Thursday, September 19, 2024

Are We Fridgescaping?

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Lately I've been seeing fluff pieces in the major news outlets on fridgescaping, so of course I had to have a look. My first thought was, oh my gosh, what is wrong with these people? This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen!! Vases of flowers! Picture frames! Fairy lights! Where is their actual food, or do they just eat all their meals out??

Unfortunately, I can't post pictures of some of the most out there examples because of copyright restrictions, but here is one on Instagram--look at the little cat statue! I have to tell you, I would break that in a heartbeat...

And this one! Are they actually going to eat the fennel and the pineapple, I wonder? Here's one from Pinterest. These people must shop twice a day. I approve of the jam, though!

And here's my favorite, with the wallpaper in the back of the fridge!

So, because who are we here at JRW if not trendy, we are going to bare the insides of our fridges!

Here's mine. I promise I only straightened a little!! And I remembered that I had a vase of just-picked flowers on the living room table, so I made room for it. It did make me smile, but the flowers went back where they belonged after the photo.





It was lucky for me that I'd made colorful soup last night!

My daughter Kayti volunteered hers. She gets extra points for the pumpkins!




Here's Lucy's condiments. She said she cleaned a lot out this summer after a comment from a relative:)


Lucy, people are always making fun of how much stuff I have in my fridge. I say it's because I cook! (But I'm still not showing my doors.)

Here's Hank's. She said she'd never shown anyone the inside of her fridge before, so she's a very good sport.



And Hallie's, who said, "Not much to write home about."


Oh, she showed us the freezer, too! Brave woman. There's no way you're seeing my freezer, which has a deep drawer that has to be rearranged like a jigsaw puzzle a couple of times a day.

Here's Jenn's fridge. She says her husband has a serious condiment problem!


I love this! Now I'm trying to figure out what all those interesting bottles are.

Julia would only show us her door--but we give her a big pass, post knee surgery.



Rhys says her fridge is empty. Her life has been too chaotic for shopping, so we give her a big pass, too!

I am not tempted by picture frames and fairy lights, or Bridgerton-themed arrangements--seriously! That is a thing on Tiktok! (These influencers are making big money doing this. They probably have second refrigerators for what they actually eat.)

But I did soften just a bit towards the whole idea. After all, I've put asparagus and soft herbs in glass jars before. I could put my yogurt in one of my pretty round glass containers instead of in the plastic tub. And aren't those ceramic egg holders prettier than a cardboard carton... 

Does that way lie madness, I wonder?

Readers, did you know that decorating the inside of your fridge was a thing? Would you ever be tempted?



112 comments:

  1. I did not know that decorating the inside of my fridge was a thing and, no, I would never be tempted . . . .

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  2. I didn't know it was a thing. But since my fridge has some space in it (single and I don't cook much), maybe I should look into it a bit more.

    Oh, who am I kidding. I never really even decorated the rest of my condo. Why would I start there?

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  3. Decorate the inside of my fridge? Ha! No! Never! I’ve been postponing cleaning it out for the last couple of weeks. I’m not going to ever find time to decorate it!

    DebRo

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    1. Maybe we've inspired you to clean it, at least, Deb!

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    2. What is this “clean refrigerator” of which you speak? Keep the door shut and no one can see the mess! Elisabeth

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  4. Are you kidding me?? I'd seen the term, but thought it referred to decorating the outside of a fridge. My fridge has the odd assortment of condiments doors, the 'what the heck is that in the veg. drawer,' the 'how old is this cheese' drawer, etc . Anyone decorating the inside of their fridge?? Nuts!! :-) flora

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    1. The proponents say it helps prevent food waste, Flora. I suspect they buy things for the photos, then throw it away.

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  5. I did not know of such a thing and I would not decorate the inside of my fridge.

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  6. Ugh. Someone would have to scrub the glass shelves first. Even thinking about making the fridge look pretty makes me shudder, because it would be ONE MORE THING TO DO. I'm a solid no on fridgescaping.

    Also, where are the beer and white wine bottles in those photos?

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    1. haha Edith, that's why I took a photo of my condiments:)

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    2. I didn't show you the left hand door, Edith. And we have a separate drinks fridge!

