Freezing Your Food

Photo Courtesy of: www.survivallife.com

Freezers are very valuable appliances. I save a great deal of money by freezing most of my food. Yes of course you can buy those pre-frozen bags of food but we pay for the convenience of having someone cut up those onions and carrots for us.

Every month I scour the circulars for the local grocery stores to find the best deals on produce. Then I cut everything up via my food processor and freeze it myself. Obviously, being frugal, I only buy what is in season. In other words, if it isn't on sale, unless it is a special occasion, I don't buy it. 

I also check clearance in the produce area to find items that are marked down due to bruises or appearance. Since these items are close to spoiling or simply don't have an appealing appearance grocery stores mark these items down lower than the regular price. At which point I buy them, cut them up, and freeze them to be used later.

Obviously, I also have to buy things to freeze the produce in, which also costs money. I save money on freezer bags by purchasing them at dollar stores. I also use plastic containers that I can reuse over and over. I will never again pay 1.00 for 12 ounces of onions pre-diced, when I can get two pounds fresh for the same price. Canned goods are also more expensive, and full of added sodium. My husband has high blood pressure, so we try to avoid canned goods almost entirely (even the "low" sodium ones). 

Another benefit of freezing your veggies and fruits is that you can create individual serving sizes as well. If you are trying to eat healthy it helps to have everything already cut up and ready to add to meals. I also freeze cooked beans and rice so they can be ready to add to any dinner at a moments notice. I make sure I label everything I freeze with a sharpie to keep track of what I have and when it was purchased.