# Freezer Inventory Tracker.......



## diggingdogfarm (Mar 21, 2013)

Here's a simple freezer inventory tracker I put together too keep track of what's in the freezer(s) and to avoid things being forgotten before they should be used up.

Days until "Use Date" are displayed as a negative number, like the *-365* in the Italian sausage example below.

Once the "Use Date is within 30 days it's highlighted in red, like the *-9* in the ground beef example.

If something has gone past the "Use Date", the background changes to black and the number to white as in the Polish sausage example.

The highlighting makes it easy to spot items that need to be used soon.

Dates must be entered in the following format, MM/DD/YR

Any and all feedback is welcome.













Freezer Inventory Tracker.png



__ diggingdogfarm
__ Mar 21, 2013






[ATTACHMENT=185]Freezer Inventory Tracker.xls (3,950k. xls file)[/ATTACHMENT]


~Martin


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## handymanstan (Mar 21, 2013)

Thanks Martin,    This is a great idea and something I can use but....One I can't change the date and the until use date field is not working either.

I think that since you can put in where its stored then it will work for fridge too. Like sauces and condiments. Oh yea and Cheese.

Some kind of sort would be nice.

Stan


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## dragonmaster194 (Mar 21, 2013)

Martin, as usual, you have given me a tool to use in my smoking hobby that will be great!  You are the man.  All the info that I get from you has been most helpful.  Now if I can only remember to keep the entries up(CRS) I will profit by it's use.  Thanks for always being there for me, and all the others on this forem.  Keep on keeping on!  Steve


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## diggingdogfarm (Mar 21, 2013)

HANDYMANSTAN said:


> Thanks Martin,    This is a great idea and something I can use but....One I can't change the date and the until use date field is not working either.
> 
> 
> I think that since you can put in where its stored then it will work for fridge too. Like sauces and condiments. Oh yea and Cheese.
> ...



I don't know what the problem could be, you should be able to just click in the cell and change the date.
I just downloaded the file above and ran it and it works okay here.
What spreadsheet program are you using?

re: refrigerator inventory

I'm working on a sheet of the pantry, fridge, etc.

~Martin


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## handymanstan (Mar 21, 2013)

DiggingDogFarm said:


> HANDYMANSTAN said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks Martin,    This is a great idea and something I can use but....One I can't change the date and the until use date field is not working either.
> ...


Excel but a older version.  Tried on the kitchen laptop too with no luck.  If you say it works then I will call my tech son and see if he can figure it out.


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## diggingdogfarm (Mar 21, 2013)

Maybe it has something to do with the document protection, try unchecking "protect" or whatever it's called in Excel, no need for a password.
If you can't get it working, I can send you an unprotected file so you can see if that works.




~Martin


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## navyjeremy (Mar 21, 2013)

Martin great spreadsheet.  I just attempted to change the date as well and I said that it was a locked cell and would not allow it to be changed

Jeremy


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## ironhorse07 (Mar 21, 2013)

Cool. This will come in handy. Thanks

Doug


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## diggingdogfarm (Mar 21, 2013)

Navyjeremy said:


> Martin great spreadsheet.  I just attempted to change the date as well and I said that it was a locked cell and would not allow it to be changed
> 
> Jeremy




As I suspected.
That's really strange because it works fine for me.
I'll unprotect it and post it again in the first post in a few minutes, try downloading it again in about 10 minutes.

~Martin


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## diggingdogfarm (Mar 21, 2013)

Okay, it's changed.



~Martin


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## s2k9k (Mar 21, 2013)

Martin, is there any way I can hook up my freezer to my computer so that it automatically updates anytime I take something out?:banana_smiley:

This is a Great tool, I'm just too much of a lazy procrastinator to keep up with it!:biggrin:


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## pgsmoker64 (Mar 21, 2013)

Martin,

Coming from a professional inventory manager...great job buddy!  Keeps track of inventory and shelf life.

Very nice,

Thanks,

Bill


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## handymanstan (Mar 21, 2013)

Still the same for me.  I can unprotect and change the date but the until use date field wont work and in the first four boxes It has #NAME instead of a number.


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## diggingdogfarm (Mar 21, 2013)

Are you entering the date like this?

