December is an expensive month, especially leading up to Christmas, so for the rest of December, I’m planning to do a mini freezer challenge. Today I took inventory of what we have in our freezer and I’m going to show you how I plan to use these items over the course of the rest of the month! I hope this example of freezer meal planning will inspire you to do the same before buying any new groceries.

An Example of Freezer Meal Planning

We have two freezers—one connected to our fridge, and another chest freezer out in the garage. I love our chest freezer for storing things when I get a really good deal, but sometimes things get lost in the depths of the freezer. Looking through it frequently and making a list of what’s in there makes sure nothing goes unused.

Here are the steps I took not only to inventory what we have, but also to make a plan for meals to use up all the stuff.

Step 1: Inventory your food items.

The first thing to do is to make a list. I use the voice memos app on my phone tor record me naming what’s in the freezer, and then I sit at my laptop and type it all out into a long list. However, for the purposes of today’s post, I chose to write it on a sheet of paper. If you’re doing this along with me, make sure to note how much you have — you might write frozen french fries, but it would be helpful to know if you have half a bag or a whole bag.

Step 2: Categorize the items.

Take the list you made and make categories based on what you have. I made 4: protein, fruits/vegetables, ingredients, and other/miscellaneous.

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Step 3: List ideas you have for meals and snacks.

Scan the food items you have and make a quick list of whatever comes to you off the top of your head. Here’s my list:

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