Marking Leftovers

Write on Containers to Keep Track of Contents

• What: Dry Erase Markers
• When: Labeling leftovers
• Why: Know how old leftovers are and whom they belong to
• Where: Amazon

I keep a couple dry erase markers on top of my fridge. For once, it’s not forgetful, but purposeful. I use them to mark storage containers of food, both for grown up and kids alike.

Since I traded brain cells for my three kids, I can’t remember my phone number half the time (true story – I have had to ask my sister if I wrote down my phone number correctly) much less how long any given container has lived in the fridge. I write the date down on it and when I pull it out two weeks later, I don’t need to open it to investigate. This way I avoid turning my stomach over with rank contents. Instead I know to walk that stuff straight to the bin outside where it won’t defile my kitchen, or worse, the dishwasher itself.

As an added bonus, I can write down the kids’ initials to keep track of who opened a yogurt and only ate one spoonful before declaring themselves done. A letter and the date will let me know next time they go yogurt hunting if they can start a new container or if they should finish the opened one first. I can also mark which sippy cup belongs to whom for sitters and anyone else who can’t decode the color system we use.

When I made my own baby food, I used dry erase markers to label the outside of the big batches with contents and the date. My marking systems has grown from that to my current fridge-wide use.

One note: I wipe the marks off before putting them in the dishwasher. I find it much easier to remove them before washing than after. I’m not sure what makes them more permanent during the cleaning process, since I assumed the dishwasher would take care of removal for me. But that’s not the case, which is the only downside to this method.