, and it fit. But I will switch it out for a white one as soon as I can.

We made the kids come in and oooohh and ahh over the clean fridge. Lets see how long it lasts! Hopefully we will all find it easier to use and will keep it like this!

The Ways of the Universe!

We have quickly been reminded that the universe always has ways of even-ing things out. Just 2 weeks ago we made our last daycare payment. After 9 years of daycare payments, we are finally free. Think of the money! Well, the universe quickly took care of that.

First, our car died. Totally died, leaving me at work stranded, when I was supposed to pick up all three kids and get two of them to piano lessons. Not so much. Turned out it was the alternator and battery. And the bumping noise we had been hearing was the brake rotors, which had also worn bad patterns in our relatively new brake pads. $1400 and we were golden.

The next day the painter we had hired to deal with our porch finds termites in the posts. Joy.

Then, the truck has the A/C die this weekend. Not looking forward to that estimate.

So just when we thought we would get some of that credit card debt paid off, the universe acts to suck up any money we were saving.

I shouldn't be surprised.

I also shouldn't complain at all - we are very lucky, and have more money than we deserve. But still!!