@Jenny – I like the idea of a list but I don't know if I'd actually keep up with it. I'm assuming you write the details down as items go into the fridge and scratch them off as items come out?

On my freezer I have a list of everything that is in there, in rough categories such as raw meat, cooked meat, veg, bread, etc.

This makes both meal planning and shopping planning easier, and food is much less likely to go to waste.

I just use old sour cream, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc containers for leftovers. They are not clear, but they are free and easily stackable. You can also use a marker pen to label them to keep track of what is inside if you want to, but I don't usually bother.

And about the expiry dates, I often don't bother to look, or more often actively choose one that expires sooner because I know I will use it before then. We go through a gallon of milk in less than a week, and I eat a tub of yogurt in 2-4 days, so I'll leave the stuff with longer expiry dates for people who use it slower.