As I travel further on my couponing/stockpiling adventure, I am learning new tricks along the way. It really bugs me that there are certain items that cannot be stockpiled because they will spoil. This means that I can choose to either do without these items or pay full price for them. EEEK!
I have discovered that quite a few perishable items can be frozen successfully, without negatively affecting their quality or taste.
For example, liquid coffee creamer was once a true luxury item for me. I would not pay $2.69 for a bottle of creamer when I had a gallon of milk that I could make do with. After discovering that there is a sale cycle every 8-12 weeks on Coffee Mate and International Delight, I decided to try freezing it. Now I pay between .25 and .90 for creamer once a quarter and stockpile 15-20 bottles a time in my freezer. It freezes beautifully!
Here is a list of items that I freeze regularly:
~Coffee Creamer
~Lunch Meat
~Squeeze Yogurt (Like Gogurt)
~Cheese (I recommend grating it first, if you thaw a block and grate, it tends to be very crumbly.)
~Bread (Just thaw the loaf on the counter, open.)
~Nuts (Walnuts, Pecans, Almonds. They stay fresh longer)
~Extra Flour (Sure to be bug-free.)
~Butter (Not sure about margarine.)
If you have any other ideas...let me know!
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Is that .25 and .90 for the pint size or the quart size? 'cause I'm thinking milk is still cheaper and for me I'd choose cheaper even though I prefer creamer.
ReplyDeleteIt depends on the sale. Usually it is more in the .25-.40 range for the pints and .75-.90 range for the quarts. (I do get it for free occasionally, just not every go-round.) This is a treat that we enjoy. I save so much on groceries that it isn't a big deal to spend $8 or so every 3 months for creamer. That's a lot better than full price! ($12+ per month)
ReplyDeleteI am now consistently getting 70-80% off my bill for the week (averaging all the stores together.)
I freeze all of the above also. I usually buy I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and it freezes beautifully, sticks & tubs. I've also frozen other margarines with no problems.
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