SAMS CLUB HAUL TO FILL MY NEW DEEP FREEZER||FREEZER STOCK UP

[@brittanymartin6720]

We keep a temperature sensor in our freezers that report to a little unit in the kitchen that will alarm if the temp goes too high. $20 from amazon gives peace of mind in case of power outage, freezer malfunction, etc.

[@john_thorpe]

I was thinking of something like this for the new one that I purchased... do you know if there's any that's a "smart" version... something that'll report to Alexa, Google Home, Siri, etc??

[@seylerfam7025]

Would you be able to share a link for it?

[@theyoungfamilyfarm1557]

We have 4 freezers. My boys raise pigs for 4-H so after stock show we have them processed. Same with chickens but we process them ourselves. We just filled the 4th freezer with half a steer we bought from a 4-H kid and had processed. A tip is to get in touch with 4-H kids about animals. Depending on the rules of their stock show they may have something for you. When you buy from them that helps them pay for their next years project. It’s a really wonderful organization to support. I also always keep butter, extra bread, shredded cheese, frozen veggies. Enjoy your freezer!!!

[@TrimiMitri]

We have a full upright freezer and a second fridge in our garage. Wouldn't want to do without either for our family of 10. The freezer is for meats, veggies, bread and waffles. We go in with another family and get a side of beef a couple times a year. It takes up a lot of the space.😁 One thing I like to keep on hand in the freezer that doesn't take up a ton of space is little individual containers of cooked lean meat, about 4oz portion sizes. They stack neatly and thaw out quickly for easy protein at lunch if there aren't good leftovers.

[@deannaw6867]

Tip: to utilize the space to the fullest plan out a breakfast/lunch/dinner menu for a week. I multiply this amount by 6 so I have 6 weeks of food for my large family. Those are the items in my freezer. When I go to the store I mostly restock those items in my freezer. Random foods that you don’t have a specific plan for tend to sit in the freezer a long time taking up space.

[@susanperez9508]

As a stay at home/homeschooling mom of a large family living in Colorado we have many options for our meat. We purchase a half portion of a grass fed cow and free range pig. The meat usually lasts us a little over a year and allows me to meal plan in advance for special occasions birthdays, holidays, camping etc etc. We also shop according to holidays and will purchased extra hams when on sale as well as turkeys, hot dogs (on sale before July 4th) as well as chubs of lunch meat from the deli. We also own our own slicer for the lunch meat as well as a food sealing machine. It is expensive at the beginning, but worth every penny when saving money at the grocery store and time. We have a full size upright freezer, deep freezer and refrigerator/freezer in our garage. When making 3 meals a day along with all the snacking going on in this house we definitely need all of them.

[@whittneybaldwin2267]

A good deep freeze tip is to used plastic/wire baskets to store like items. We have the same freezer just a little longer and it helped so much when trying to find certain foods. Veggies, pork, beef, chicken, breads all had their own basket that I could easily unstack if needed.

[@john_thorpe]

I just got a Hotpoint 7.1 cu ft chest freezer, and one thing I did was to hang a white board/dry erase board above it. I picked up some fine dry erase markers so I can write on the board what's in the freezer, and what the expiration date is. This way I know at a glance what's in there (as I erase the items I remove from the freezer) and can see what needs to be used up by a specific date. This saves having to open the freezer and digging only to find out you're out of the item you thought you had, and helps prevent items from being buried and expiring before they're used. Since I just got my freezer, I'm trying to think of good ways to get it organized and keep it organized. Right now it's packed nicely... but I'd like to have a better system. I'm thinking of getting 1 or 2 more of the wire bins (like the one it came with) and some plastic bins, preferably stack-able without wasting a ton of space, so it's easier to get to the items on the bottom of the freezer. The item's I'm current storing in my freezer are: - Bulk meat purchased from Sam's and broken down into single serve portions and vac sealed with a food saver (currently breakfast sausage, pork chops, boneless skinless chicken, pork loin & lean ground beef, etc.) - Box food items (a pizza, pepper poppers, frozen marinated salmon, chicken wings, etc.) - Gelato (I pick these up when they're on sale ... they have less milk fat and I have less of a .... well that's another story) - Birds Eye frozen veggies - Fries (waffle, steak and Checker's fries) - Frozen cocktail pouches and frozen freezer pops (good for a hot Florida summer day) - Birds Eye one pan skillet meals - Frozen fruit for smoothies and cocktails - Specialty ice for cocktails (square shaped, sphere, etc.) Other potential items: - Steaks, whole chicken for the rotisserie, etc. Any suggestions??