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    3. And there’s one more reason I love you ladies! — Pat S

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  7. Yes, I have heard of fridgescaping but that's not for me.
    My tiny fridge in a galley kitchen is jam packed with food.

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    1. You didn't get to see mine the day I do the grocery shopping. I'm lucky if things don't fall out and smash my toes.

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  8. Fridgescaping? Never heard of it. but I'm tempted. I may arrange the many body parts in my fridge into an aesthetically pleasing diorama. A photo may go a long way for my insanity defense if they ever catch me.

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    1. I love it! And...a short story just started brewing in my insane writer's mind...

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    2. Ha, Jerry! Remind me not to come over for dinner!

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    3. Makes me remember an old Alfred Hitchcock episode where someone kills somebody by hitting them with a frozen leg of lamb…then defrosts & cooks the lamb …and serves it to the police while they discuss not being able to find the murder weapon!
      GOOD GRIEF, I’M OLD!!

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  9. No, definitely no fridgescaping in this house, though I do like a well organized fridge so that the milk is always where it should be (the door) and thawed blueberries in a jar for the morning's oatmeal where it is easily reached (second shelf, left), etc.

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    1. Mine is very organized too, Amanda. I can always tell Rick where to find things:-)

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  10. I can’t stop laughing! Who has room in their fridge or the time to do this? Martha Stewart, maybe.

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    1. It's a cross between Marie Kondo and Martha, don't you think?

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  11. I've never heard of fridgescaping. Thank goodness because that sounds like yet another stupid idea designed to give people with far too much free time on their hands something to do and for other people to market themselves as "experts" and leech money away from people.

    Would I be tempted?

    No. I do a lot of dumb things but nothing approaching this level of goofiness.

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    1. That's what I said, Jay. Then my friend (who is a fabulous cook) said, "Oh of course! I have everything on turntables and I use all my pretty bowls and dishes." I don't think she goes as far as flowers and wallpaper, though.

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  12. Here's the short summary: the Jungle Red Crowd would rather read!

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  13. Every spring, just before Passover, I completely empty the fridge, remove the shelves, scrub it out, then put the shelves back. I do the door, too. That's all, folks.
    Fridgescaping sounds looney.

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    1. That's a great annual practice, Passover or not!

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    2. I do take things out and scrub the shelves, but I'm too lazy to actually take the shelves out. Good for you, Judy!

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  14. Totally resistable temptation!

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  15. Like Lucy said, the Jungle Red Crowd would rather read!

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  16. I heard a story on NPR about fridgescaping. I think Jay hit the nail on the head.

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  17. Just keeping mine clean and organized is enough for me!! We do have way too many jars of condiments: 4 mustards, 5 jams, 5 pickles, 7 salsas, etc, etc!! My ideal is being able to find whatever I'm looking for at that particular moment. There's not enough room for fridgescaping!!!

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    1. Okay, now I have to count our condiments! But I think you definitely win on this one--but maybe not against Jenn's hubby!

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  18. Deborah, as Lucy can tell you, I have this thing about not opening someone else’s refrigerator, even if invited. So, I’m wondering—who would actually see these decorations unless the fridge has glass doors?

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    1. Ang, that was the rule for us growing up, too. Never open anyone else's purse or refrigerator or closet, unless invited or asked to do so. It infuriates me if someone outside the family just opens my fridge without being asked, unless they're helping with cooking or something.

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    2. Karen, glad I'm not alone on this. I wouldn't even think of going into my wife's purse and we've been married 51 years.

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    3. Hahaha! If I'm driving and I ask Hugh to find one obvious, particular thing in my (small) purse, he wants to hand it to me. No - just hand me my chapstick.

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  19. Ah Oh! Ang, don't give any refrigerator companies any ideas!! Yikes.

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    1. Oh, yes, I think they are making fridges with glass doors. And we have a drinks fridge with glass doors. It would look nice if I wasn't always sticking things in it that won't quite fit in the big fridge...

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  20. I would never do this! Never, never, never! I do see that it could be pretty, and making things prettier is always better, if it makes you happy.
    Can I ask you something? Does your refrigerator door close if you don’t close it. I mean – – let’s say you open your refrigerator door, and take something out and turn away. Do you have to physically close the door?

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    1. Hank, I just had to replace my refrigerator because the door hinge died and it wouldn’t close with just a gentle push.