3/21/12

The formulas in the first 4 "Until Use Date" cells should be:

=IF(ISBLANK(W10),"",DAYS(TODAY(),W10))

=IF(ISBLANK(W12),"",DAYS(TODAY(),W12))

=IF(ISBLANK(W14),"",DAYS(TODAY(),W14))

=IF(ISBLANK(W16),"",DAYS(TODAY(),W16))

Those cellls should be blank if there's no date entered in the "Use Before" column.


~Martin


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## handymanstan (Mar 21, 2013)

DiggingDogFarm said:


> Are you entering the date like this?
> 
> 3/21/12
> 
> ...


Yes I am .  When I opened it the first 3 boxes that should be -9   6   -365  Say #NAME?   Without changing anything.  if I input dates into the two boxes then the until still shows the same @NAME?

Think I should upgrade my office?


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## diggingdogfarm (Mar 21, 2013)

My guess is that it has something to do with it being an old version of Excel.

You can download and install LibreOffice for free.

http://www.libreoffice.org/download/?nodetect

~Martin


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## handymanstan (Mar 21, 2013)

Ok I got it fixed. This is the change my son made.

=IF(ISBLANK(W10),"",DAYS(TODAY(),W10))

=IF(ISBLANK(W10),"",TODAY()-W10)

Everything works  Thanks Martin

Stan


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## dward51 (Mar 21, 2013)

Stan's figured it out.

That date function was not available in 2003 and earlier versions of Excel.  I was in the process of fixing my copy and was going to post the data, but Stan beat me to it.

*And let me say, Martin this is a great tool and thanks for sharing it with us!!!!!!!!!*

Since the template was locked and some users may not know how to edit a protected spreadsheet, here is a modified version that will work in Excel 2003 (Not sure about earlier versions as I only have 2003 on this PC).  I made the change to the function and re-protected the cells.
https://statich.smokingmeatforums.c...zerInventoryTrackerforExcel2003.vnd.ms-office


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## diggingdogfarm (Mar 21, 2013)

Cool! 
Thanks Dave!


~Martin


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## kathrynn (Mar 21, 2013)

Martin! Shamey on you! Now I have to go thru my freezers and check stuff!  Lol

This is great! Thank you really! I need to clean out and take stock of what we have!

Kat


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## smokeusum (Mar 21, 2013)

Y'all scare me!!! It's in the frig, if it goes longer then two days and no ones touched it, it gets tossed. I'm getting better about recycling meals into something new.. But FEEZING IS NOT AN OPTION!!! I just can't.


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## dward51 (Mar 22, 2013)

I tweaked my copy a bit more...

*I tried to upload this revision to the forum but the server will not accept it for some reason.  Will try again tomorrow during the day.*

Here is what I changed/added in my copy which I'm calling version 2.0 for 2003......

I changed the color scheme to a "stop light" based one.  Green is good to go, yellow is 30 days or less "shelf life" left, and red is past the desired "shelf life" date.  Colors are automatically generated based on the current date and the "use before" date.
I added a "shelf life in months" field which is used with the data in the "date frozen" field to auto calculate the "use before" date (which is now a locked calculated field).  Just put in when you made it, and how many months it should be in the freezer and the rest is automatic.
I set a condition that if the "number left" is zero, it highlights this in black.  If it's something I will make or buy again, I can just delete the "date frozen" and "shelf life in months" field.  When I make or buy more, I just update the relevant data.  If it's not a item I would make or buy again, just delete all the data in the user fields and it will look like the other zero item lines in the example. In the screen capture below this is how it would look if I was out of chicken sausage and intended on making more but had not yet done so.
I really like the "stop light" color scheme as it makes it very easy to assess your inventory with just a quick peek at the screen.

I could have tweaked it more to better handle the zero items, made the shelf life field a pull down, etc...  but it is made to be Excel 2003 compatible and in 2003 that would require the use of visual basic macros and I'm trying to keep this as simple as possible as others might want to use it (if I can ever get it uploaded - not sure what the deal is as the first one worked fine and I even gave this one a different file name).

And remember you don't have to just use this for sausage.  You could use it for steaks, seafood, and pretty much anything in the freezer.













spreadsheet snapshot.jpg



__ dward51
__ Mar 22, 2013
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## missed-em (Mar 22, 2013)

Looks great, but then you'll miss out on the fun of thawing out a piece of mystery meat.  Did an inv of the freezer 6 mths ago and we didn't keep it up so who knows what's in there now!


