More on freezer organizing

Blogger is acting up today, I hope I can get this post written.  This is a follow up post for the previous one about how I organize my freezer.  I didn't explain very well about keeping the receipts for items that go into my freezer.  There might be some concern it could contribute to a paper clutter problem.  Well, hmmm, it's not that much paper to keep really.  I have 12 envelopes.  One for each month of the year.  I made new envelopes because the old ones were rather ragged.  Twelve envelopes is really small when compared to my recipe file. 

After each grocery trip I simply put all the receipts into an envelope for that month.  I don't record anything from the receipts.  I probably won't ever use them..... unless there is a reason... like a long power outage again.  I keep the receipts for insurance purposes IF I should ever have to file a claim. 

The insurance company requires a list of what's in the freezer and receipts to back it up.  Anyone can say they had a lot of stuff in their freezer but few can document it with receipts so the insurance company gets away with not paying.  Or paying only a minimum.  With my freezer list and receipts to back it up I will have what is necessary as proof.

On my freezer inventory list I have the date of items put into the freezer (column 2) which I use to keep track of oldest items.  When all of the items from that month are gone, the receipts in the envelope can be tossed.  Food rarely stays in the freezer more than 8 or 9 months.  Actually 6 months is normal.  Longer is rare because I share so much of it with others. 

IF I should ever have to file a claim I will look at the inventory list and find a receipt to match it.  For example, the chicken breasts in bag # 5 (line 5 in the photo).  I know I could find the receipt for that in the May envelope.  Bag # 9 (line 9 in the photo) is for beef steak from November.  I would look in the November envelope for the receipt. 

Ok, look at the receipt for the May purchase of chicken breasts.  This is what I would use IF I had to show the receipt to the insurance adjuster.  The cost is listed along with the savings and the final cost.  This is the information I would match to any food listed on the freezer inventory list. 

I do not use the receipts for recording information on the freezer list.  I use the actual package labels for that.  Do you see how the label shows the poundage, the normal price, and the final cost?  This information is what I record on my inventory list as each thing is flash frozen and then put into the numbered bags. 

IF I had to file a claim it's a matter of matching up what's in the bag with the right receipt.  I can't simply save the package labels because a label is not the proof of purchase required by an insurance company.  There are many other ways I can use the information on the inventory list and the receipts but those are other post ideas.  Does the freezer organizing make better sense now?  Do you see how keeping the receipts far out weigh the idea of paper clutter?

It's kind of like having my own personal insurance policy that costs me nothing but a few minutes time each month.  The information is here just in case there is ever a need to use it.  Three times loosing everything in a 6 foot tall freezer is enough incentive for me to keep up with the information.  Even a person with only a refrigerator freezer would want to get paid for any power outage food losses.  You won't get paid unless you know what you had and can produce the receipts for it. 

My freezer organizing has evolved over time as I worked with it.  If you are interested there are other posts on my blog to read that explain how I started it and changes I made and what happens after grocery day. 

 March 2010,   December 2010,   April 2011,   May 2011