Should I buy a $160 chest freezer to help with food costs?

[NickB79]

Here's the run-down. My girlfriend and I live together in an apartment, and we have most definitely noticed that grocery bills have been going up the past year. Neither one of us anticipates that this trend will change anytime soon: the era of cheap food has probably gone the way of the dodo.

In light of this, we are debating purchasing a 5 cubic foot chest freezer in order to stock up on groceries when they're on sale, freeze left-overs, and encourage us to eat at home more rather than go out to dinner. My girlfriend is a good cook, and I'm, um, uh, learning :-) I am an accomplished gardener, though, and should have a mighty haul of fruits and vegetables from my dad's farm this fall for freezing.

Now, $160 is still a decent amount of money, and we want to make sure we're spending it wisely. Is a chest freezer a worthy investment, considering that we are just two people without kids to feed?

[bananas]

1. Yes, you will also save gas and time driving to the store less frequently

edit to add: an upright model with auto-defrost might be worth the extra money,
because you don't have to dig through solid ice to get stuff on the bottom.

[soothsayer]

10. Buy a foodsaver (vacuum sealer) too, and your stuff will last longer.

[trotsky]

23. A vacuum sealer is a must!

Would have to throw out half what we freeze if we didn't have one.

[melody]

2. You'll want to strongly consider a newer one

Old freezers are huge energy hogs, which would cut into your cost savings substantially.

[Skittles]

3. correct n/t

[EV_Ares]

4. Yes, freezers are good, For two, I would say a small one would be enough but agree with the other

poster about the upright which you just open & use like a fridge and don't have to lean over and dig through everything.

Also, you might just check out fridges with larger freezers which they have.

[TriggerGal]

5. A few thoughts ...

Look for ENERGY STAR rating.

For fruits & veggies ... consider canning over freezing.

[SeattleGirl]

6. Having a good-sized freezer is a great thing.

If you find frozen dinners at a good price, if you make soups and stews, or anything else that can be frozen, freezers are great.

We have one (separate from the fridge), and I'm so glad we do.

[aquart]

18. Not to mention making your own frozen dinners of leftovers.

Or doing a week's worth of meals in advance and freezing them, when you know you have something coming up that will make cooking too much to handle.

[SeattleGirl]

19. Yep!

Many advantages to having good freezer space.

[Lasher]

7. I checked Consumer Reports (subscription required)

In their ratings dated June 2007 the top rated model in a full size chest freezer was the 15 cubic foot Amana AQC1526AE at $400. Second in the rankings was the 9 cubic foot Sears Kenmore 1492 at $300. Similar models in the small type that you are considering, are comparable to the tested models. The Amana consumes $37 per year in electricity and the Kenmore $31.

The 7 cubic foot Frigidaire was ranked fourth and cost $250. It uses $30 in power each year.

I have for many years had a small freezer just as you describe. I hunt and when I get a deer or other game it goes in there. I watch for meat such as steaks to go on sale, then buy a bunch to freeze. Monday I bought a boatload of beef tenderloin at $8 a pound.

I make 5 gallons of chili at a time and that's without beans added. I use ground venison and canned tomatoes from the garden. Then I put most of it in Gladware containers and freeze it. Then when I want some I just thaw it out, add beans, and heat it up. I do the same thing when I feel like making stew.

Good luck and I hope you enjoy your freezer.

[shaniqua6392]

8. I have that same size freezer for my family of four.

It is a great investment. I did consider the larger ones for more money, but decided that this would be a good size for us. I am able to grab extra stuff when it is on sale. I say go for it. It will pay for itself in no time. I don't think you would need a larger one for just two people.

[cornermouse]

9. Yes. Be sure you look the packages over closely

before putting in the freezer though. If there's a tear in the packaging, it can get freezer burn if left in there too long and make sure you get Energy Star or it's equivalent. But overall, it's an excellent purchase.

I use it for bread, meat, fruits and veggies. Freezing is as close as fresh as you can get which is why I prefer freezing to canning. It's also less work.

[hoosier_lefty]

11. yes!

It will give you the ability to stock up on sale items. I watch the adds and
buy meat and higher priced items when they are on sale. ( really on sale )

I bought one of those Reynolds handi-vacs for about $20 and use the reynolds
vacuum bags. It does a great job preventing freezer burn.

If you are willing to invest a little time into watching sale flyers
you can save money at the grocery store. The most important thing is
to get familiar with how much the items you commonly use cost.
Pay attention to price and price per ounce, then compare brands etc.

A freezer is like any other tool, used properly it will help tremendously.

[mirrera]

12. My freezer has changed EVERYTHING!

It encourages you to make a bigger batch and save it in the freezer, plus as you said when a favorite is on sale you can stock up. It makes the fall Harvest more than a month long feast. I love it.

[tkmorris]

13. Yes! We did so, about 5 years ago

It has paid for itself many times over. We have done just as you plan, bought items on sale and in bulk.

