Many people are trying to decide if they should purchase a second (or third) freezer. Is it cost efficient to stock up? Is the price of running a freezer worth grabbing food at its current cost as prices continue to rise? Let’s think about some different factors before making a decision.
Increases in the Cost of Food
It’s starting to become not just a hunch but a fact that every time I walk into the grocery store, the price of one food item on my list or another has increased. People, researchers, even the government and international sources are all warning us of an impending food shortage. This will cause the food prices to continue to rise. Stocking up on food now seems to be very important. One thing about stocking up on something that you already use, it is never a waste of money.
Increases in Electricity Bills
I’ve had many people tell me that they’ve started to notice an increase in electricity bills. We are constantly looking for ways in my home to save on electricity. From simple things like turning out the lights when we’re not using them to bigger things like using a wood burning stove for some of our heating. Our freezer definitely consumes electricity as well. Would we want to purchase another one and see our electricity bill go up? It’s always a painful thing when you get that bill in the mail and noticed it’s more than last month’s.
Food Availability and Variety
Ever since covid, we’ve noticed the food availability as well as variety has fluctuated. One week, there may be no orange juice on the shelf. The next week, maybe every kind is back except your favorite brand. That might be gone for weeks. You wonder if it’s going to be gone for good. And then all of a sudden it shows up again. It seems there is no consistent stability when buying food. If there’s something that you absolutely love, it might not be a bad idea to buy an extra one each time you shop. If it’s a freezer item, that might have you thinking twice. Do you have the freezer space?
Convenient Food Storage
It seems to be obvious that having some extra food on hand is not a bad thing. But what is the most convenient way to store it? My family loves to have extra chicken and ground beef on hand. We use it all the time and cooking. But if I were to stock up on it, my freezer would fill up too fast, and I would be wondering if I needed another one. That has me looking into alternative options such as canned chicken and canned ground beef – something that lasts a long time, is shelf stable, is affordable, and is available to purchase.
So What Should You Do?
You will want to check your budget and decide what your priorities are. Having tasty frozen foods trump the store bought canned meats in you ask me! However, consider some other ideas. Buying fresh meat and pressure canning it is an excellent option. (We talk about this in another post.) Nothing beats pressure canned and cooked beef stew meat! Think about buying the raw ingredients instead of premade ones that may be more convenient but are less health, more expensive, and fill up our freezers. Overall, it may be more work to buy raw ingredients and preserve your food, but in the long run it also is more affordable and healthier for you. You may decide that buying that extra freezer is definitely worth it for your family, but consider buying self-stable ingredients to cook with as well.