[@godgirl2094]

We have had one for over ten years and love it. We did not notice an increase in electric bill. Things do last longer because they freeze at a colder temps than you fridge freezer. Something to remember when you are defrost stuff it takes longer.

[@cj2842]

We buy 1/2 steers (beef) at a time, pork, and chicken. I also freeze fruits and certain veggies. Like broccoli, carrots...etc. frozen blueberries.... when they are in short sales- make great smoothies. I lived on our freezer during the onset of COVId... you’ll never regret stocking your freezer. 😊

[@ericcawith2cs11]

We use either milk crates or reusable grocery bags for organizing the meats and stuff in our deep freeze. That reduces time in finding things so much! I keep opened things a couple packages of meats and our frozen fruit in our fridge freezer and most everything else I try to keep out in the deep freeze. We have stir fry veggies, whole turkeys from when the price was amazing at thanksgiving, around Easter the hams are cheaper so we stock up on those, any time there is a sale on meat we grab it and freeze it. Especially those packages that are marked down because the date is coming up. I buy those and put them right into the freezer as soon as I get home.

[@eagleswing865]

Something I did when I had a freezer that size was to use those double thick paper bags (they used to have them at the grocery store for getting your groceries home) to store similar types of foods together, which made it easier to dig down towards the bottom, and then once I found the fruit bag I knew I had what I needed. That may be less of an issue for you if you're just keeping spare things out there; it was my main freezer space.

[@christinamunoz3170]

Our favorite thing to do is smoke a pork shoulder and then package it in quart bags for dinners in the freezer. We use it for bbq, with baked potatoes, in tacos. So easy to pull a package out at the last minute and turn it into dinner. Going forward, I’m going to start keeping extra flour and yeast in our freezer. It surprised me how hard that was to find. We go in on a cow with my dad and brother’s family each year. I love having all that meat in my freezer and it made me very comfortable throughout the pandemic knowing that we didn’t have to worry about meat supplies. I’m going to look for a pig this year also. (Our freezer is VERY large.)

[@jaquettawilliams3349]

We have the same size freezer & its filled mostly with meat & a few frozen veges. When the type of meat we eat is on sale I buy extra & freeze it. This may seem wasteful to some but I repackage my meat in ziplock bags & put the month & year on it so I can rotate the meat & not have something sitting & getting freeze burnt. That size freezer can hold a lot if meat packaged this way. I keep snacky foods in our main freezer. The deep freezer is almost like a stock pile of meat & veges. I also like keeping it this way bc if the power goes out you can keep it closed for a few days & everything will stay fresh because its sitting on insulated ice. You dont want to be going in & out of it for snacky foods.

[@michellechannell1219]

We get beef and chicken from Fed From the Farm also the grocery store. Bagels, bread, we live where it is hot and humid. Frozen veggies, homemade stock, soups. I precook taco meat and spaghetti sauce and freeze it in meal size portions. This makes meal time quick and easy on school days. Sometimes a homemade lasagna. I also buy Tortellini and freeze it.

[@karla514gc2]

I use reusable grocery bags for my freezer. One each for beef, chicken, fish and pork/venison. They fit 2 next to each other on the bottom and the other 2 go stacked on top. That way I pull out the bag I want without mixing things up. I have a 5th bag for Rhodes frozen loaves and rolls or extra bread and potato products. That one goes under the basket. The basket is for popsicles and treats like that. I keep all my frozen veggies and fruits, plus frozen homemade meals in the regular fridge freezer. I hope this is helpful.

[@paulaedwards8698]

This idea works really well

[@crystalhill3216]

Meat, fruit for smoothies and veggies are what I use mine for the most. I also tend to make extra in my slow cooker. Things like soup and chili freeze well so I make extra. I often make smoothie packs ready to go in the blender (banana, spinach and fruit of choice). I’ve also made slow cooker prep bags before. Combine all ingredients in a gallon zip lock and freeze. Just put in slow cooker when you want and it’s super East dinner.

