Too Anal? Safe For Work...
 

Sorry, it's about being anal in the psychological sense.

Our freezer is jam packed. It's an under counter freezer with three drawers and it is packed to the extent we are in a vicious circle with the top drawer - it is so full it doesn't close properly, so ice builds up in it. Then HM comes home with more frozen food and rams it in, so the drawer never closes properly, builds up more ice, then there is less room for food so it has to be rammed in etc.

Now I am not completely innocent here, as I have a long-standing habit of stockpiling food to make myself feel secure. And I am only paid every two weeks so I have to buy more expensive things in advance, and backups for when I can't afford fresh.

What I would really like to do, is do an inventory of the freezer so we know what's in there. If there are duplicates it means we won't go out and buy them and can structure meals around reducing the freezer food until we're in a better situation. It is for my benefit as well as HM's, although I will admit I suspect he has more in there than me.

If you were living with me, would you think it was too anal?
I've already expressed my opinion that he overloads the dishwasher and washing machine (trying to point out that his aims of saving money and the environment aren't met this way) and I worry he'll just think I'm trying to make a point. I'm not, honestly.

Any opinions?

I'd just go ahead and defrost it and sort everything out. I don't think it's anal at all. I think it's sensible.

What's the point in having a big mess in there?

Trouble is, I can't afford to lose what's in there, so the excuse of a straightforward defrost won't work.

Hmmmmm - he has friends in the area, maybe I can put it to him that way (and have a sneaky inventory so I can work it into the conversation)

Why would you lose what's in there? Just wrap it all up in newspaper as you take it out...or put it in an esky (cold box or whatever you call them over there).

If you're quick about it, it wont defrost. You'd have probably at least an hour before you'd need to worry about food going bad.

A quick way to defrost if you want to make sure you do it quickly is to put a jug of boiling (steaming water) inside the freezer to make the ice melt quicker.

Superstar!
He's playing football tomorrow, I have a plan now.

But the question remains, do I present him with the inevitable inventory?

Absolutely! ;)

I am really fired up for this now - am going to scrub underneath all the kitchen cabinets, clean the kitchen floor, clean the fridge, scrub the toilet and deep-clean the bathroom as well.

That way it's an all over clean and the list of food in the freezer is just an added bonus.
And I won't say a word about it either, let him discover it and then present the list.

I often feel he doesn't notice the individual things I do (which I do to make it worth his while having me here). This is a chance to make a big impact - not looking for thanks, just hoping he'll see why I'm worth it :)

From what you've posted about him I'd say he already knows you're worthwhile mate, but if it makes you feel good about things, I say go for it. ;)

I wish someone would say I was cool. :(

I think you're cool ali!

Wow...I feel so validated now! ;)

I also think maybe SG has an admirer. hehehe

I think you're cool too Ali, but it probably doesn't mean as much online :)
Nah - HM has been my friend since I was 13-15 (depending on which one of us you listen to - he picked on me when we first met!)

HM Bro was also very impressed by my dancing - he mentioned it three times. I was flattered enough to put it on one of my self-affirmation post-its. It counts double from a young gay man because there's nothing else to distract him.

Oh I like this thread drift!

It means plenty when it comes from the right person mate. :)

Maybe he's fancied you all along. ;) You know that boys always tease the girls they like right?

Can we have before/after pictures of the freezer? I love seeing things get all neat and organized. I bet your housemate really appreciates the cleaning--and the nice thing is, cleaning is hard work and counts as exercise!

I don't think the inventory thing is a bad idea at all. I do a short form of it sometimes, myself. I'll take a look at everything we have in the freezer, fridge, and pantry, and if we have a surplus of stuff I'll put it on the DNB (Do Not Buy!) list. Then, when we go shopping, it serves as a reminder NOT to buy another carton of eggs when I already have two dozen at home. When stuff is finally used up, it gets taken off the DNB list, and we're allowed to buy it again.

