Aprill e-mailed a question and her current solution to her problem. Too funny!
"I wonder what you do with your tupperware cupboard, if you have one. All those plastic containers and lids for leftovers. My lids are kept in a couple of large icecream containers and the containers are all piled into each other, frequently spilling out of the cupboard. Some of the excess ones I filled with water and left in the deep freeze just to get them out of the way. But I'm often thinking 'there must be a better way'.
That's a novel solution, hahaha... I had the same problem for a long time but in the end I gave up on all those plastic containers which besides from taking up a lot of space in the few cupboards I have were sometimes also really difficult to clean. Somehow some of them kept feeling greasy.
I still have a few containers but I use freezer bags most of the time instead.The freezer bags are kept in the drawer closest to the freezer. When I have leftovers I get the bags out and fill them. I simply tie a knot at the top and pop them into the freezer. I do this regardless of whether it's fluids or more solid food. You just need to be careful so the bags don't tear before going in.
When I want what's in the bag I get it out, put it in a bowl and let it thaw there. Afterwards the bag goes in the trash. I have considered the environmental aspect of this but came to the conclusion that using a lot of hot water together with probably way too much dishwashing liquid to degrease the containers was probably worse or at least just as bad.
My problem is usually that I think I'll recognize what's inside the bag after it's frozen and I don't. I've had a few surprizes along the way (I have no idea what's in the bag above) but other than that this method works well for us. The plastic containers we had are instead used elsewhere, like for storing left over paint in the garage.
In the top photos you can see the containers which are still in use as day-after-dinner-lunch containers. They share the top shelf in a lower cabinet with the cheeze grater, whip cream attachment and micro-egg container. Plastic bottles, ice cream containers, their lids, picnic utensils and plastic cups are stored in a cabinet high up as they aren't used very often.