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    2. My refrig door doesn't close automatically but it does have an annoying beep, beep, beep until I get up and close it.

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    3. Ours is so bad about not closing that Rick installed a cheap extra alarm (the fridge already beeps but it's very soft) but the darned thing was so loud it was going to give me a nervous breakdown AND it scared the dog. I made Rick take it off.

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    4. I have to make sure it closes. Many times I've come back to see the fridge door open.

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    5. Ours closes, most of the time. Sometimes it just doesn't. My brother's house has almost the same fridge, and my mom, who lives with him, half the time does not fully close it, and we have all learned to listen for the telltale beep!

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    6. Oh Deborah, that's too funny! And yes, scaring the dog is a step too far! Flora

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    7. A refrigerator that “beeps”, that is, talks back! No, just, no. Elisabeth

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    8. Mine doesn't close unless we close it...because the door is so heavy with condiments, milk, and so on! And it doesn't beep, thank goodness.

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  21. I have green things in the fridge! I must be on trend – for once! (green and pink on the cheese counts doesn’t it?)

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  22. This is hilarious! I'll just have to enjoy pretty pictures of other people's fridges because I can barely keep everything outside of my fridge in order. I'm actually proud of myself if I manage to clean it out once a week.

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    1. I do usually give mine a toss-and-wipe-out when I do the weekly big shopping. Otherwise it gets icky pretty quickly.

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  23. I think the fridgescapers must have too much time on their hands.
    With 4 days until we leave this house our fridge is empty. We just gave a bunch of stuff out of it to our son yesterday. I won’t be decorating the one at the new house.

    Jenn, I think that condiment shelf might actually be bowing from the weight!

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    1. Brenda, The Hubby said, "Too much time on their hands and too much stuff."

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    2. I think Jenn's husband takes his cooking seriously! What fun!

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  24. So this reminds me of how for awhile back people were arranging their books by COLOR. IMHOP that's for people with too much time on their hands and too few books for it to matter.

    Or the library at Trinity College in Dublin where the books are shelved by height... tallest ones nearer to the floor. Which at least makes sense if you're consider the effort it takes to take down a tall book from a floor level shelf versus several stories up.

    I find my freezer gets much more of a workout these days because I haven't yet figured out how to COOK FOR ONE. What I think will be one (or two) meal turns out (often) to be 3 or 4, and then by reheat 3 I'm not interested in looking at the stuff so (if there's room), into the freezer go the leftover-leftovers which look increasingly unappealing as weeks go by.

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    1. Your freezer looks very organized compared to mine, Hallie. I wasn't kidding about the jigsaw puzzle. No matter how carefully I organize it, the first time I have to pull something from the bottom of the drawer, the whole thing goes to you-know-where.

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  25. I did not know fridgscaping was a thing. Nope, not me. I'm glad if I can find what I need and the shelves are clean.

    And here The Hubby and I were joking the other day about buying the "pretty" jam jars instead of plain ones!

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    1. Those pretty jam jars are only the beginning, lol.

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    2. But I bought them for a very practical reason: they came in packs of four and the plain ones were packs of 12. I don't need 16 jam jars! LOL

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  26. Debs, I have never heard of this, and I am gobsmacked (as Duncan or Gemma might say.) The day I start worrying about how pretty the inside of my fridge looks is the day I start seeing a therapist, and the day I put photos of its contents on Instagram is the day they'll come for me with a straightjacket. Imagine the READING TIME being lost by such pursuits! Not to mention the many, many genuinely useful tasks I could be doing instead--like finally defrosting my freezer! (Whoops, just realized I echoed Lucy. But it's worth saying twice!)

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    1. You made me snort, Kim! Uh, people actually defrost their freezers?? Who knew...

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    2. I have to defrost the small freezer in the basement. But only once a year, just before all my bags of picked blueberries go in for the next year.

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  27. No way, but it is making me want to do a deep clean on my fridge.

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    1. If it were my fridge getting the deep clean, a tetanus shot would be a required preparation step. Elisabeth

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  28. Would I be tempted? I can't believe I was even tempted to click the links to find out what fresh influencer-driven, portmanteau-word-defined, time-wasting fluff this was about.

    Nothing to see here, folks. Just go read a good book or watch a good video.

