Make your refrigerator work harder for you

1. Is your refrigerator too warm? Set your fridge at 39 degrees to keep foods safe, according to Angela Fraser, associate professor at Clemson University. Warmer temps encourage faster spoilage. Time for a refrigerator thermometer.

2. Buy just what you need. If what's been wrapped on plastic little trays by the supermarket is too much, ask the person behind the meat/fish/deli counter to package what and only what you need.

Another key is to find a grocery store that sells 'bulk', you scoop out just what you need. You can buy nuts, cereals, candies, coffees and many more dry goods in bulk. Whole Foods has a great bulk section in their stores.

1. 3. Store leftovers and odds'n ends in clear plastic containers stored upside down (if the top isn't clear) in the front of the fridge, making contents easier to see and less easy to forget.

4. Reorganize the fridge. An orderly fridge doesn't have forgotten ingredients pushed to the back.
Shown in photo - my fridge with some great plastic organizers with handles. I wish all 3 were clear but the white holds my breakfast fruit and I don't need to see all the berries. I know they're there (I just shopped, that's why there's some berries out of the container). The container on the 2nd shelf holds my favorite salad ingredients while the 3rd container holds the vegetables I use for stir fry (a favorite that's easy to fix). These containers can be found at the Container Store.

5. Know label 'dates' "Sell-by" or "use-by" dates don't always mean "toss-by." The sell-by date is the last recommended day you should buy a product, but you can eat it several days to a week after. "Use-by" is the date through which the item will be top-quality. However, if stored properly, most foods stay fresh several days longer than the use-by date, even meat. Don't throw out good food, check out a handy food storage guide.

6. Clean it out once a week. Pick a day and stick to it, because the night before that day becomes...

7. 'Use up' meal -because Friday night leftovers sound horrendous. Bring all leftovers out and serve buffet style. Serve one extra special item that's not a leftover that your family will look forward to avoiding any negative feeling about it being 'Use up' night. For my family, it's Bisquick biscuits, yes those shapeless, hard as a brick, easy to make recipe right off the back of the box. It's the one time a week that I make these biscuits and the only time butter is placed on the dinner table.