Does Running an Extra Freezer Really Save on Food Costs?

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Does Running an Extra Freezer Really Save on Food Costs?

Submitted by: senyax 01/10/2009 12:28 AM

Is it really a savings to buy a freezer and plug it in, in order to freeze groceries you've bought at sale prices? How much are you paying in electric bills to keep that freezer going?

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The one thing I can tell you is that to make sure the freezer is full. Even if you have to take empty milk jugs and fill them with water and freeze them then do it. The fuller the freezer the less energy it uses.

Posted by Cherie on January 10, 2009 2:11 PM

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I don't have an extra freezer, but I have a very large freezer and there are just two of us. I do have an extra refrigerator. They both save me money in my opinion. Grocery stores have some kind of "sale cycle". In other words, they have the same items on sale every few weeks, months, ??
By having the large freezer and the extra refrigerator, I can buy the items that I use only when they are on sale. For example, Kroger has 16ounce packages of frozen veggies that are normally $1.25 to $1.50 each on sale at regular intervals for $1.00 each. That is when I by up to a couple dozen packages. That will last me until they come on sale the next time.I also do this with staples like Peanut butter etc. The last time they had natural peanut butter on sale, I saved 35 cents a jar and bought 10 jars. When I find a good buy on Coffee, I may buy 12 large cans. And an extra savings is that I seldom have to make a trip to the store because I am out of something that I need.Another advantage to the second fridge is that since it isn't opened dozens of times a day, it keeps things longer than the one in my kitchen. I can buy a 2 week supply of milk and it doesn't go bad.
To make this long story short....Yes it does save. And as an afterthought...take this into consideration...your coffee pot costs you more in electricity in a month than your freezer. Especially if you keep the freezer full.

Posted by harlean@gmail.com on January 12, 2009 11:18 AM

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Yes, it does. I stocked up on meats that I bought on sale for half price (about 20 lbs of beef and chicken that I divided up into recipe size portions and the froze). I also cook several dishes one weekend every couple of months and then freeze them in plastic containers so that I never have an excuse to not pack my own lunch for work or why we have to go out to eat on these nights when we all get home late and are too tired to cook.

We also stock up on ice cream when it's on sale buy one get one free, frozen vegetables for $1.00/bag, I buy fresh strawberries in the summer and freeze them (do watch the prices during the season to catch them at their lowest and that way they are less expensive than buying frozen in the winter).

I bought my freezer 5 months ago and have not noticed any change in my power bill, but there is a huge change in my AMEX bill at the end of the month because we not only stopped going out as convenience, but we also now only buy food on really good sales.

Posted by anonymous on January 18, 2009 3:21 PM

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Make sure your freezer is in good working condition and the doors seal properly. Avoid offers of free older freezers and purchase a newer energy star compliant model. Most importantly keep your freezer full. My electric use went up about $3.00 a month.

Posted by Michael Coutts on January 27, 2009 1:27 AM

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Yes, absolutely!

Posted by DogMama on February 26, 2009 12:51 AM

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Thank you all. I am going to buy a freezer for the garage!

Posted by anonymous on March 19, 2009 10:21 PM

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I also have a freezer in my garage. The only concern I have about this is that I only retrieve stuff from it once every couple of weeks or so. After a neighbor lost power (and all her frozen food), I began to wonder if I would be able to tell if power was lost, then restored some days later and the effect that would have on the things in the freezer.
Then I read somewhere that if you freeze a tray of icecubes, then place them upside-down in the freezer, this is about as accurate a guage as you can get about the things your freezer is up to when you're not checking on it every day. If I notice ice cubes getting smaller, that means thawing has happened at some point. The problem then becomes whether or not to keep the food, and do I feel lucky?

Posted by Marilyn A. on March 20, 2009 12:07 PM

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