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  29. They definitely have another fridge for the real food or they get Grubhub delivered daily and no leftovers. If people have that much time and creative energy they should use it to making the world a better place! Rhys in grumpy mood

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    1. I don't think we're going to have careers as Instagram or Tiktok users, Rhys!

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    2. I meant to say influencers! Although we may not have careers as users, either.

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    3. Brava! Rhys! Elisabeth…while not grumpy today, releasing tension. Elisabeth

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  30. No, not going to happen, just not. Maybe the AC blew and these people needed an excuse to stand in front of the open fridge doors for an extended period of time.

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    1. Too funny! Ithought about how much cold air was escaping when I was taking photos yesterday!

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  31. I had seen a reference to this phenomenon, and at first I thought it was a parody. My gast was flabbered (or was my flabber gasted? I can't remember) to find that it was real. I wonder how often these people dust their decorations. Do they have neighborhood groups and stage viewings of one another's fridges? Maybe some will have blue ribbons added to the decor.
    Where do they put their food? Our fridge is full with just the two of us, especially in the fresh fruit and veggie seasons.

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  32. So if you were writing about a fridgescaper, you could have someone get lead poisoning from storing food in a vintage dish...

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  33. I'm sorry, say what? If I spent that much time on my refrigerator aesthetic, my refrigerator would have to be clean and that just does not happen.

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  34. It’s official, folks: some people have too much time on their hands. Thanks to the Reds for sharing photos of their own fridges, though; it’s kinda fun to see how other people keep their important stuff!

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  35. As if we didn't already have too much judgement on our actions going on! Just no. I have many better things to do. It's fairly clean, and the only fancy thing we have is a stacking egg container. The local eggs we get come in a charming, but round crate, and they just don't fit.

    This time of year I cannot keep my refrigerator tidy, nor my kitchen counter, because it is loaded with fast-coming garden produce, waiting to be processed. Add to the chaos my husband's insistence on having watermelon around as long as it's available, and we're lucky we can cram the door closed, let alone fridgescape the thing. Our youngest just went back to Greece after a fun two-week visit, and her many chilled preferred beverages are now fully consumed. I could almost hear the fridge sighing with relief.

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    1. Karen, normally we have a couple of big tubs of cut-up cantelope, which Rick, not usually a big fruit eater, loves, but he'd finished it off the night before. I buy watermelon at the market, too, but it's such a sticky mess to cut up and it doesn't keep nearly as well as the cantelope. There's only so much melon two people can eat!

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    2. Watermelon stays whole, or halved, etc, here until it's used up. Steve likes slices.

      It IS a meas, and I'm always glad when it's no longer available, unfortunately. Because I used to love it.

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    3. It's nice to know that I'm not alone with the "watermelon woes". My husband Rudi loves it as well but I'm so happy when the season is over, too. That sticky juice can also be stinky. I learned that the hard way when some watermelon juice leaked into a partially opened kitchen draw and penetrated the wood. Though I scrubbed and rubbed forever the odor (which is very unpleasant) lingered in that draw for a few months until the coffee beans I put in an open bowl absorbed the smell. Not to give you nightmares but watermelons have also been known to explode if there is a puncture or small opening in the outer skin. So it's goodbye to watermelon season and a giant hello to apple season!

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  36. We just got a brand new fridge with the double doors on top for the fridge, a middle pull-out door in the middle (that can be set for refrigerator or freezer temps to give you a little extra space in whichever area you need) and a bottom freezer. I thought it would be so great and spacious! Took one trip to the store and it’s full to overflowing. And yes, it beeps if not fully closed. It’s bad enough I hear my mother’s voice in my head telling me to “shut the refrigerator door. You’re letting out all of the cold air!” I don’t need my fridge chastising me!! (Obviously I agree with all of you above that these influencers need to find something more productive to do!) — Pat S

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    1. Of course the really popular influencers are making money off this. And the less popular influencers would LIKE to make money from it, but I think there has to be an element of enjoying the creativity.

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    2. Pat, you're scaring me on the new fridge. As much as I complain about the bottomless pit of our drawer freezer, the fridge is actually very spacious and holds a lot--too much, I sometimes think.

