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Deep Freeze

© Karen L. Harris

In my opinion, the best investment for a family committed to a frugal lifestyle is a deep freezer. A freezer allows you to take advantage of great sales on meats and other freezable items. It also gives you a place to store fruits and vegetables grown in your own garden.

We were fortunate to inherit our deep freezer from an aunt and uncle who down-sized to a smaller house when their youngest child left for college. And I am forever grateful to them.

When we got the deep freezer, I made a vow to my husband and to myself that the freezer would not go unused. The last thing I wanted to happen was for us to pay the extra electric costs to run a freezer with two or three things in it. Besides, freezers run more efficiently with more things in it. All the frozen stuff packed in there together helps maintain the temperature so the motor doesn’t have to work as hard.

Although I was worried the freezer would stay empty, I quickly found ways to fill it. My father is an avid deer hunter and, since my husband it not, Dad always shoots an extra deer for us. We pay for the processing, then our freezer was filled with venison steaks, roasts and hamburger. Like beef, venison can be kept in the freezer for six to twelve months. Ground beef and venison should be used within the first six months.

Next, we purchased a hog and had it slaughtered, splitting the cost and meat with my sister and her family. Pork chops, hams, bacon, ribs and sausage soon joined the venison. Most pork items keep well in the freezer for several months.

Around Thanksgiving and Christmas, stores carry whole turkeys at great low prices. I bought a couple extra turkeys for the freezer. (Who says turkey is only for holidays. I cooked one a few weeks back just because we like it so much and I wanted the left-overs for soup, pot pies, sandwiches, etc.) Turkeys can be kept frozen for a whole year so I may even save one for the next holiday season.

Sometimes the stores have great sales on chicken, so this is the time I stock up the freezer. Unlike the meat that comes from the butcher or whole turkeys, I don’t trust the store packaging on chicken. I hate waste, especially preventable things like freezer-burn on chicken, so I unwrap the chicken from the store’s packaging and

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