I’ve been a renter for the last 18 years in the same small house.  I don’t bother my landlord with much, but recently I could no longer ignore the decrepitude of my refrigerator.  It was time to ask for a new fridge.

The cubic footage of the new unit was the same as the old one, but it was a top freezer model, not a side by side like the one it replaced.  No matter – it was shiny and new.

I was happy until I started putting things away.  The top freezer was significantly smaller than the side by side it replaced.  I noticed that although there were holes for a shelf, the shelf wasn’t included.

I piled as much in as I could, then called the appliance store.  Turns out the holes were for a shelf that comes with the next model up.  I could buy the coated wire shelf separately, but it would cost over $100!  No thanks.

What’s an organizer to do?  Measure the interior dimensions of the freezer, of course, and go shopping for storage options.  A combination of coated wire shelving, specialized plastic refrigerator bins and my trusty 6-gallon plastic shoeboxes maximized the space.  I polished off the job with my labeller.

It still holds less than the previous freezer, but I can find what I want without digging through a jumbled mess.

Who wants dinner?