Comments on: Help me avoid the stinkfridge!

Question: Help me avoid the stinkfridge!

twiggy — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 10:23:05 -0800

Help me save money by bringing lunch to work: I need a mini fridge (not a dorm fridge!) that is of decent quality.

I'm looking for one of those super small desktop fridges for work, because the idea of packing a lunch and putting it in the disgusting science experiment that is our community fridge is repulsive.

A google search for desktop refrigerator yielded a couple of results, but only from sellers I've never heard of and brands I've never heard of.

A couple of my coworkers have nice little ones I think are made by Sunbeam, which they got from Target a long time ago. However, no Target I've been to has ever had one in stock or even known what I was asking about.

All I need:
- Big enough to fit a sack lunch and a drink
- Small enough not to take up tons of space in my cubicle
- Someone that has actually used one to vouch for the quality!

By: peep

peep — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 10:30:59 -0800

Is this what you're looking for?

By: peep

peep — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 10:34:05 -0800

Another option - cheaper.

By: M.C. Lo-Carb!

M.C. Lo-Carb! — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 10:40:24 -0800

Why not just a little coleman cooler with an ice-pack in it?

By: divka

divka — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 10:44:12 -0800

(If no one has a personal review on a mini-fridge, you might want to check out the major office supply sellers (OfficeMax, Staples, OfficeDepot). They all have a variety of mini-fridges on their websites--just unfortunately not the Sunbeam model you are interested in.)

By: twiggy

twiggy — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 10:46:38 -0800

peep: The first link is probably a little bigger than I'm looking for, but it's closer than what I've found. The second link looks interesting, but the huge fan slots worry me about noise levels. I'll definitely take a deeper look and see if I can find reviews. For anyone who might be looking at it - looks like AC adapter is not included for this unit.

M.C. Lo-Carb: The reason I won't do the ice pack thing is because I'm realistic about how incredibly lazy and forgetful I am. If I forget to bring the ice pack home, my whole system is screwed up. I know this sounds absolutely nuts, but knowing myself I know

By: mjger

mjger — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 10:50:25 -0800

Once you have a fridge here is a weekly menu.

By: beowulf573

beowulf573 — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 10:52:18 -0800

I use one of these. I use it mainly for cokes, it's already paid for itself since I buy 12 packs from the grocery store instead of paying $0.60 for a single coke from the machine.

It also has a car adapter which can be nice on long trips.

By: baltimore

baltimore — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 10:53:18 -0800

This more like it?

By: blueshammer

blueshammer — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 11:36:29 -0800

If I can chime in as Responsible Energy Guy: Those things are notorious inefficient. What about getting a nice insulated lunchbox? Chill the lunch in your home fridge overnight, and a good Thermos-type box should keep it the right temp for a good six hours.

By: necessitas

necessitas — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 11:45:48 -0800

Here is one with reviews on amazon.

By: .taft

.taft — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 11:48:42 -0800

I have one of the 6 can fridges that baltimore links to. The one piece of advice I would have is to check out the power supply. Mine came with a permanent car adapter plug and a remarkably bulky and cumbersome car-home adapter, making it almost useless as an under-the-desk fridge.

By: DU

DU — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 11:50:01 -0800

Why not bring a lunch that doesn't need to stay cold? Leftovers that need up-warming are good.

By: Robert Angelo

Robert Angelo — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 14:41:37 -0800

Seconding the coleman-cooler/ice-pack idea -- it's energy efficient and earth-friendly. In the past, I used a large "insulated lunch bag". If you're planning a huge lunch, you could use an "insulated grocery bag".

By: estronaut

estronaut — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 14:50:19 -0800

as a cheaper and more space effective solution you might try one of these
they keep hot stuff hot and cold stuff cold and it's pretty neat to look at

By: estronaut

estronaut — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 14:51:15 -0800

dang that was supposed to be a link to http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HHL6PY/ref=wl_it_dp/002-8186125-3636809?ie=UTF8&coliid=I3DF2OFF8XK40Y&colid=1806CK9DBM4JR

By: craichead

craichead — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 16:12:58 -0800

One trick, depending on what you bring to drink, is to freeze your drink and pack it with your lunch. It will keep your lunch cold, and by the time you're ready to eat, it should be thawed enough to be drinkable.

Honestly, I don't bother refrigerating my lunch. I haven't had food poisoning yet.