Chest freezer organisation help!

[NotPennysBoat]

I have a small chest freezer in the garage for stuff we use occasionally and overflow from the main kitchen freezer.
I've just been in there searching for an ice lolly an as usual everything is in a mess! Crumbs and odd fishfingers and unidentified veg loose in the bottom and everything just piled on top of each other!
Does anyone have any tips for keeping it organised, and ideally so I can look in it and easily see what's in there without rummaging around!
TIA

you need a Freezer List....and to be utterly ruthless about writing down every last thing as it goes in or out. Kill them dead if anyone takes anything out without crossing it off The List

also labelling, esp if you use leftovers for work meals. Dh once had a bag of gravy for his lunch instead of the lovely soup he had expected.

Baskets are a good idea at the top, so similar things go together. Think of your chest freezer like a filing cabinet you have to flick through, so boxed food goes on its side, not flat, with the name showing (obviously not frozen gateau etc!)
Freeze home cooked foods flat in plastic ziploc bags, then store vertically in baskets as before with clear labels. Cardboard or foil cooking trays (you never know when you're going to need THAT lasagne dish!) and old icecream tubs are fine.
I use a small whiteboard to keep records and check (when I remember) what's close to expiring. My resolution for 2014 was to fully utilise my freezer. That worked. 2015 is to declutter my life.... Not so successful yet.

Only store things in there that can be stored easily, neatly and you don't need day to day access to. Bulk bought meat, batch cooked foods etc. Frozen veg and fish fingers are inside freezer foods!

Find some baskets/boxes that fit in the freezer and can be stacked and put different types of food in each one.

I just don't find chest freezers very user friendly TBH and id swap it for an upright with drawers. You get less freezer space but it works so much better.

When we had a chest freezer going to look for anything in it was always known as "Freezer Mining".

It was marginally better when I got some sturdy, differently coloured large bags & had one for meat, one for veg etc.

I'm liking the idea of baskets to separate out different things! Thanks everyone will give that a go.

The list idea is also fab but I just know I'd be the only one in the household to update it!! Loving the idea of feeding my DH gravy as punishment though!

I think magi's idea is probably better, to use bags as the baskets will take up space whereas a bag, not so much.

Happy organising!

We use bags for life. One for desserts, one for veg etc. You just lift or the bag and ruffle through