Will a Freezer Save You Money?

We've talked about trying to save money by buying a freezer before so when I saw this piece from MSN money, I had to post on it. It asks whether or not a freezer will save you money. In other words, can the money savings add up to more than the cost of the freezer itself as well as the cost of operating it?

The answer is the same answer you get when you ask most money-related questions: it depends. In this case, you'll likely save money if any of these are true for you:

• You tend a large garden.

• You and your family are big meat eaters and want to buy in real bulk, such as a whole butchered hog or one-quarter to one-half of a cow.

• You hunt large animals and need somewhere to store hundreds of pounds of game.

• Your fridge freezer is overflowing -- and constantly in use.

Here's how we stand on each of these:

• Not a large garden yet, but we're planning on one in our new place. Update: Wrote this post a week or so ago when we were buying a new house. In case you hadn't heard, the deal fell through. That said, we're thinking of starting a garden in our current location.

• We've thought about buying half a cow and will probably do so in the future.

• Nope, I don't hunt.

• Our fridge freezer is overflowing and we do need the space.

So it looks like a freezer is probably a good deal for us. Maybe even a GREAT deal.

If you're wondering if it's a good deal for you, the piece walks you through how to calculate to cost and savings associated with a freezer purchase.

They also list three steps to take if you're buying a freezer and want to save the most money possible. Their thoughts:

• Determine the style. Chest-style freezers tend to cost less to buy and operate.

• Choose a size.

• Manage the space. For maximum efficiency, a freezer should be kept full.

I'd add one thing -- get a good freezer at a good price. Seems like a no-brainer tip, but I continually see $150 freezers that do the same thing (and run at the same cost) as $300 freezers. Obviously, it will take a lot more time to payout a $300 freezer than it will to cover the cost of one that is almost half the price.

Comments

[Bill]

We moved into our first house and needed a washer and dryer. Sears had a promotion that you got a rebate for 15% for 2 appliances bought or 20% for 3 appliances bought. We wanted a freezer eventually but this extra rebate sealed the deal. With the additional 5% we saved about $150 more and got an upright freezer for the garage. We shop at Costco so we have a bunch of meat and veggies in there. We also have about 30 bags of squash and zucchini from the garden in there. Definitely worth the cost and the electricity expense in our house.

[LC]

Are you still looking for a new house? I wouldn't think a garden would be started until next spring. Are you anticipating not finding one by then or have you decided to stop looking for now?

We got an old freezer from my inlaws who used to hunt but don't need it anymore, so the price was right. We keep it in the garage and stock up on shredded cheese, meat, and veggies. I think we save a lot of money, but even if we didn't the convenience factor is worth it.

[Jo]

I grew up in a family of 6. We had a big freezer always full of food, mostly meat that we had butchered (we were farmers). Now my parents' have two freezers (one a big chest and one upright) always full of meat and other items. I'm sure they would agree it is worth it, especialy when us kids were growing up and eating tons of food. Even now with just the two of them they can stock up on items or freeze whole meals for themselves for when company comes over.

I enjoy it because it means I still get beef for free!

[Robin]

My husband and I went back and forth on this for awhile. Our fridge freezer was ALWAYS overflowing, and we eventually got a 5 cu foot one from Sam's for like $150. I love it! It is so nice not to worry "will this fit in the freezer?" when I want to buy something frozen. I am also making some meals ahead, which is very handy on busy nights.

[Bill]

The cost to run an old freezer is so high that a new freezer has a payback period in the order of 5 years (i.e. It cost more money to take someones "old" freezer - built before 1993 - than to buy a new energy star rated freezer). The new cheapie freezers are not energy star rated and have a higher operating cost, especially if you live an expensive electricity state like CA. The difference of $100 is pretty small when you consider how much electricity the freezer uses over its life. Go to the Energy Star website for a freezer electricity use calculator to see what the true costs are. Note: the cost of a freezer is $300, but the electricity to run it will cost you over a $1000 (total) after 10 years.

Using the freezer to stock up on sale items can help keep grocery bills low. It also helps to keep the 4 sets of prying eyes off of the cake that you are saving for next weeks party.

[LC]

Well our electric bill hasn't gone up appreciably since we added the old freezer. Rates have gone up and our bill has actually gone down, and it has always been below $50, so I'm not too worried about the energy cost. Considering the cost of a new one and the cost of disposal for the old one, the $2-3/mo of electricity that it costs me is acceptable.

[Miss M]

We're just a household of two (well plus 3 canines) and we definitely make good use of a small chest freezer. No more worrying about all that stuff from costco and when meat is on sale I stock up for the dogs and freeze it. Keep an eye on sears and their sales, that's where we got ours and we've been super happy.

[Bill]

Clearly if your bill has gone down since getting the "old" freezer it is pumping electricity back into the grid and you are getting a great rebate. Patent that and you can retire.

The comment about freezer age is for those of us who have to pay electric bills.

[Paula]

Upright freezers are the only freezers with automatic defrost (read the appliance card carefully; some are manual defrost). Chest freezers always have to be manually defrosted.

[karla (threadbndr)]

Watch the 'scratch and dent' sales, too. If it's just going into the basement, who cares if there is a flaw in the finish.

Even for a single, a small freezer is a good thing. Both my sister and I have one (hers is a chest, mine is an upright). We split a side of beef every year and it pays for itself twice over.

My best freezer tip is to make an inventory and keep your freezer organized and rotated. No 'mystery date' meat stuck to the bottom when you defrost, please.