And if you can't see clearly exactly what is in your fridge-freezer, the chances are food will go off before you get around to eating it, and that would be a terrible waste.
So if your fridge-freezer is a bit of a disaster area, how do you get started with organising it?
Baskets/boxes
Making the most of the space you have in your fridge-freezer is absolutely vital, but it can be a real challenge as it never feels as though there is enough room.
Using baskets or boxes inside your fridge-freezer can be a good way to keep similar items together and make sure you always know exactly what you have in stock. If you use baskets of some form you can also make sure food that needs to be eaten quickly is placed at the front, so you see it easily and remember to use it.
Baskets can also help a lot with cleaning the fridge-freezer, as they make it so much simpler to empty the appliance out and wipe it down.
Devise a system
Everyone knows that meat and seafood should go on the bottom shelf of the fridge part to ensure no juices can drip down on to other food, but this is about the only rule many of us stick to on a regular basis.
Another good tip is to keep your milk in the main body of the fridge, as various specialists believe it goes off quicker if stored in the door due to the regular changes in temperature whenever you open it to get something out.
It's a good idea to use labels to keep track of exactly what you've got in stock so you can have a quick check whenever you head out to the shops.
Keeping leftovers
Making extra food and storing it as leftovers is a great way to create cheap and easy extra meals, for instance lunches to take into the office to save money on buying food each day.
But we've all made a big stew and then forgotten what it was and it's ended up sitting in the bottom of the freezer for several weeks and eventually thrown out.
So try to get into the habit of labelling anything you take out of the original packaging, as otherwise you're again likely to buy more by mistake because you forget what you already have.
There are various organisational systems for fridge-freezers but the best tip is to read up on lots of advice and then come up with your own, as it will be easier to stick to.
Getting a little bit more organised with your fridge-freezer can help you save money in the long run, so it is well worth considering making the effort.
© Axonn 2015