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  37. My husband, now retired, has way too much time on his hands. Perhaps I could convince him that he has a new outlet in fridgescaping? This spring he redid our vegetable garden in a circus theme, with objets trouves from the flea market, pinwheels, and a new bright blue cucumber ladder. He needs a winter project . . .

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    1. I wish Blogger would allow pictures. I'd love to see your husband's circus-themed garden. But maybe you don't want to introduce him to fridgescaping!

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  38. My objective for my fridge is just clean and organized where like items are grouped together. Wallpaper inside my fridge would just confuse anyone actually trying to find something as it is hard enough for my husband as it is! I actually keep a list of all of the fruits and veggies on the outside door of the fridge so that maybe my husband will look to see that we already do have something that he needs to find whether he can find it or not!

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    1. I thought the same thing about the wallpaper, Alicia.

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  39. What?! How do people have room to put other things in their fridge? We may have a day or two once in awhile where we've finished off all leftovers so there's some space, but not enough that I'm going to decorate the inside (and then have to move it out to make room for actual food). This time of year there's still garden produce in there too. Then holidays will come. I can't imagine being able to do that stuff. You're right, they must eat out a lot or be close enough to a store to do their shopping one day at a time.

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  40. No. Hell no. And, why? Is someone going to organize fridge home tours?

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  41. I don't know whether to be refrigerator shamed or appalled at what is important to some people. I think I'll choose appalled, but I do now have thoughts of how embarrassed I would be to post a picture of the inside of my refrigerator. Of course, my shame won't last long.

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  42. I can only see myself getting into fridgescaping if I ran out of every other possible work avoidance chore (like cleaning the oven)! LOL.

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  43. This is hilarious. As in ridiculously funny, to me. I like an organized fridge, and my husband is very OCD about it, so I’m good with that. But these people have too much time on their hands.
    Also, I was brought up to be quick getting things in and out of the refrigerator, so I didn’t let all the cold air out. So I still cringe when anyone is holding the door open for any reason other than to grab something or put it away!

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  44. I just noticed that Julia has a jar of Branston Pickle in her fridge door! The Anglophile's dream! Maybe I need to have a cheese and pickle sandwich for lunch. (I make cheese toast with pickle. Yum.)

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  45. I just did my first big pantry and perishables shop since before my surgery, and although I'm not going to decorate, this post has inspired me to at least clean out my fridge before putting anything new in there!

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  46. Thank you, Reds and Reds’ commenters … so needed an outlet for scorn and sarcasm today! Elisabeth

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  47. I'm laughing because there's no way anyone will see the inside of my fridge - any of them. We have three. Jenn, we may be married to twins separated at birth. When we lived in Florida and had a huge kitchen we had two fridges in it. One just for condiments. Now that we're in Maine and the kitchen is a wee thing, I end up using one of the downstairs refrigerators for the "overflow" food!

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    1. We bought an 18 cubic foot all refrigerator and an 18 cubic foot identical standup freezer. This makes keeping like items organized much easier although right after a weekly shop, the volume of new stuff wreaks havoc with the overall picture!

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  48. What's wrong with these folks?...Interior design only happens on the exterior of the fridge doors. :) Plus it's hard enough to find space to fit everything that needs to be kept refrigerated as it is. Now I need to make room for a framed painting or a vase of flowers that I would only see at a quick glance before the door is shut again? Why?! I admit, however, to being OCD when it comes to how I place the items in my fridge. I have a system and everything has its place. Step out of line...which happens frequently when my husband removes items out of the fridge and puts them back willy nilly like a bag of shredded cheese beside a dessert for example ..and I go crazy. Horrors! The inside of my fridge is like a grocery store. There's a deli section, produce "aisle, dairy section, breads only "aisle" jams, jellies and butter "aisle", condiments and pickles section and miscellaneous "aisle". I know...I know...I'm also that person who walks by something framed on a wall and straightens it. Over the top...I can't help it.

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    1. Yours is perfect, Deborah! The shelves are all perfectly lined up with each other. Truthfully, I'm a little jealous. :} There's a lot to be said about refrigerator grocery store OCD storage. Everything is organized and easily located.

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    2. Mine is organized like yours with "sections" for similar items!

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  49. All I can say is my fridge can give Jenn's hub a run for his money when it comes to condiments! My current goal is to reduce that by half before Thanksgiving!!

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