Without a doubt, convenience food items are well, convenient. They make “life as MOM” a little bit easier. And making your own freezer meals fills that need for quick and easy. But, did you know that “bulk cooking” can save you money?
Oh, let me count the ways:
1. Bulk cooking involves buying in bulk which often means less waste in terms of packaging and less expense to the consumer. When I purchased my ground beef for these meals, I got a reduced rate of $1.47/pound as opposed to $1.99/pound for smaller packages. Likewise, when I buy a HUGE can of tomatoes it costs a lot less than 12 smaller ones. Here’s what I spent:
$.25 eggs
$4.00 cream cheese
$5.00 mozzarella
$2.00 lasagna noodles
$2.00 pastas
$1.00 potatoes
$15.00 ground beef
$4.00 chicken
$1.54 bell peppers
$5.00 canned tomatoes
$1.00 onions
$1.00 bread for crumbs
$1.00 spices (if that)
I spent a total of $42.79 + tax for the groceries that made the basis of 12 meals. That comes to $3.57/dinner! In most cases I added a side salad and bread, keeping our costs under $5 per meal — for a family of 7 eaters. (The baby just mooches off me these days.)
2. Cooking many dishes at one time saves on energy costs. Heating the oven to bake 75 meatballs takes as much energy as baking 15. Better to do them all at one time and save the energy.
3. Having a meal waiting in the freezer or thawing in the frig reduces the temptation to “run for the Border” or the Golden Arches. We can save a pretty penny by avoiding unneccessary fast food.
4. And lastly, time is money. Or so they say. Time is a valuable resource that often doesn’t have a pricetag, so if you’re not spending so much time cooking you’re freed up to do other things.
I highly recommend giving freezer meals a try. Check out my posts here and here to get an idea about how it works.
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Freezer meals are the best! I don’t do a lot of bulk cooking, but I do try to make at least two meals worth and freeze one while I’m making supper.
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This is something I’d really like to improve on. The security of having a freezer stuffed with meals. Ahhh. Sounds blissful.
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I go through phases with freezer cooking. I will do a lot of bulk cooking and then won’t do it again for a few months. I think I get burned out. Although it definitely saves me money, I should do it more often.
Toni
http://thehappyhousewife.com
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WE LOVE freezer meals. I posted my frugal friday post, but the pic says the Thursday recipe swap, and it’s after Thursdays. Is this the right one?
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Great post! I’ve often wondered about the cost of bulk buying.
Thanks for hosting!
~Liz
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I love freezer cooking! It’s so nice to not just be frugal with your money, but your time also!!
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Freezing food is a great frugal idea. It was also really useful when sunnyboy was a newborn. Definitely I would recommend anyone fill up their freezer before having a baby!
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We don’t do a lot of freezer cooking, but what we do freeze sure comes in handy! Whenever I bake rolls or other bread, I always bake extra. Dinner rolls are especially nice to have in the freezer. I just take out enough for the family, wrap them in foil, and stick them in the oven for about 15 minutes. They’re great.
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I have been wanting to try this for awhile. I am going to finally give it a try. Thanks so much!
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I totally agree! I’ve done the similar OAMC and loved it. A little extra time at the beginning but so worth it.
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Wow, how did you get eggs so cheap?
I don’t do OAMC but I do use some of the ideas from it. I like to have my meat browned, or at least cut up and trimmed, ahead. Same with vegetables. I do have a few freezer meals going at a time, and it sure is nice to know I have something on hand!
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