Let's Talk Freezers
Wow, couldn't get away from clicking on that engaging title, right? Ha.
But really. We're going to talk freezers. I realized that a lot of my money saving techniques have to do with how I utilize my freezer space. I have two freezers: a small chest freezer, and the freezer attached to my fridge.
There are a couple of ways I use my freezer that save me money.
First, venison. My husband is a bow hunter, and so usually at least once a year I have to find a way to fit 50lbs of red meat into my freezer. Let me make one thing clear. VENISON IS NOT CHEAP. When you add in how much it costs for the bow/gun, the scent spray and camo clothing, the gas for the multiple trips to wherever your hunting ground is, money spent on lodging the night before/after, and then if you pay to get it processed (we don't, but some people choose to), it all adds up to pretty darn expensive. So I wouldn't suggest trying to convince your spouse to take up hunting so you can save money on food. However, we choose to budget that money as fun/adventures/vacations, and not food. So the venison we get from that is just a bonus to my food budget.
Second, stocking up. When I save money in my budget in a week, I try to mentally save that money for when I see a good deal on something that I know we'll use. Every once in a while, Meijer will have a sale on bulk ground beef that brings the price down to around $2 per pound. If I know that I pocketed $10 the week before, I will use that to buy extra hamburger. This seems simple, but unless you are watching for these deals, and ACTUALLY saving the money for future weeks instead of just spending more money that particular week, it's not worth it.
Third, portions. This has been a major game changer for me. When I make enchiladas, I open a can of refried beans, fry a pound of hamburger, buy a bag of shredded cheese....you get the idea. This usually makes a 9x13 pan full. Do you know how many enchiladas we eat? Three. Max. Then I'm on a time crunch. I have 4 days that I feel safe eating those enchiladas. I better send them with Shane for lunch, even though he HATES leftovers. And maybe Piper and I can eat them for lunch as well. With half of my family not liking leftovers, it just isn't worth it. Instead, I save lunchmeat containers, or buy foil pans, and freeze meal-size portions of enchiladas. MAKE SURE TO MARK THEM. You think you will remember what's in there, until it's been six months and you found a container at the back of your freezer and....do you dare even thaw it?
Fourth, organization. I try to keep my chest freezer for ingredients (venison, hamburger, frozen corn, freezer jam, etc), and my fridge-freezer for ready-made meals (enchiladas, fajitas, Tyson popcorn chicken, etc). This way, I know where to look depending on what I'm looking for. Also, this way my ready-made meals don't get lost. It happens way easier than you'd think. I also used to write a list of contents on top of my chest freezer with a dry erase marker so I wouldn't forget--that was until I got a new one and it was just too bright and sparkly white to mark it up! Haha.
Anyway, I know this hasn't been a super exciting post, but I felt it was a necessary one to do before I went farther!
Thanks for sticking with me!