Never Lose Frozen Food Again With This Cheap Office Organizer Trick

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TikTok, Instagram, and Pinterest might make you think that clear plastic organizers are the only way to keep your freezer organized. Click the affiliate link! They're just $35 each! Don't fall for the trap. 

There's a better, cheaper way, and you can probably find it at home: Use magazine organizers to keep your freezer systemized and avalanche-free. It's a great way to get a two-for-one out of deep cleaning, too. Toss out the paper clutter and receipts, then give the organizers a new home in your freezer. No, they're not as pretty as the ones you see in videos of the fridgescaping trend. Let's be real, though. If your freezer is messy now, it's never going to look that pristine. Your best bet is to contain the clutter as much as you can. 

Organizers make it easy to store flat items, like TV dinners and freezer bags full of ground beef. (Remember, the trick to save tons of space when freezing any ground protein is to stash it in a plastic bag that's been flattened with a rolling pin.) Magazine organizers also make it easier to designate specific zones for different types of food, so you don't have to rifle through bags of fruits and vegetables to get to the store-bought frozen lasagna. If there's not enough room in your freezer to keep the magazine organizers upright, stack them on their sides to create shelves.

Check your home office for other freezer-friendly organizers. Letter organizers can serve a similar function — some stackable units even have sliding shelves, like this Simple Houseware letter tray. Store loose bags in cubbies or caddies. Use a pencil holder for slim popsicles or freeze pops. If you have an unused lazy Susan-style organizer, well, you've just struck freezer organization gold.

Make sure the material is more or less freezer-safe. It's best to avoid wooden organizers because they can absorb moisture. Cardboard organizers might work for a few months, but they're bound to get soggy. Plastic and metal organizers are your best bets. They're typically pretty thin, too, so they won't take up much extra space.

New office organizers aren't necessarily cheaper than organizers meant for food. Still, it's worth checking the office supply section if you can't find the exact organizer you want in homeware. If you don't have office organizers at home — or if they're all being used for their intended purposes — consider checking thrift stores. Office supplies are likely easier to find secondhand than food storage, and you won't have to wonder whether the previous owner ever spilled half-frozen stew on them.