We have three freezers so it is imperative that we keep things organized. Even if you have, as most people do, one small freezer atop of the fridge, a bit of organization will go a long way.

If you have one freezer without a dividing shelf, go to a discount store and buy yourself an add-a-shelf. I'm referring to the plastic covered wire type. You can find them with the Rubbermaid-type products. This will give you an additional level of space and will take advantage of the usually wasted area near the top. It will also be much easier to see what is in there.

This next step will take a bit of work at first but especially if you have an additional freezer in your garage or basement is imperative. Take a sheet of paper and a pen, go to your freezer and take everything out. I usually use gloves when I do this. Now, as you put everything back in (hopefully in a newly organized fashion!) jot down what it is and how much of it there is.

Since I buy things in bulk I prefer to mark something like this:

Butter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

This represents the item and number of pounds.

You can do the same thing with:

Spaghetti Sauce 1 2 3 4 for the number of containers you have.

I'll explain why I do this in just a minute.

Once everything is put back in and you have your list, check around and make sure you haven't forgotten anything - then head to your computer. (For those of you who think that this is a waste of time and are about to stop reading, bear with me for a second while I reveal the method behind this madness.)

I use EXCEL to make a list of everything that was in the freezer. I make a separate list for each freezer. Once you have this set up, it just takes about 5 minutes every so often to make an update. I then print out the list and tape it to the front of the freezer. When you add something, jot it down on the list and most importantly, when you remove something, cross it off. That is why I list the butter the way I do. I can cross off that number representing that pound of butter without crossing off butter completely.

So, why should you go through this hassle? For those of you in California worried about every kilowatt of electricity these days, you can see what is in the freezer without standing in front of it with the door open. Going grocery shopping? Pull your list up on the computer and print it out and take it with you, or better yet, spend 10 minutes at your desk, looking at the list and you can think about what you might need to buy at the store to make a meal out of something you already have in the freezer. This will also keep you from buying something you already have in there but may have forgotten about. I have a bad habit of doing that myself. I'll by another box of Phyllo dough thinking I didn't have any left, come home and see that I already have two in the freezer.

Hope this helps save you some time. The only trick is actually keeping it up. It's very easy once you get the hang of it.

--- © Chef Raven