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## humdinger (Mar 22, 2013)

Once again...thank you Martin!


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## diggingdogfarm (Mar 22, 2013)

[quote name="dward51"]I tried to upload this revision to the forum but the server will not accept it for some reason.  Will try again tomorrow during the day.[/quote]

I wonder if it has something to do with re-naming the file.
I re-uploaded the file in the first post without a problem.
Same file name.


~Martin


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## dward51 (Mar 22, 2013)

Ok, here is go #2 (actually more like #10) at uploading version 2.0 of the Freezer Inventory Tracker (Excel 2003 and later compatible with other modifications).

Woo Hoo!!!! Apparently it worked this time.  I have no idea why it didn't work at 1:30 this morning, as I have not changed anything on my end, but at this point it does not really matter I guess.
https://statich.smokingmeatforums.c...nventoryTrackerforExcel2003ver2.vnd.ms-office
This is the version with the "stop light" color scheme and other mods (screen snapshot below).  And yes, I fixed the cell shading in cell Z22 in the posted version (shows as white background in photo but should be light blue).  This template is protected to prevent accidental modification of the calculated fields and their formatting which generate the color scheme.  It is *NOT* password protected and can be unlocked by anyone in Excel for further modifications.

*All the notes from the earlier post where I first describe ver 2.0 above still apply**.  **DATES MUST BE ENTERED IN THE FORMAT OF MM/DD/YY or MM/DD/YYYY.  *

I figured most of us keep frozen food "X" number of months so that is the way I set the "shelf life" field to be used in the calculations.  If you want to have a shelf life of more than 12 months, it should work if you enter 18, 24, etc... for the number of months.













spreadsheet snapshot.jpg



__ dward51
__ Mar 22, 2013
__ 1


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## dls1 (Mar 22, 2013)

Thanks, Martin, and Dave as well. This is a handy tool for someone like me who can't remember half of the item I have in the freezers.

Using Excel 2010 I converted it from compatibility mode, unprotected it, and it works like a charm. Now I just need to find the time to do my initial inventory which should be a real PITA.

Thanks again.


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## dward51 (Mar 22, 2013)

I'm also due for a defrost of my chest freezer in the garage.  One thing I dislike about the chest freezer is some stuff seems to get lost in limbo in the bottom after a while but when we bought ours in 1979 it was a lot less expensive than an upright (guess I got my $250 worth out of that Sears Kenmore! Going on 34 years and still runs great - unless I just jinxed it). 

I'm thinking inventory time might be the perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone so to speak.


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## whtplainssmoker (Mar 22, 2013)

Is there a post or link somewhere that gives suggested freezer shelf lives for different cuts of meat if same are vacuum sealed?


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## diggingdogfarm (Mar 22, 2013)

Freezing and Food Safety.png



__ diggingdogfarm
__ Mar 22, 2013






Source: USDA




~Martin


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## whtplainssmoker (Mar 22, 2013)

Thanks Martin!


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## smokeusum (Mar 22, 2013)

DiggingDogFarm said:


> Freezing and Food Safety.png
> 
> 
> 
> ...



PERFECT!! I know a handful of you know I don't freeze anything!!! It seems to be almost a generational (baby boomer) thing that possess idea that if its frozen it'll be fine!!  NOT TRUE!!

 I have a theory; baby boomer parents (my grandparents) were the first generation able to be able to purchase (as the average joe consumer) freezers. This gave the average consumer the ability to store food by freezing instead of canning, salt curing, etc. food or shopping daily (a city folk thing) for the evening meal.

As a child of a baby boomer, I have suffered through evening meals of freezer burned crap as a kid. As a result, I never put anything in the freezer except Popsicles, Digiorno Pizza & Vodka. Everything, EVERYTHING, has a shelf life!!!


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## diggingdogfarm (Mar 22, 2013)

smokeusum said:


> I never put anything in the freezer except Popsicles, Digiorno Pizza & Vodka.




:icon_eek:


~Martin


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## smokeusum (Mar 22, 2013)

DiggingDogFarm said:


> :icon_eek:
> 
> 
> ~Martin



I know, but some evenings it's easier to pop a pizza in the oven!


