To have or not have a freezer

[Daylily]

I have an old upright freezer. Over the past several months I have been trying to empty it. I use the freezer mostly to store meat and to store soups that I have made in bulk. Plenty of other items go in the freezer but those are the two main things.

I'd like to empty it and unplug it for two reasons. One, I'd like to try to figure out how much that things costs to run each month. This may be difficult though since we are coming up on AC season and my electric bill will reflect that. Two, I'd like to stop buying and eating meat as much as possible.

How do other people feel about having a freezer? Is it something you can't live without?

[cooliemae]

My wife and I live without a freezer, but we really want to get a small one, especially so that we can buy frozen items when they are on sale for use later.

I will say though if you don't like to buy in bulk then a separate freezer probably is overkill.

[momof1in150]

We don't have a freezer but a spare refrigerator/freezer. I realized that we weren't using it much so I emptied and unplugged it. We saved $25 a month by doing so. If we have a party I will plug it back in but then empty and unplug it.

[cschin4]

I find that 2 refrigerators is better than one freezer for us. I keep the other frig in the cellar. We can keep our soda and other items such as milk, cheese, etc. And, then there is the additional freezer space of the 2nd frig. I really don't care to freeze alot of food. After food is frozen for awhile, i just don't think it tastes good. So, i prefer to buy smaller quantities and use it rather than larger quantities to freeze. I guess it depends on you and if you really do use lots of frozen items.
But, it wouldn't hurt to unplug it for awhile and see if you even really need or want it.

[myrdale]

A long time ago, I'd heard a freezer cost about $7 a month to run. That is probably $15 today, which isn't too far off of the $25 estimates above. Unless you are an avide hunter or raise alot of your own produce I do not see the need for one.

My uncle actually purchased some fancy new freezer a year ago though. When you close the door a vacuum pump comes on and sucks some of the air out of it. $$

[Caoineag]

Wow, I am amazed at the number of people who don't need an extra freezer. I grew up in a household with two frig/freezer combos and a separate freezer. We always used all of those.

With my husband and I cooking from scratch, we definitely need another freezer (We don't need anymore refrigerator space.) We even have one of those special food sealers so that we can store food in the freezer without any damage. Making a double batch of something and freezing half is the quickest way for us to cook. And I would say nothing stays in our freezer longer than 3 months and we go through most things within a month or two.

For you though, it doesn't sounds like you really need it. If you ever want to know how much an appliance is costing you, you can always get a kill a watt. I have been tempted to get one but I solved our usage issues by simply turning everything off at night.

[DebbieL]

Freezers (especially the new ones) are far more efficient than a fridge, so if it's a choice between a fridge and a freezer or two fridges I would go with the first option. I wouldn't want to be without one. It saves me money for sure. I really didn't notice a difference in my electric bill after getting ours, so it is pretty small whatever it is.

PS - The chest freezers are more efficient than the uprights. I recommend a chest freezer.

[glock35ipsc]

Wow, we have a fridge/freezer in the kitchen, another in the mud room, and a large upright freezer next to it! But we eat LOTS of beef, chicken, eggs and veggies, so the fridges and freezers are always full. Plus, my wife and I both make a weeks worth of meals/lunches on Sunday then store them for the week. I take 4 meals a day to work, she takes 4-5 depending on her schedule. That a lot of meals to store for the week!

[ScrimpAndSave]

I don't think you need a separate freezer...but maybe that is bc I am a vegetarian?

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by Caoineag

Wow, I am amazed at the number of people who don't need an extra freezer. I grew up in a household with two frig/freezer combos and a separate freezer. We always used all of those.

That's exactly the set-up we had in my house. A fridge/freezer in the kitchen, another in the basement and an upright freezer next to it.

My mom did almost all of our cooking and baking from scratch and froze things in single-serve portions. We do the same thing, though not to such a great extent. DW will make a big pot of pasta sauce and we'll freeze it in single serve containers. I'll make a couple of batches of different soups and freeze them. DW will make a lasagna or stuffed cabbage and portion that off to freeze. We'll also stock up on OJ when it is on sale and may buy 6 half gallons at a time. Same for frozen dinners (I use them for lunch sometimes). Lots of stuff we wouldn't be able to do or buy if we didn't have an extra freezer.

Originally Posted by ScrimpAndSave

I don't think you need a separate freezer...but maybe that is bc I am a vegetarian?

We eat virtually no meat in our house but still find plenty of use for our freezer, as I noted above. Remember, tofu is better when frozen and defrosted first before use.

[cicy33]

I have two freezers, one small one in the house next to the fridge and one big one in the garage. I don't keep much meat though there is some. I freeze everything from cheese, frozen veggies, garlic bread, extra bread, pretzels for the kids, all kinds of things. When I do the stocking up with my coupons the freezers are a huge help. I had a sale a while back which when combined with coupons got me cheese really cheap. I froze almost all of it and didn't have to buy cheese for almost 6 months. Just got what I needed when I needed it. You can also freeze extra flour, milk, pretty much anything. I haven't had much luck with sour cream though!