[@texasmomma9685]

Our deep freezer went out about 8 months ago and we put off getting one and now it's a pain in the rear to get one. It stinks, I can't wait to get a new one. A chest freezer hint is to use milk crates ( or something similar) to organize the things inside. It makes getting things out of it soooooo much easier. Also making a list and putting it into a sheet protector on the top to keep track of what is in there really helps when it's time to shop! Edit: just got to the end of the video and realized you already did the list haha!

[@misfithomemaker3683]

The huge restaurant ones are available. We are considering it.

[@misfithomemaker3683]

A new freezer meal I'm trying is cooked shimp 1 cup per family member 1 c. Diced tomatoes 3/4 c Alfredo sauce Capers to taste Tlb minced garlic or 3 cloves raw garlic. Freeze serve with fresh pasta and fresh basil.

[@aliciamaxwell3904]

We have an upright freezer that we keep in our laundry/mud room. We go in with one or two of my husband’s colleagues every year to have a beef slaughtered. Our portion of the beef keeps us stocked up in ground beef, beef roasts, and steaks for the entire year. We also keep lots of frozen chicken, veggies, some freezer meals and frozen pizzas in there. It gives me such peace of mind knowing that we are pretty well stocked up! You will love having the deep freeze for all the extra storage! 😊

[@kyliebritton5354]

We freeze milk, bread, butter as our staples.. we dont live close to the shops so we keep at least 3 weeks worth of the above items in the deep freeze. All defrosts great had no problems. Love our deep freezer! Also meat, frozen vege etc

[@shelbyvaladez]

Also, I live in an area that has public safety power shutdowns often during the summer, and with the deep freeze I have a bit more time before i have to hook up the generator in one of these outages

[@brittanymartin6720]

I'm so happy you found a deep freeze and are stocking up! In the past when you would say you get down to a minimum before you shop again, I would get heart palpitations! Lol It's such a comfort to know you can feed your kiddos if an emergency strikes. 💛

[@carlabales5187]

We have a deep freezer. It was the first appliance my husband and I bought as a married couple that made us feel married. LoL. We use ours for all the breads (tortillas, sandwich, naan, etc) flour, frozen fruit and veggies, a few frozen meat substitute products, freezer pops, for sure, cornmeal, nuts. And if we have leftovers from a meal my husband can take for lunch eventually I will throw it in there.

[@Knitterbug]

We’ve always had a little extra, but it has definitely changed how I stock my pantry and freezer too! Our deep freezer actually died (caught fire in our garage 😭) right in the thick of it. I always keep meat, dairy and a few quick meals. I’ve started doubling recipes and freezing them in casserole pans to avoid eating out. We used to be bad about just popping to pickup food, but we definitely are changing that by trying not to get out as much!

[@melissameacham4644]

We opted for a 2nd fridge/freezer combo that we keep in the downstairs office since I feel that our garage gets way too hot. Also as a family of 7 we need the extra fridge space since we go through 6 gallons of milk a week plus tons of produce. I go through cycles of freezer meal prepping. Don't Panic Dinner is in the Freezer is a good starting place although the recipes are a little heavy. Right now I am meal planning 6 weeks at a time then purchasing everything that I need that's not fresh produce, deli meat, cheese, breads etc. Then for the meat if it's bulk I separate it out and sometimes cook (ground beef) or just season (roasts).

[@pathtowellnesswithmiriam1371]

Meat is important. We buy our meat in bulk so I didn't have to worry about that during the meat shortages in the supermarkets. I like to buy big bags of fruits and veggies. That way if you can't get to the store (because you are sick, etc.) you can still eat balanced meals. Other things that I freeze are extra bananas (for smoothies), homemade bone broth, homemade freezer meals like meatballs and soups. I also suggest having a few treats in the freezer. Main idea is to only stock the freezer with food that you regularly eat and keep rotating it so nothing gets really old.

[@themrskc6116]

We have a cow processed and keep that beef in our deep freeze, as well as always an extra 5lb bag of chicken, and bread. I often have stocks and soups frozen as well. Just a tip: if our electricity goes out or flickers, sometimes it'll flip the garage breaker. We keep a night light plugged into the same outlet. Then, we can double check just by looking that outlet is working.

[@GraceandGrit]

Genius!

