We’re making a deliberate effort to finish everything in our fridge and freezer before moving. We haven’t done a full grocery shop in at least three weeks — aside from small under-$30 trips for milk, cereal, and some fresh fruit and vegetables — and we don’t plan to buy more for the next two weeks. There’s still plenty to eat before the move, and we’d rather not haul chilled food in a cooler during the few hours between handing over the keys to our current house and getting the keys to the new place. Fortunately we were able to arrange both closings on the same day, but the bank needs a few hours to transfer funds, so minimizing refrigerated items in transit is the goal. Here’s what we’re dealing with:
To keep us focused, I created a simple, practical plan to guide our meals. I love lists, and this one helps us avoid wasting food. At first I wrote a long, cluttered list of everything that needed to be eaten, but it was overwhelming and hard to use. So I organized the items into meal categories — breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks/dessert — grouping foods that work well together. We now have the list on the fridge as a visible reminder, and it’s made everything much easier.
- Breakfast:
- eggs
- oatmeal
- waffles
- smoothies
- Lunch:
- peas and carrot sides (J)
- broccoli soup (S)
- grilled cheese (J & S)
- turkey, cheese, & deli flats (J & S)
- tuna on wasa crackers (S)
- laughing cow cheese or almond butter on wasa crackers (S)
- Dinner:
- breakfast-for-dinner omelette with frozen veggies
- pot stickers with frozen veggies
- burritos and frozen veggies
- pancakes with mixed berries
- spaghetti
- frozen Amy’s pizza and Alexia fries
- sides to eat ASAP: brown rice & couscous
- Snack/Dessert:
- pumpkin bread
- ice cream
- tea
- mixed nuts & pistachios
We simply cross items off as we finish them and move on to the next thing in that category. So far we’re on track to eat through our supplies before moving day — there are still several servings of pasta, pot stickers, a ton of wasa crackers, and other staples that will carry us through. The system keeps meals efficient, reduces waste, and removes the stress of deciding what to eat during a hectic week.
Have you ever planned meals specifically to use up food before a move, to save money, or to stay organized? Some people swear by weekly themes — Macaroni Monday, Taco Tuesday — and growing up we had a reliable rotation that felt comforting. I still miss our Wednesday night pizza dinners; routines like that make life feel simpler sometimes.
Psst — I know the last few posts haven’t been very DIY-focused (we can blame the turkey coma), but soon we’ll share some homemade holiday gift ideas, a free downloadable calendar, and another home-related video. So stay tuned.
Second pssst — Wow. Who watched Dexter last night? It was intense. John and I were wired afterward from all the adrenaline. Great episode.
UPDATE: See how we did when it came to cleaning out the fridge before our big move here.