Can a Freezer Lower the Cost of Your Groceries?
photo credit: jen dunlap
Saving on groceries has become a very hot topic lately. With the rising cost of gas prices, families are faced with spending more on transportation. That extra money has to come from somewhere, so trimming the other areas of your budget becomes very important very quickly.
You probably already know purchasing large quantities of non-perishable items while they’re on sale will help you save on groceries. But, if you have a large enough freezer you can apply the same principle to more perishable food items. Here are just a few items that can be frozen and thawed as you are ready to use them.
Meat Products – As long as everything is sealed correctly, you can save meat for quite awhile. Pay special attention to sales on bacon, pre-packaged hamburgers, and chicken.
Frozen Dinners – Although those little box dinners are pretty expensive, they are also very convenient. You can offset some of the expense by waiting until they are on sale and stocking up on them. They’ll stack nicely in your freezer and store easily.
Bread Products – Loaves of bread and buns freeze very well. If you leave plenty of time for them to thaw, you can make sandwiches and hot dogs much cheaper at your next family barbecue.
Food You’ve Prepared – It’s often much easier to make a larger quantity of your favorite recipes than it is to make the recipe twice. So, if mozzarella cheese is on sale, make two or three pans of lasagna. You can freeze the extra pans and you only have to clean up the kitchen once.
Frozen Vegetables – Stock up on frozen vegetables when they’re at their cheapest. These versions of veggies often have less salt than their canned compatriots, so they’re much healthier for your family. Pull them out as you need them and enjoy them all year long.
Stocking up your frozen pantry can add up to real savings in your grocery expenses. And with an enormous bounty of food at your fingertips, you can also make fewer trips to the grocery store. You’ll save on food and gas all in one fell swoop.
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[...] Commentary Reviews Opinions wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptCan a Freezer Lower the Cost of Your Groceries? By Dana Joseph photo credit: jen dunlap Saving on groceries has become a very hot topic lately. With the rising cost of gas prices, families are faced with spending more on transportation. That extra money has to come from somewhere, so trimming the other areas of your budget becomes very important very quickly. You probably already know purchasing large quantities of non-perishable items while they’re on sale will help you save on grocer [...]
I love using the freezer to save money! I have all sorts of stuff stored in there.
By the way, I’ve been coming to your site for a few weeks now and I just wanted to let you know that I really enjoy it. Thank you for posting! I have linked you on my website. I look forward to reading more of your tips and ideas!
I also think a bit outside the icebox (hah, i kill me) and store pasta and rice that I’ve bought in bulk to keep out bugs and the Mississippi humidity. Speaking of rice, cooked rice freezes well. Others swear by cheese, but I haven’t had such great luck. Some people even keep other stuff–makeup and things.
Another benefit of the freezer is that I can freeze my home-grown produce from the garden. Sure, there’s a time investment, but little on the money side, and for me freezing is easier than canning.
We just bought a chest freezer recently, and it is already 3/4 full of food. We have saved a significant amount of money because we can now take advantage of local sales and bulk buying. Also, less food goes to waste if we don’t feel like eating it right away. Because it’s a chest freezer, in can be difficult to know what’s actually in there at a glance, so I put up a whiteboard to keep track of how much of what is in there. This way, we don’t waste power by rooting around fruitlessly for something that’s not there, and we don’t forget about things that are there.
Wanted to say I was really blessed to stumble over your site. Thank you for being willing to share your savings wisdom with others so freely.
[...] at Get Rich Slowly. Deciding what to do with your 401(k) when you change jobs at Cash Money Life. Can a freezer lower the cost of your groceries? at Not Made of Money. Help the frugal failure! (Pretty Please with a Cherry on Top?) at Working for [...]
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[...] Made of Money presents Can a freezer lower the cost of your groceries? “Stocking up your frozen pantry can add up to real savings in your grocery expenses. And with [...]