Stop Wasting so Much Money and Get a Self-Contained Freezer
Given that food prices continue to rise – up 2.4% last year – you might find yourself straining your food budget. One way to keep these costs down is to get the most out of your freestanding freezer. Basic food items like meat or bread are cheaper when bought in bulk and can be stored for several months in the freezer and can save just under $ 100 on grocery expenses each month.
How Freestanding Freezers Can Save You Money
Since bulk food is usually cheaper, you will save more money if you can store food in a large freezer. Personal finance site Tough Nickel conducted an analysis that compared a family of four buying with and without a freezer and found that the family would save $ 689 each year in grocery expenses. Of course, the more mouths you feed, the more these savings will increase.
Member-focused wholesalers like Costco and Sam’s Club will have the best deals as they have ridiculously large portions that will stretch your dollar the most. Here are some examples of how you can save money when buying bulk frozen food:
- Meat can be stored in the freezer for up to six months , although minced meat and raw sausages will be stored closer to four months. Looking at prices, a pound of boneless chicken breast usually costs $ 3.35 in most cities , but you can often find it on sale for less than $ 1 a pound when sold in boxes of £ 40.
- Bread can be stored in the freezer for up to six months. When you buy in bulk, one muffin in a box of 60 double chocolate muffins will cost you 47 cents, compared to more than $ 1 each if you buy a four-bill box at retail prices. You can also get similar offers on baked goods and other bread-related items. In addition, the presence of a freezer makes it much easier to bake and store your own bread. According to Spruce , a home-made loaf costs $ 1.58 compared to about $ 3 bought at the store.
- Cheese can be stored in the freezer for a very long time, although six to nine months is best. Kaukauna Sharp Cheddar Cheese will cost you $ 4.46 a pound when purchased in a 30-pound box, but it costs $ 9.82 a pound for a small container when purchased from your local grocery store. Many families use grated cheese for their pizza and pasta, so grating and bagging the cheese will save you money and cut your cooking costs.
Food storage is best for large homes that already have a freezer.
The trade-off with food storage is that you will need to buy a freezer if you don’t already have one. A decent midsize freezer can be purchased for around $ 400-600 and that will add another $ 30-50 to your annual electricity bill. In this case, you will have to use the freezer for a little less than a year before you recoup the investment, but after that you will be ready (of course, full use of the freezer that you already have is even the best option).
Storing groceries and buying in bulk is best for large families with predictable, regular meals. This also needs to be organized . You need to know how long you can freeze food and make sure everything is labeled so that each item has the date when you put that item in the freezer . However, if you’re okay with the extra scheduling, freezing food will definitely save you money.