How to Save Money with Your Freezer

Rather than spending countless dollars on TV dinners and convenience foods, you can make your own. You save money and have food available for lazy days. By keeping your freezer full, it actually runs more efficiently, reducing your electric bill. The key to not falling into bad habits is prevention and preparation. Have food premixed and ready to cook for simplicity. But using your freezer for food storage isn't the only way to save money. Proper insulation and location of your freezer, among other things, also have an impact. Below I've listed some suggestions:

I seem to only have enough money for fresh foods that have to be prepared, pantry staples, or frozen food already prepared. So this is perfect. Taco seasoning and Sloppy Joe sauce are pantry staples, and they have a long shelf life. It can wait around until I buy meat and turn it into frozen prepared foods. I like having effortless meals lying around, but commercial frozen foods can get pricey. And who wants to overpay for such low maintenance food?

~Cook 5-6 lbs of ground beef to prepare several meals in advance. Split them apart and flavor them with taco seasoning, Sloppy Joe sauce, and hamburger patties. Then, you can freeze them in freezer safe bags. Label them carefully. These save a lot of time and is perfect to pull out for lazy days.

NOTE: To make perfectly shaped hamburger patties, round them into balls and place them between wax paper and flatten with a clean dinner plate. Wrap each patty with wax paper. This will make separating, freezing, and thawing much easier.

~Frugal Lemonade: In the book, Helpful Hints and Tips to Make Life Easier, I came across this interesting suggestion of buying lemons in bulk during peak seasons and making multiple batches of lemonade and freezing them. This asinine idea has saved me so many times: during heat waves, when my water was shut down, etc. What a simple and cheap way to make your freezer more efficient.

~Similarly to the frugal lemonade, you can also freeze lemon juice into ziplock baggies and ice cube trays with covers (so it won't absorb the odor of other foods such as meat). Another great way to keep your freezer efficient. It's also an easy way to always have lemon juice on hand.

~Before storing your chicken into the freezer, separate them from the package they come in. Transfer them into ziplock baggies with marinade. Not only will the chicken marinate while it's thawing, but it makes cooking a real breeze. Simply move the frozen poultry to your refrigerator the night before. When you come home, you can put it in the oven or pan-fry it.

~Always have herbs on hand. Okay, so frozen herbs aren't the freshest, but it's a good way to always have herbs on hand. Fine chop and freeze them with a small amount of water in ice cube trays. Once frozen, pop the herbiscles out and store them in freezer safe baggies. Or you can buy a bunch of ice cube trays (I suggest ones with covers) when they're on sale and store them as is. The next time a recipe calls for a specific herb, just toss in a cube. This is great for soups and stir-fries. These herbs will have a three months shelf life. Ideal freezing herbs are basil, cilantro, and parsley.

~In addition to freezing herbs, you can freeze peels and zests from citrus fruits such as lemons. You can also keep stems from fresh herbs and freeze them in resealable bags. Peels from gingers can also be saved the same way. Zests, stems, and ginger peels can also all be saved in the same ziplock bag and thrown into a pot of boiling water to make a flavorful broth to poach fish in.

~Transfer leftover white wine into a freezer safe resealable bag and place it in the freezer. White wine is amazing to deglaze with. Add 1/2 cup of white wine to a pan you just used with some stuck ons from meat, poultry, or seafood with a little butter. Drizzle over cooked food.

~For people with slow cookers, make your own version of prepackaged slow cooking recipes. My boyfriend and I recently bought a pre-made one from Marie Callender's. It contained vegetables, meat, and seasoning. We added the water ourselves. The vegetables and meat filled the slow cooker halfway, and I have a visual memory of how much water there was. You can either freeze your own produce or buy frozen vegetable medley and pour the right amount into your slow cooker. Throw in some meat. You're simply using the slow cooker as a measurement guide. Take the measured veggies, and meat and throw it into a large ziplock baggie. The next time you want something filling, hearty, and simple, pour it into your slow cooker. Memorize how much space it takes up in the ziplock baggies and fill the same amount in the future. Cook on high for four hours or cook on low for eight hours.

*Proper insulation and other money saving tips regarding your freezer will be addressed shortly.