Today I was working on some items to put in my freezer when I realized just what kind of savings a person could cash in on just by learning what they can freeze and how to store the items in their freezer.
Here is the view into our freezer in our refrigerator. We also have a small chest freezer in our basement, but it isn’t as easy to view as the one upstairs.
What might one find in our freezer?
- Ice cube trays filled with ice to make our favorite Slushies and Magic Milkshake from Miss Maggie at Hillbilly Housewife. These make great frugal treats for the kids and save us a lot of money by not going to places like Dairy Queen in the summer.
- Coffee ice cubes to make my frozen coffee treats.
- Mashed bananas in measured containers for all of my baked goodies that might need this ingredient.
- Pizza sauce in measured containers for our Friday night pizza nights.
- Banana pops made to help the kids beat the summer heat.
- Lunch meat packets that I made for my husband’s lunch and quick dinners using our panini maker.
- Self-Rising & Cake Flour- which I use less regularly, but wanted to keep the ingredients fresh and on hand when I needed them.
- Homemade soup
- Items that I got on sale- hot dogs, shredded cheeses, butter, margarine
- Cupcakes
In our downstairs freezer you would find loaves of bread, meats purchased on sale, gallons of milk, and homemade spaghetti sauce. I also stockpile anything that I can when it is on sale
Your freezer can be your wallet’s best friend if you use it. For example, when an item goes on sale and you want to stockpile that item, make some space in your freezer for the extras instead of letting them go bad in your fridge. You will have the item when you need it and you will pay a lot less money for those items.
Freezers can also be handy for bulk cooking and preparing meals in advance for your family. Prepare a meal that can be eaten by your entire family or prepare single serving dishes that can be eaten for just one. Veto the middle man and do your own freezer sessions in your kitchen and make dishes that can be eaten later. Dream Dinners even has a cookbook out that you can use to do your own freezer cooking. Check this book out from the library and see if you can come up with your own menu plans. You could start a group with girlfriends or trade meals with a buddy. (Note-This did not work for my picky family, but is great for families that are open to more types of foods).
Need help navigating the freezer? Here are some helpful resources for getting started:
Feed the Freezer Cooking Guide
Sneak Up on Freezer Cooking
Freezer FAQ
30 Day Gourmet
Recipezaar’s Freezer Recipes
Books to Check Out:
Dream Dinners Cookbook
Frozen Assets
Super Suppers
Don’t Panic- Dinners in the Freezer
Potential Monthly Savings- $30 or more
Sound Off: What could I find lurking your freezer? Is there anything that people might find unusual in your freezer?
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9 Responses to “Day 28: Get To Know Your Freezer”
I’ve been getting to know my freezer better this year. We have been so wasteful in the past. I’m making extra and stocking up and freezing (and I learned what blanching was). I’m excited and hope to see the cut in the budget soon.
I love the freezing milk idea. Will have to try it next time I see a sale.
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I also use my freezer a lot. Often I’ll make 2 meals at once and freeze one for those weeks were there is no time to cook or money is low. I love the mashed bananas though, I never thought of that!!! Thanks.
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I love using my freezer! I love to use it for stocking but mostly I use it for homemade convience food.
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I have to agree completely!
Our freezer saves us tons of money! I try to keep a good stash of meals in there to make Sunday’s a relaxing day and to help us when we are sick, and it makes a big difference!
Yesterday i felt horrible, but instead of ordering pizza I just pulled a casserole of enchiladas out of the freezer!
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We definitely could use more freezer space. I would make things ahead more if we had a deep freeze, but the item will stay on our wish list for a while.
Our freezer has baby food cubes (pureed sweet potatoes, etc.) and tons of chopped green pepper from our garden.
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I’ve become so lackadaisical in the last year or so – due to lack of energy, time and passion. This post reminded me to get back to cooking efficiently and reacquaint myself with my freezer. Thanks! This is one of my favorite posts so far. Just love this site.
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We recently acquired a freezer for the in the garage! It’s been great for buying in bulk!
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I love all your ideas. We have tried freezing quite a few of the things you mentioned, as well as baby food, which someone else mentioned. We wish we had an extra freezer, though so we could do a lot more. One thing I have in my freezer that you didn’t mention is some herbs. We use fresh cilantro occasionally, and would only use a small amount before it went bad. I read somewhere that you could fill an ice cube tray (about 2/3 full) with an herb and then top off with water. So I have a baggie full of cilantro ice cubes to use in soups or whatever.
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Great article Amy – thanks for the tips!
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