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## dward51 (Mar 22, 2013)

But you left off the category of "ice encrusted freezer burnt mystery meat" in the bottom of the chest freezer.  It's got a freezer storage life of at least 36 months, right?


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## shoneyboy (Mar 22, 2013)




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## 05sprcrw (Mar 25, 2013)

Thanks that is awesome will definitely help keep track of what I have going on in the freezer.


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## hvactstatguy (Mar 25, 2013)

Great Job Ya'll! No i will have to go check my deep freezer!!!


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## grampa doodie (Mar 25, 2013)

Dave's revised version works great on my Mac with MS Office 2008.

Thanks Martin and Dave!!

Gramps.


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## cabo68 (Mar 26, 2013)

This is a spectacular tool!! I never thought of doing anything like this. I've got all kinds of stuff in my freezer that I'm not real sure about, this will greatly reduce meat loss. Thanks for being so innovative!


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## handymanstan (Mar 28, 2013)

I just want to say THANK YOU again Martin, 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






   I spent most of last Saturday cleaning and recording the two freezers.

  Yesterday I made my second grocery list and there was no Meat on it.

It is easy to see what I have to use soon. 

There were a few items that I don't really know the date it was put in the freezer 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





so I am going through them first.  I can't wait for the pantry and cupboard version.

Stan


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## grampa doodie (Mar 28, 2013)

I love your tag line Stan!! :)

Gramps.


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## grampa doodie (Mar 28, 2013)

I love your tag line Stan!! :)

Gramps.


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## grampa doodie (Mar 28, 2013)

My apologies for the double post. I clicked on "Submit" on the first one and it appeared to be stalled. So of course by clicking on the button one more time always solves the issue. :)

We in the tech field call that PEBKAC. (Google it if you're not familiar with that acronym.)

Gramps.


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## rich- (Mar 29, 2013)

Hi Martin, just thought I would let you know that I am able to changes dates etc. in your spreadsheet. I am using open ofiice org with a Linux operating system.

Thanks for this realley useful tool for tracing.

Rich


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## eman (Sep 21, 2013)

Just a tip from someone who has found mystery meat that was years old in the bottom of a chest freezer.

  Get some plastic milk crates . use a  separate crate for beef , for pork , chicken ,cooked foods

 you can grab the crate pull out what you are looking for and crate goes back in freezer.

 You can color code them to make it easier to find what you are seeking.


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## demosthenes9 (Nov 27, 2013)

DiggingDogFarm said:


> Freezing and Food Safety.png
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Whoops.   Guess the USDA wouldn't have approved of my smoking 3 Boston Butts the other day that were in my freezer since March of 2010.   Sidenote:   They were delicious  :)


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## dward51 (Nov 27, 2013)

Odd this should get bumped up (and a good thing too for those who have not seen it before).

We went to put some sausage in the chest freezer last night and heard the dreaded question.....   "Honey, why is the sausage you put in here last week thawed?"  Uh-Oh....   So needless to say I've re-inventoried my freezer after moving all the food to an upright model (which I just happen to have inherited from my parents a while back and was sitting idle).  And back to your point on the pork shoulder, guess what I found in the bottom of the freezer?  A nice cryovac shoulder I had forgotten about and not put in the inventory tracker (my bad).

PS - all the meat was good as we caught this very early. 98% was still frozen rock hard and that which was not was still within it's sell by/freeze by date ranges and the temps were still food safe when we found the problem.  1979 to 2013 is not a bad run for a $250 freezer I guess.


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## GaryHibbert (Nov 28, 2013)

When I inventory my freezer, if I find anything I can't put a name to, it automatically goes into dog food.  About every two months I cook up a stew-suppliment  for the dogs cause I don't think they get full vallue out of dry dog food.  All the trimmings, grease, fat,leftovers plus carrots, celery, parsley etc go into the stew.  The hounds thrive on it.

Gary


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## dreadylock (Mar 3, 2014)

DiggingDogFarm said:


> My guess is that it has something to do with it being an old version of Excel.
> 
> You can download and install LibreOffice for free.
> 
> ...


it also works in open office

thanks i needed this but i now need to control what my wife put in freezer

she sneaks things in


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