For Snowbirds... and Others

My parents are ever so pleased. They are decluttering their freezers by using up their frozen food - when it’s just the two of them, as well as when they entertain.

My parents live in beautiful Burlington, VT and escape blustery Northern winters in Arizona. This year, their flight to Scottsdale is scheduled for early December.

I visited my parents in the early autumn and noticed that both their upstairs’ freezer above the refrigerator and the full-size basement freezer were chock full of bagels, treats, soups, and prepared meals, some homemade, others purchased at Trader Joe’s. (They are so lucky to live in the same city as Trader Joe’s.)

During that visit, I suggested that they prepare a list of the contents of both freezers, organized by category: breads, soups, veggies, meat, breakfast foods, main course and desserts. My mom, who is in charge of meal preparation, embraced the idea with gusto.

Normally every year close to the departure date, my parents’ wonderful neighbours are offered a fair amount of my parents’ unused food. This year, with the new system, my parents are gradually using up their supplies. In addition, my folks are more conscious of not purchasing unneeded food and are eating out less often, hence, saving a fair bit of money.

If you find that you’re having difficulty keeping track of the contents of your freezer, refrigerator, or pantry, whether you’re going on a trip or not, you could prepare a Food List at any time. We sometimes do that at our household and find it helpful. Post the list on your fridge or somewhere prominent and cross off items as they are use it up. You will feel more in control of your food stock, a very good feeling, indeed.

My mom called me this week to report that they were enjoying a “freezer meal” of minestrone, TJ’s pizza, and apple sauce. “Sheind, it’s such a good idea, you should write a blog about it.”

And so here it is!