[@bytesofmemory]

We buy part of a cow.. We just got our part this week. So I have an upright freezer that isnt the biggest but it is pretty large.. Currently in there I have 1/4 of a cow, several big bags of frozen chicken, and riced cauliflower, frozen veggies to steam, and some frozen fruit for smoothies. That is in my garage. In my side by side I keep the stuff I am using currently so the current big bag of veggies for steaming, and fruit for smoothies, then the small stuff like popsicles, leftover spaghetti sauce were weren't going to use up right away, a loaf of bread, and tortillas. Normally in our deep freeze I have some frozen pizzas but we ate those down to make sure we had room for the cow. Now I will buy those since I have room in there for pizza ;-) When we had a chest freezer I would put crates in there. Then I would sort thing in the crates so I could easily get the stuff at the bottom. Then another tip is if your freezer gets less than 50% full put some ice in there so it doesn't have to work to hard to keep up the space. I.e. it is better electricity wise to be full than empty.

[@Andrea-vj8qr]

We bought an upright freezer. We always have extra ground beef, chicken, pork chops, ground turkey, sausage, fruit, and vegetables. We also keep prepared meals...spaghetti sauce, homemade chili, soup bases, and etc.. I also keep inventory of what I have, what I’ve used, and what I am running low on.

[@nikkichambers8225]

We buy 1/2 a pig & cow from a local farmer. It’s helpful to have an inventory so you know what you have. I always buy cheese in bulk from Costco & keep a couple bags in the freezer so we are never out. Egg whites also freeze well. 🙌🏻

[@zawadafarms7402]

If you plan to purchase say a half of pig or quarter beef, one of those options would fill that size freezer. Just a thought 😊 -Jess

[@peggystarling3497]

We keep meat, veggies, fruit, and breads in our freezer in our garage. The cost of meat has skyrocketed so much that it’s the same price (or close) to order grass-fed pasture-raised meat from a local farm, so I’ve been doing that! I like to get other organic and grass-fed options from Sam’s, as well as big bags of frozen veggies and fruit. I like the idea other commenters had about getting an alarm for when the temp rises. I’m going to look at that. I live in Florida and hurricane season brings prolonged power outages. That’s the only thing that keeps me from having a completely full freezer 24/7.

[@ColoringWithNat]

Just before the pandemic, we bought a half cow and half pig and that filled our freezer! We also keep frozen fruits and veggies in there. We bought our freezer several years ago when we bought our first half cow and it’s been an amazing thing to have!

[@stephaniemartinez461]

Just a recommendation based on our experience. Something tripped the breaker in our garage and we lost everything in our freezer before we realized it. To solve that problem, we bought a thermometer on Amazon (it was inexpensive) that goes in the freezer. It's connected to little digital readout with an alarm in the house. That way if for some reason it happens again, we will know immediately when the temperature in the freezer starts to rise. It's not fun losing hundreds of $$$$ worth of food. (Also, it's helpful for when the power goes out so you know the food was kept at a safe temperature)

[@GraceandGrit]

I’ll be doing this! Thankyou!

[@shelbyvaladez]

I keep chicken, bread and butter on hand in my trunk freezer at all times! I also like having frozen bagged fruit for smoothies too

[@Amy-hj1qb]

We love our big freezer. It stands tall and opens more like a fridge - makes it easy to see everything that’s in there! 😉 We buy our meat from a local farm and our freezer always has that as well as frozen veggies. Great idea for doing a running inventory ! stick at that! 😂 Side note - love those earrings. ❤️

[@heathercates919]

We have a stand up freezer in our laundry room. We keep extra meat I buy in bulk and divide into portions I can easily pull for meals. I also keep extra loaves of bread, frozen pizzas, fries, tater tots, frozen veggies and fruits. My parents have cows and we go in with them on the slaughter for meat as well.

[@amandap5664]

I always bulk freeze chili and soups in freezer bags and freeze flat. I also make large batches of muffins, cookies, banana bread to freeze. I make homemade meatballs and freeze uncooked. I buy chicken, pork and beef in bulk. Of course I always have frozen veggies and fruit on hand as well. I also have a magnetic notepad on mine so I always know what I have. Mine is a stand up freezer.

[@amandap5664]

Also, baskets make for really easy organizing.

[@mrs.lady.bird2]

We always have at least 1-2 loaves of bread, meat of all sorts, frozen veggies, homemade chicken bone broth, homemade strawberry freezer jam, frozen pizzas, chicken nuggets, fries/tator tots, & ice packs for traveling.

[@elizabethrank6447]

In our basement freezer we have mostly meat, bread and bone broth... things we use all the time, but our extra stock.

