Trying to gauge how much refrig. I'll need...no kids yet!

10 years ago

It's just the 2 of use and we do plan to have a family soon. We are taking our time designing our kitchen so that we do it right the first time (as best as we can). I cook all the time, occasionally I do cater for parties, and I love lots of fresh produce and we always have at least 4 cartons of eggs! I also buy bulk flours that I keep in the fridge.

Right now I have a french door with bottom freezer and a small refrig/freezer in the basement. Both are constantly full and hard to keep organized.

I think I plan on getting an all freezer/ all fridge set and for the pantry a french door freezer for the over flow. This prob. sounds excessive but it drives me nuts that I can't buy bulk because I don't have the space.

I know the need will increase with kids so I'm trying to make sure when we have kids and if I'm still doing spot catering and entertaining, that I have enough room. Thoughts?

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Comments (5)

deeageaux
10 years ago
You are a childless couple but it sounds like you have the soul of a mother of six :)

My advice is go to the kitchen forum and post a layout of your kitchen space and budget.

Get the biggest capacity your space will reasonably fit and your budget allows.
bilhardt
10 years ago
LMRinc,

For the first several years a baby / infant / toddler isn't going to majorly impact your fridge space. Whether you make or buy baby food - it's going to be small containers that you are cycling through constantly. If you are expressing, you likely will be freezing milk in small (I would say cabinet /pantry space is the first to be impacted. First with the bottles (which you will need even if you are breastfeeding), then with the small lidded snack containers and tiny kid plates. Also most young couples do not bulk buy goldfish and cheerios.

The first major impact to your fridge will be an increased volume / throughput in fruit and dairy. This is particularly true when your toddler is in the full fat dairy stage but the adults consume low/no fat dairy.

My children are 11 and 9 and *I* continue to be the reason my refrigerator is crazy. I also like to keep my baking supplies in fridge & freezer so that impacts my usable space. Particularly, I am a condiment nut and I cook a lot of asian / indian so I go beyond just the fancy mustard.

What I did have to make room for was the "regular" condiments and food -- ketchup, yellow mustard, dill pickle slices, string cheese and, I hate to admit it, american cheese.

My freezer space has been impacted at my children have grown. Their palate's have actually de-evolved as they have gotten older so I do keep a stock of "kid friendly" frozen food.

Hope this helps!

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marc_ia
10 years ago
My advice is to go as big as you can afford and have the space for. I love your idea about refrig/freezer. Sounds like you already can fill them up without kids. I am very much like you. Our kids are gone now and we are older but we have a lot of company and my counter depth kitchen frig is always full and usually the smaller garage frige is too. I also keep some flours and grains cooled...and canned sodas and drinks take up a lot of space in the garage frig. Plus ..9x12 refrigerator desserts....casseroles (especially at holiday times). Etc. I've never heard anyone say they wished they didn't have so much refrigerator space! Lol. Just my opinion.
kksmama
10 years ago
I have spent a decade going in and out of my garage where my second fridge and chest freezer live. Now that my children are starting to leave the nest, I imagine the day when I'll "only" have a large freezer fridge in my kitchen. But I've really enjoyed my years of buying 10lb bags of whole wheat pasta and 20lb bags of white wheat berries. And cases of organic hot dogs (on sale). It was often helpful to have a "bulk" fridge and freezer that only I accessed, so I didn't end up with 4 half empty containers of ice cream and I could keep soda cold but out of sight until the party. Will you always be buying flour (whole grains can be kept at room temperature)?

Here is a link that might be useful: buy a grain mill
lmrinc_gw
Original Author
10 years ago
Yes I will always be buying flour...I do a lot of baking and blend grains and nut flours, I do have a grain mill but it's actually cheaper to buy bulk.