One caveat though. I have found that vacuum sealed bags are by FAR the best way to store frozen goods over the long term. Lesser bags, such as the ziplocs which are advertised as freezer bags, will allow frost eventually, ruining your food. I was able to find a vacuum sealer at my local thrift store that had never been used, purchased rolls of bag material, and fell in love with the concept. I can keep fresh meats etc for a year or more if they are packed in this fashion. Ziplocs will keep most meats for maybe a month, 2-3 if you are careful to extract as much air as possible before sealing.

Beware, anything packed frozen in a box, bought from the supermarket, WILL freezer burn, right there in it's box. Bagged is better, and individually packaged and sealed is better still. Also, Costco is excellent for buying large amounts of things you normally wouldn't, provided you can subdivide and repackage and freeze. I buy whole pork loins there for $1.99 a lb. and cut them into individual lean boneless chops, plus a few loin roasts, all for far less per lb. than you can get even the cheapest pork chops normally at the local grocer. Their ground beef is an excellent bargain in two ways. It is cheaper than normal grocery bought since it comes in packages of about 6 lb. or so, and it is so lean that when cooked there is practically no wasted fat at all.

Yes, that deep freezer is well worth buying. Good luck to you fellow cheapskate.

[rucky]

14. You'll thank yourself when fresh veggies come along...

With zucchini and such, you can slice 'em up, spray them with some canola an pop 'em in a bag (berries, too). Cherry tomatoes and the bigguns freeze well if you parboil, peel and de-slime 'em. green beans freeze like a dream.

and locker meat, if you're so inclined. Steaks at $2.50/pound mmmmm.

[liberal N proud]

15. Buy the freezer and shop once a month for groceries

You can freeze pretty much everything.
Bread and Milk will even freeze with out too many problems. Our youngest daughter was drinking milk so fast for a while and as the prices were starting to climb that we started to buy milk 6 - 8 gallons at a time and freezing them.

[MadHound]

16. Yes, a freezer is a good thing

We've been getting heavily into gardening, and have acquired a freezer and food dehydrator. Both have been great ideas, and have saved us money. One thing, now that you have a freezer, consider going out and getting to know a farmer. Our neighbor raises organic cattle, and we purchased a quarter cow. Total price, including butchering, was $2.86/lb no matter the cut. One hundred and forty pounds of beef, this will last us nearly three years. You can do the same thing with pork and chicken if you wish. Not only is the meat healthier for you, but it is cheaper also. You can get to know your local cattle farmer at a farmer's market, or check out CSA's or even the local want ads.

Food dehydrators and a set up for canning are good things also. I grow lots of peppers and mushrooms, and they're better dried than frozen. Canning is good for sauces, whole tomatoes, that sort of thing.

Funny how the old ways are coming back.

[aquart]

17. You haven't been doing that?

Yeeks.

[Sherman A1]

20. Just my thoughts

We suffered through two multi day power outages a couple of years ago and lost everything in our large freezer, twice. I would check your homeowners insurance policy to see what coverage is provided before you make a decision. I really enjoy my upright freezer, but have taken one shelf to hold nothing but milk jugs full of water (now ice) as an extra preventative measure in case our lovely utility (Ameren UE) has another of it's hiccups.

Love the freezer, don't love throwing out all the food.

[Breeze54]

21. Not only should you get it but also get some canning jars and

start canning fruits and vegetables from your garden for the winter!

It isn't that hard to learn to do and it's nice to have your own home

grown on hand when the growing season is over and the cold winds blow!

Make sure you put a label on everything with the item name and date too. ;)

[Vinca]

22. Absolutely! Since you're a gardener, you might also consider

buying an inexpensive food dehydrator. They turn up for next to nothing in thrift shops. I found one at the recycling shed at our dump for free. I dry excess tomatoes, primarily, for the most scrumptious sauces you can imagine. It's also handy for drying herbs and making fruit snacks. You can freeze herbs, too, by the way. I usually harvest a mountain of basil and make a giant batch of pesto sauce and freeze it in small containers. I save a fortune over the course of a growing season.

[Blue Diadem]

24. Most definitely it's a worthy investment.

I think you're making a wise choice. Your size freezer will hold probably 150-175# of food. You might want to keep a list of what you place in it, as it's easy to forget, especially for things at or near the bottom. I'd also 2nd the idea of investing in a meal saver/sealer. They really do protect the food from freezer burn and IMO, you can keep the food much longer.

You'll love eating fruits and veggies from the garden through out the winter. We still have some green peppers and tomato sauce from our bounty last year.

[Holly_Hobby]

25. Buy the freezer and then buy meat in bulk

I can get 40 lbs. of pork spare ribs by the case for $1.69/lb. Regular price for single slabs is $3.99. A 40 lb. case of chicken parts is $29.

I get these prices from a local butcher shop, not chain grocery stores. He also gives me 12 freezer bags per case.

[NNN0LHI]

26. Get a self-defrosting one if you get one

I wish I had.

Don