[@lizee708]

We have a deep freezer, it's the Haier 7.1 Cu. Ft., purchased it at hhgregg before they went out of business. We can fit a ton of food in there. We stock up three months. I use an excel spreedsheet. It includes protein, veggies, bread, fruit, and desserts. I detail what I bought, how many, from where, how much, and payment method. I update the list every 2 weeks from restocking. For example, if I restocked on the July 6th, I update two weeks from there, then two weeks from there and so on until the marked day for the next grocery haul. So by the time our three months is (almost) up, I know what to restock on. Further example, prior to our last haul I had chicken (mixture of breasts, thighs, drumsticks) sorted in storage bags 1-6. Bag remaining is #6, so I know to restock bags #1-5. Ground Turkey was initially stocked as #1-6 as well, and we have packs #3-6 left, so I didn't have to replace that one. Steak packs are labeled #1-4 and are gone, so needed to be replaced. Mixed veggie bags are labeled #1-10 and had just bags #8-10 left, so I restocked. We've also fit half a deer and meat from the local butcher. They are great at storage methods when ordering in bulk for deep freezers and labeling. Takes out the hassle. It makes sense, I swear! Before I'd just write things down and cross it off, and I still ended up forgetting stuff. I do defrost it every two months. I take everything thing out, let the ice melt and water drain, wipe it down, replace the baking soda box, make sure the baskets are still in good shape as well as the inside/outside of the freezer. A friend of ours used to work for GE and recommend placing the deep freezer away from windows, doors that open frequently and close to an outlet without needing an extension cord. Most importantly was the freezer needs air circulation. I've seen some that have stuff piled on top and cabinets and the like too close to them. But to each their own. I think they are a good investment. Let us know how you like it!

[@ericcawith2cs11]

Also, if you don't already watch her, Jordan Page at Fun Cheap or Free has soo much good info on using your freezer and how to build up food storage. Buy one for now and two for later is one of her tactics, and freezing up all the fragments to use later. Make twice the amount of taco meat you need and freeze half for a later date. We have a bag for bones and scrapes and a bag for veggies scraps to make our own stock. I never buy it anymore. You can cook and freeze dry beans to replace canned beans too. I don't because i have a pressure canner so I do batches of them as needed and put them in the pantry. With our Instant Pot i can have dinner in no time without having to unthaw any of my meats. Pre-making chili or soup and freezing it in a gallon ziplock inside the pot until it is hard then take it out of the pot and keep frozen like that is a great tip to just be able to pop it into the instant pot and not have to thaw it first.

[@thompsonsarag]

We always keep meat, bagged chicken nugget/bagel bites/things for easy quick kids lunch, fruit and veggies - just like you! We like to buy peas and other veggies at farmers markets in bulk and freeze for when we need them. I also like to make double portions of things like taco meat or soups and then freeze half in the deep freezer for crazy days!

[@melissaf.6605]

We get meat in bulk and keep it in the deep freezer. Along with extra frozen pizza, waffles, fruit, veggies etc. That way our freezer inside isnt as full.

[@jaimep6865]

Deep freeze is a must we have a chest freezer in our garage we have had for a while. A few years ago we bought a large upright! Love it. Our laundry room is a decent size so it is in there off the kitchen. We are lucky enough to have land though my gardening skills are not the best we do raise our own grass feed beef so our freezer is stocked with meat. I was a once a week shopper but since the pandemic I have been able to do 1 x a month. With the exception of milk and a few fresh things but not much. I do also recommend the Alexa water filtration we purchased from patriot supply. 1 filter purifies 5,000gallons of water. We will always be able to have clean water. I am definitely a bulk shopper.

[@lovelysweetivy]

We love freezing chili and soups like zuppa toscana. Btw, live the inventory list idea!

[@elizabeths1051]

The previous owners of our house left a fridge style deep freeze, and we had a chest one like yours. We decided to sell the chest one, but when we were using it, we used those plastic milk crates to help separate the food. It was a lot easier to dig to the bottom that way. Things get lost down there! Ours was bigger though - not sure if the crates would be too bulky in yours. We keep all of our meat, frozen meals (pizzas, previously prepped meals, etc), and any bulk breakfast things (like Jimmy Dean DeLites) in the deep freeze outside. We have a second fridge in our pantry, and we keep frozen veggies, desserts, and freezer waffles in that freezer. We keep frozen fruits, breads, and peppers and onions that I pre cut, and anything packaged that we open and don't finish in one sitting (meatballs, etc). Might not make much sense, but 🤷🏼‍♀️. 😆

[@bethanywarner5989]

We just got a 1/4 cow right before the pandemic, so happy we did. I always keep extra butter, bread, tortillas, milk, veggies, popsicles, pizzas, fruit, cheese, bagels in our deep freezer. Nuts store longer in freezer too.

