Our freezer can be full occassionally, but at times not, since we just buy food nowadays, since my dad doesn't want to cook anymore. I also don't know how to cook, so I doubt I would be filling my freezer with food.
I stock my freezer about once per month, usually when a few particular items that we use a lot of go on sale. I will stock up on these items by filling the chest freezer with them:Frozen vegetables. I recently purchased 1 pound bags of frozen vegetables (such as broccoli, mixed vegetables, spinach, green beans, or corn) for .88 cents each from Meijer in order to help fill the freezer. These bags of frozen vegetables are great because they can work as a quick side-item by being steamed in the microwave for dinner, or they can be used in my crockpot freezer meals that I make about once per month. Sometimes produce near expiration becomes reduced, and I will buy it, wash and chop it up and freeze it in freezer bags, saving even more money on vegetables.Bread Products. My local Kroger reduces loaves of bread, hot dog buns, and hamburger buns to .49 cents when they are near expiration date. I will purchase 4 or 5 loaves of bread for .49 each and throw them in the freezer. Bread freezes pretty well. Simply pull out of the freezer a day or two before you plan on eating it in order to thaw it out.Meat. I purchase meat when it is on sale or reduced due to nearing the expiration date, and freeze it. Sometimes I freeze the meat on its own, other times I use it in my once per month crockpot freezer meals. Yesterday I purchased three 10 pound bags of chicken leg quarters from Save-A-Lot for .29 per pound. That's right: 30 pounds of chicken leg quarters for under $9. When I find a deal as great as that, I try to stock my chest freezer.Cheese. Hard cheeses freeze great, they can be frozen right in the package that you purchase them in. Sometimes my local grocery stores will purchase too much of a certain dairy product, so they will put some out on clearance. I have purchased 8 oz bags of shredded cheese for .79 cents this way. When I find a good deal on cheese like this, I usually buy as much as my budget will allow, because cheese freezes and unthaws very well, and everyone loves cheese in our house!Having a chest freezer makes finding deals on produce, bread, meat, and cheese a breeze, because I usually have the space to stock up on these items when I find a great deal! I have a smaller chest freezer, so running it does not add too much to my electricity bill. Having a chest freezer allows me to save money throughout the year, as I find great deals to stock up on.
