One way that I am able to save on my grocery bill is by stocking up when there is a good sale. It is easy to stock up on items that don’t have expiration dates (toothbrushes, soap, feminine products), but stocking up on perishables is just as possible when you know how long to keep them.
A great resource for how to freeze, how long to keep items, and what not to freeze is the USDA Freezing and Food Safety Fact Sheet. I recommend checking it out for a full list of how long to keep foods, but here are a few highlights:
|
Item |
Months |
| Egg Whites or Substitutes |
12 |
| Frozen Dinners & Entrees | 3-4 |
| Ham, Hotdogs, & Lunchmeats | 1-2 |
| Meat, uncooked steaks | 4-12 |
| Meat, uncooked ground | 3-4 |
| Poultry, uncooked parts | 9 |
| Poultry, cooked | 4 |
| Soups & Stews | 2-3 |
This fact sheet is definitely useful, but I think the funniest fact was that you should not freeze cans! 
I’ll add that you can also freeze many fresh fruits when they are in season (berries, grapes, peaches, etc) and baby food, to help save on time and cost.
What else do you freeze to help you save on your grocery bill?
Find out what works for others at Works For Me Wednesday.
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Melissa, a mom of 2 boys in Arizona, understands the importance of watching a family budget. After leaving the business world, she dedicated herself to working at home and pursued her passion of helping people.
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My parents do a huge garden every year, so I have lots of home grown frozen vegetables. As far as freezing what I buy, I freeze the usual stuff, but also included butter and bags of grated cheese when they go on sale.
Oh, I didn’t even think of freezing our vegetables from the garden! Great idea. I think we will have plenty of bell peppers to freeze since I just counted at least 10 on one of our plants this morning!
A good way to freeze bell pepper is to go ahead and chop, then spread on a cookie sheet to freeze. Once frozen, bag it up, and you get out just a little at a time to use as you need it. I’m not a big green pepper fan, but my mother does hers this way all the time
Wonderful, thank you for sharing! I bet I can do the same with the jalapeno peppers (if we have an extras that is)
I wonder why wild game lasts longer frozen than other meat?
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We go through at least a loaf of bread a week, so if it is BOGO, I buy one and throw one in the freezer–so the following week, the bread is ‘free.’
Blueberries freeze beautifully. I spread them on a cookie sheet and freeze until hard, then throw them in a container. All I need is to grab handfuls when I want to make blueberry muffins or pancakes in the winter…when blueberries seem to run about a dollar each at the store. (They are down to 2.99 a pint now…almost cheap enough to buy and freeze!)
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I don’t know about wild game since I’ve never had it- but that is interesting!
You are all reminding me of more things that I like to freeze! I always stock up on bread and cheese, too. Those are things that freeze/defrost well. I have also found deals on bagels, biscuits, etc (especially when they are on sale in the bakery section for day old breads).
I love having blueberries on hand!
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