I have so many sauces and seasonings that both my fridge and pantry are full without actual food

Full. Pantry full as well.

I only have one fridge, and it's not usually too full. It has a bottom freezer, and I tend to buy meat on sale, portion it and freeze it so I can pull something out and thaw for dinner. I really hate food waste so I try to meal plan and buy what I need for fresh stuff.

My pantry is fully stocked though lol. I buy in bulk if it will last.

Anonymous wrote:I find what takes up a lot of space are sauces/condiments/dressings, etc. We usually make our own versions of these when needed, so we don't keep many of them in our fridge. Otherwise, our fridge is holding mostly fresh items that will be used up during the week. By the weekend, it's pretty empty.

Same. We tend to have a lot of empty space unless DH just did grocery shopping. I hate an overstuffed fridge. I was just thinking about this recently because my sister's is always packed when we visit. It's hard to find stuff and I have to assume a lot of it is food that has gone bad because you can't see it to use it.

Our garage fridge has long term stuff like drinks that I don't have to worry about going bad but as a rule I try to keep the kitchen fridge limited to stuff we will eat within 4-5 days except for condiments, etc so the day before shopping if I am doing my job right it's pretty empty. I hate wasting food.

Anonymous wrote:I find what takes up a lot of space are sauces/condiments/dressings, etc. We usually make our own versions of these when needed, so we don't keep many of them in our fridge. Otherwise, our fridge is holding mostly fresh items that will be used up during the week. By the weekend, it's pretty empty.

I think this might be the secret! So many jars of condiments/ sauces/dressing.

Too full. Way too full. As in, there is always something that needs to be thrown away.

This is what happened - my two kids are now 13 and 15 and old enough to go through the fridge themselves. I harangued my husband for years asking for more help in the kitchen, and eventually he complied. So now they take things out and put it in different places so we keep opening more. Like, one kid will open a big jug of barbecue sauce (used frequently, so bigger than fits in the drawer) then shove it into the back, next kid won't see it and will open the backup bottle and shove it into the back after use. I had a spot I always put the barbecue sauce, so if it's empty, I might pick more up. Another culprit is takeout boxes. Another thing my family does is they will put leftovers away in the biggest tupperware container they see. I hate my fridge. I love my family. Eventually the kids will be gone and then I'll get a handle on it again.

Insta is pretty fake. She probably has a second fridge she’s not showing you, has help or it’s her full time job to shop and cook daily for posting content.

I find what takes up a lot of space are sauces/condiments/dressings, etc. We usually make our own versions of these when needed, so we don't keep many of them in our fridge. Otherwise, our fridge is holding mostly fresh items that will be used up during the week. By the weekend, it's pretty empty.

I don’t like it when it’s super full. I let it get down fairly low - like we’re out of eggs, out of fruit, “sorry no more bread, find something else” and then I refill. I don’t know why 😂

Pretty full. I like it, it reminds me of my mom’s fridge when I was growing up. An empty fridge always looks sad to me, like there’s not much domestic life in the house.

Very full and we have a second fridge (family with two teenage boys). The second fridge is mostly beverages and overflow of items we use very regularly.

I am not a cook.
Currently:
Hummus
Mini pita
Mini guac
Yogurt tubes
Apples
Clementines
Strawberries
Smoked salmon
Typical condiments
English muffins
Eggs
Jello cups
Cheddar
Parm

I have been really into those bagged salads lately. Usually have bagels, mushroom ravioli, chicken/apple sausage

Full. I also have a separate fridge for beverages and dairy. And a standalone freezer. There is no way I could make it through the week without starting off with a pretty full fridge. When i've lived abroad (europe, asia), I had a very empty fridge because it was much easier to shop daily on my way home.

I follow a restaurant owner/cook book author on instagram and I am always blown away by how empty she keeps her fridge. So much open space yet she’s able to whip up complete meals. And she has little kids! It’s so peaceful and makes me think I’d like cooking more if that was my fridge. Ours is always full or mostly full and yet somehow it often feels there is nothing to eat. We aren’t big home cooks, which is probably part of it, and we have elementary school aged kids who eat more than toddlers.

It made me curious:
How full do you keep your fridge?
If fairly open, how often do you shop? Do you routinely use things fully up before adding more?
What staples are always in your fridge? Have you changed fridge “personas” over time?