Saving Money With My New Frigidaire® Freezer!

Part of the reason I was so darn excited to be a Frigidaire® Ambassador and talk about the benefits of owning a freezer (or in my case, a secondary freezer) is that I am a huge “putting up” kind of girl. At the end of summer, there’s nothing I like more than canning up a storm (and a storehouse) worth of beets, carrots and jams.

I’m not sure if you knew this, but I am darn cheap, er, frugal at times. We aren’t rich by any means and as you know, our vice is travel. We love to travel. Travel equals money. So there are ways that I like to save money in other areas and a huge one is growing  my garden and then canning food for the winter months.

That said, there are some things that are better frozen and not canned. Having a secondary freezer reminds me of my Grandma who had two large freezers full of everything from frozen wild fish, her dainties, (baked goodies) and of course, her fabulous Strawberry Freezer Jam.

Freezer jam has to be my favorite use of my freezer, bar none. Capturing the incredible taste of June/July bearing strawberries when they are in their peak and then freezing them in a simple jam is something we do every year. The taste is perfectly preserved because you don’t cook them however that means that in order to keep them from spoiling you must freeze the jam.

Another money-saving tip is that there is nothing I like better that FREE berries. Yes, we are talking about my beloved Saskatoon. Berry picking is something that has been ingrained into my soul thanks to my Grandma. From wild blueberries to strawberries to chokecherries to Saskatoons, you picked in season and then you made jam, froze the berries or made wine. (pretty much the only thing I like to do with chokecherries)

Saskatoons are around $15 a bucket at U-Picks, so when you can pick a winter’s haul yourself, you’re saving a ton of cash. I use them all winter long to make my White Chocolate Saskatoon Scones or my Grandma’s Saskatoon pie.

Raise your hand if you have uncontrolled bananas in your freezer.

I am proud (sheepish?) to say that I have a dedicated drawer for overripe bananas in my new Frigidaire® classic slate freezer. This however means that I’m not throwing out banana’s and I’m keeping them to bake with. Again, more money-saving for me.

If you want to learn more, head to Frigidaire’s website and read their cheat sheet on how long items can keep in your freezer!

While most people (like me) choose to keep it in their garage, it’s so darn pretty and modern that I wish I could have fit it into my house somehow. I was rather sad to miss out on the fridge ambassador portion of working with Frigidaire® since we are gone travelling, because a secondary fridge is top of my list now! Side by side in the garage. Perhaps next year! We have a nice insulated and drywalled garage that we use for more than storage, so it’s the perfect place for an extra fridge and freezer.

I talked about how I also pre-make tons of meals, like cabbage rolls in my last post, which helps save money as well. It’s amazing how it adds up, you guys! All these little tricks, dollar by dollar!

Another thing that really matters to me, is that it saves time. Oh, you all know that I am about saving time. Loading up on meals and pre-making food is the best thing you can do to save time.

Have fun with it as well! I love getting together with my mom and sister to pre-make a bunch of food for my freezer.

What type of food do you pre-make and freeze? Soups? Lasagnas? Do you use your freezer to “put up” after the summer bounty?

Love,

Karlynn

“Disclosure: I am part of the Frigidaire® Canada Ambassador program with Mom Central Canada and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.”