[sounderella]

I have an up right freezer that sits out in my garage. I love it! I use it so I can stock up on meat....especially during DH's hunting season. Also, if there's anything I find on deep discount at the grocery store that can be frozen, I buy a lot and put it in there. I bought it at a sears dented appliance store for real cheap. I haven't noticed a real difference in my power bill since using it.

[webarchitect]

Well it should depend on the budget and for me, the geographical location of the person.

I live 2 hours away from the city, and more than 45 minutes away from the closest convenience store. I really save much money by buying all the things I need for the entire week like food, etc. and stuffing them in the freezer.

It would cost me more money to go back and forth the city just to buy things that I need.

[LuxLiving]

I had an old one in the basement. I mean O.L.D. After the last two storms blew the electric out, we just never refilled it and gave it away to our local volunteer firefighting department.

I would like to have a NEW energy efficient one that sits upstairs in my utility room. Maybe even a solar one or even propane if I can convince Hubster to go w/a propane tank!

It being in the basement made it rather a pain to use as we have only an outside entry to the basement. Go outside, walk all the way around the house, go down the stairs and then into the basement door. Not working for me.

I did notice about a $10 a month drop in the utility bill at the time we last unplugged it.

I like having one, grew up with one and they are great for stocking up when it's meat or veggie sale week, however, not if the darn thing is out of sight out of mind and a pain to get at!

Likely that we'll get another one some day.

[Daylily]

I'm still undecided on what to do. I haven't completely emptied it yet so it is still plugged in. However, I have stopped buying anything additional to put in it.

Aside from the soup I mentioned, I do freeze other meals and freeze small portions of items. As for the meat.... I've decided I no longer want to buy commercial grown/sold meat. So no more buying pork loin when it is $1.99/lb or stocking up on whole chickens when they are $0.69/lb. I'm done with that. My meat purchases lately have all been at the local co-op which sells organic and all-natural meat. They are very transparent regarding the source of all their products. The only problem is that the meat is very expensive which makes me want to buy less meat and eat more veg meals. From that perspective I wouldn't need to have the freezer. The other thing I am thinking about is buying a whole or half side directly from a local farmer. Introduce the need for a freezer again.

[JanH]

When growing up, we had a freezer locker in another city that stored our beef and a freezer at home that stored a smaller amount to use and our garden vegetables. It sure was handy. But, Hubby and I have to empty our small chest freezer every year for hurricane season because it is such a big mess. And, we don't like to keep meat in there during the season either. We love having one to store meals in or specials on meat the rest of the year. But, like you, we don't eat as much meat anymore. I'm going to try to use the fridge freezer more efficiently this year and see what happens. I guess our fridge freezer is easier to use than most because our ice maker never worked well and is discarded, and we have the extra room in there. I guess it depends on lifestyle and what you use it for. I think we probably waste electricity on our chest freezer since it never fills up very far.

[Homebody]

A freezer was our first purchase after getting married. We just bought a brand new one and our electrical bill has actually gone down, but that also coincided with spring summer when it goes down anyway.

We eat a lot of meat, but a lot of beans and also eat tofu. We just like to eat! I thought tofu was something you didn't want to freeze so that is something for me to remember.

I think only you can answer the freezer question. It depends on how you shop and cook. I freeze lots of stuff. I cook from scratch and freeze pestos, tomato sauces, cookies, nuts, oatmeal pancakes, mini loaves of bread. Cooked soups. Leftovers.

We purchased an upright. Our first freezer was a chest freezer and we found it was difficult because I am darn short and had a hard time even reaching down into the bottom areas and we "lost" more stuff. The upright does cost more to run and does not hold as much, but for us, an upright is just easier to deal with and at this point in my life, that is important!

Good luck on your decision.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by Homebody

A freezer was our first purchase after getting married.

Us too. It was the first appliance we purchased while we were still renting. We didn't buy anything else until we moved into our house 2 years later.

I thought tofu was something you didn't want to freeze so that is something for me to remember.

Yes, tofu can be frozen. Not sure there is any reason to freeze silken or soft, but firm and extra firm become more porous and "meatier" (I hate using that term when speaking about vegetarian food, but you know what I mean). If you marinate your tofu, the frozen and thawed stuff will absorb the flavors better. It does get a little darker in color once frozen so don't worry about that.

[marvholly]

Personally, after my hubby passed away 5 years ago I thought I could live without a frezer, However, I have found out just how wrong I am and am thinking about replacing mine.

Let me count the ways:
1. I hate to cook after work
2. I batch cook one dish/week & save in single meal containers. After a few weeks I have multiple choices for quick, healthy lunch/dinner daily.
3.With prices going up daily I can cherry pick sales/clearance items and keep to my budget.
4. I have started to buy my bread at the outlet store which is a bit out of my normal travel pattern so freezing is a must

Like many have said mine is in the basement and a bit of a PITA to keep going to. Thus, I can keep candy type items there and "control" myself.

[marvholly]

Another point I forgot:
At this time of year I stock up on berries and freeze them. Then when $$$ are high I can just grab from the freezer to mix w/ my yougurt for breakfast a couple times/week