When I defrost the freezer I wrap everything in a sleeping bag and a couple of blankets and them jam it in a laundry basket (to make sure it doesn't unfurl) and put it in the coolest room in the house. This'll give you a good two-three hours to defrost the freezer.
We're not dead yet ... :)

Chicken is currently on my DNB list (I got in trouble....too much chicken -we have a new fridge freezer in the kitchen, but I went shopping in the middle of changeover, so we haven't actually managed to empty the old one yet, so it's in the middle of the floor pluggesd into an extension cable....---containing all sorts of mysttery items---)

Okay, I've made a start.
Back here to post the first pics and because I'll miss the 2 minutes silence if I go into cleaning mode.

Ahem, the duplications are mostly mine - naan breads and chicken. To be fair to myself they take up very little room. HM does have some duplication although as a man who will never knowingly walk past a bargain I suspect they were Buy One Get One Free - breaded chicken and fish. And they come in boxes so they take up more room.

Still, just getting rid of the ice should mean it all fits in, neat and tidy.

It's hard to take a picture of a defrosted freezer.
In the end I decided to stop faffing about and get the food back in there.

It's still very well packed, I'm going to tackle HM about using the boxed food as a priority.

I've emptied and cleaned out all the bins, cleaned the bathroom including a good scrub at the limescale in the toilet, cleaned the kicthen floor and surfaces and the cats' litter tray. Oh and emptied HM's washing and put on an airer (given how much he puts in a wash this is a significant job!)

The place does look like I've done some work, I just hope the freezer stops beeping before HM comes home, otherwise his first question before he's even taken his shoes off will be, "What's that beeping noise, is the freezer open?" and that would spoil it!

I'm knackered just reading about what you've achieved SG! WTG!

Well, he hasn't said anything.
I don't know if it's because he hasn't noticed or doesn't think it is worth commenting on.

And he's running a bath now, so the room will have been clean for approx 1 hour :(
And because he's having a bath I also lose the computer.
Never mind - I know I worked hard, and I'll just go to the gym to complete my sense of achievement.

Guys don't always say anything but I'm sure he is appreciative!

????

I'm unable to follow the connection here.
Is the comp in the bathroom? Does he like to surf and soap? Are you obliged to stand sentry outside the door with fresh warm towels?

Enjoy your sense of achievement, that you will feel next time you open the freezer. Cleaning your home is a good step in self-empowerment, acting against the entropy that is taking over.

I thought he should at least notice. Still, he seems pretty nice in most ways.

Actually he didn't take it as he wants to listen to a match and he can do that on the radio. I use his laptop to log on, and yes he usually takes it into the bathroom with him. Mostly to listen to the radio (especially comedy on Radio 4)

I was a little disappointed, but in truth I am proud of what I did and I agree I can enjoy the benefits without any kind of commendation. Except Dylan took advantage of the clean litter tray about 10 minutes ago to lay the most fearsome log I've ever smelt. I think it has damaged my sinuses.

Rotation is a godd idea too
 

Put a check mark on each thing in the freezer.

Six months from now, anything without a check mark goes to the bottom of the pile.

That is totally awesome SG! I'm a little late coming in here, but I wanted to comment too. Defrosting a freezer is really hard work, and even if he didn't say anything, I am sure he appreciates it. :)
I don't think you are being too anal... I try not to buy too many frozen items just for the simple fact that they get freezer burn pretty easy, and the more stuff in the freezer the quicker the ice builds up and it needs defrosting again. I need to do some major cleaning around our apartment too... I just can't seem to work up the motivation. Maybe I will now. I always feel content after cleaning.

I also wanted to say that although I didn't post about your losing weight (at least I can't remember if I did) I wanted to say that I can see a difference, and you are doing a great job. Not all of us are as fit as jinx and labrat and all the others, but we are all beautiful in our own way. You are a good motivator for me too... I need to get up off my butt and exercise on a regular basis as well. It is really depressing to know that I am classified as obese because of my weight. But keep up the good work! :D I'll be cheering for you!