Frugal Freezing Frenzy

The article below is an excerpt of what was originally published in the Standard Journal on January 20, 2015.  

Lately I have been fascinated by the idea of freezing food as a form of being frugal.  Back in November, Broulim’s had a giveaway featuring a chest freezer and I hoped and prayed to win it.  My husband had just got a 4-point buck and my current freezer was lacking terribly in space.  Plus, I had started reading up about saving money by freezing perishable foods that are on sale.  Sadly, I didn’t win the freezer (congrats to whoever did!).

I recently read a post on a blog that listed some of the things that you can successfully freeze.  I will share some of my favorites below.    

    Cheese.  I was already familiar with this awesome freezer food.  Buying cheese in a block, shredding it, and then freezing it in a freezer bag is a superb way to save money.  I highly recommend that you stock up on cheese when you find a great price and then do this. Note that if you freeze the cheese in a block then it will crumble very easily after you thaw it.

    Butter or Margarine.  My neighbors taught me this one.  Just stock up when you find a good price, freeze what you don’t need right away and when you thaw it you won’t even know the difference.  The texture and flavor stay exactly the same. 

    Eggs.  This was new to me and I still haven’t tried it yet.  Apparently if you crack the eggs individually into an ice cube tray or in bulk in a jar.  Writing this reminds me that I want to give it a go.  It seems odd, but worth a try. 

    Onions.  You can freeze in small portions or just flash freeze them first so you have more control over portions.  Flash freezing is simple but something I had never done before a couple of months ago.  All you do is place some parchment paper on a cookie sheet and then put a thin layer of whatever you are freezing on the sheet.  Put the cookie sheet in the freezer for a couple of hours and then transfer the food to a bag.  This way the food doesn’t freeze together in a big clump. 

    Melons.  The author of the blog suggests watermelon and cantaloupe.  Flash freeze for easier accessibility. Any frozen fruit is delicious when added to a smoothie.

    Garlic.  You can freeze it whole or in cloves.

    Beans.  Buy them dry in bulk, cook and freeze for the most savings. 

    Freezer meals.  The possibilities here are endless.  Just search “freezer meals” on Pinterest and be prepared to be blown away.

I am still making do with my average-sized freezer, although I haven’t given up the dream of owning a larger one someday.  Even if you don’t have a lot of space in yours, you can still use what you have and join in on the frugal freezing frenzy.

Check out the original blog post referenced above right here.