[@GraceandGrit]

Didn’t know that about nuts thankyou!

[@bethanywarner5989]

@@GraceandGrit you're welcome! I learned that from @jordanpage. Nits have oils, freezer keeps them fresher longer :) I've had the same walnuts and pecans in freezer since november and just had some yesterday, still good! Lol

[@daniellenowalk554]

When you freeze things like soup, chili, and ground turkey put in gallon sized ziplocks and flatten . It will defrost quicker and be more efficient on space.

[@leeannguffey5468]

We have a small chest freezer too. I keep extra meat, frozen veggies, and a few frozen snacks in ours. I was excited I went to Sam's club today and they had the Late July tortilla chips like everyone gets at Costco. We don't have Costco anywhere near us. We have been mandated by our governor here in Texas to wear masks in all public stores so I am doing my errands as quickly as possible. I think you will enjoy the freezer. Enjoy all your videos.

[@sheenahair5872]

We have 2 deep freezers. We are farmers (well my husband is...I just help when I'm needed) and we raise a lot of our meat (beef, pork, lamb) so we fill them with all that we harvest. I need to start buying an extra loaf of bread and freeze it so I don't have to run out to the store when we run out...I feel like we are always running out of bread.

[@kerrykurihara3085]

We freeze vegan cheese, bread, smoothie fruit, greens, veggies, pizzas and meat we are gluten free and dairy free so certain items can disappear quick in pandemic so we make sure we have a good amount in freezer

[@brandithrall2621]

I always have extra meat, frozen veggies, and fruit! I try to have a few quick meals in there too- sometimes they are freezer meals, sometimes not. If I'm making a favorite, I'll double or triple the recipe and make a freezermeal out of that- I don't cook JUST freezer meals, its not my jam. Because it is easy to "loose" food in the freezer and just forget it's there, I go through it every month to make a list of what I have before I go to Costco or I keep an inventory list and just mark what I take out.

[@christiseverything8709]

We have 2 fridges and 2 deep freezers 😬 We raise and butcher our own chickens and pigs so thats mainly whats in our freezer. But we also stock up on frozen veggies (im not very good at gardening yet 🤣). We also freeze bread and cheese and butter.

[@anitabudgets131]

The inventory list is such a good idea. Don’t need to be digging in and looking to see what u have. 👍

[@toshakelly4849]

We actually have 2 deep freezers in the garage. I have one for meat and the other for veggies and random stuff like bone broth and popsicles. I stock up on meat when I find it on sale. Kroger had their whole organic chickens marked down to $2.50, so now I have 8 chickens in the freezer. It goes fast with two teenagers!

[@chrissyt22]

We used to have an extra fridge in the garage but we moved to a house that has a huge fridge so we got rid of the other one. Its nice being able to buy more so that you can stock up. I definitely have changed the way I've shopped. I feel like I stock up a lot more. I have 5 kids that I need to feed everyday so I have to make sure we have enough.

[@familytoyshow495]

Having a deep freezer is a great thing to have. Meat is a must. Lots of it. Meat prices are rising steadily where I live and there have been shortages, also bread, veggies and fruit.

[@cynthiadeweese4116]

I like to double batch certain meals, like pulled chicken/pork, and keep the second batch in the freezer

[@Mtripp27]

I always have meat, an emergency meal, cooked beans (I cook myself in my Instapot and potion out), butter (I buy on sale), extra cheese portioned out (I buy in bulk), homemade tomato sauce (I do a big batch every 3 ish months), homemade stock, scraps to make stock, and large bags of frozen veggies.

[@karahugo7025]

I live in a very weird situation. Rural, small town, yet in a subdivision. There is a supermarket in the small town that I live in. However, it is so expensive I refuse to shop there. The nearest, price friendly grocery store in 30 miles away. I have 2 full sized deep freezers in my garage. I buy a 1/4 beef, a 1/2 a pig and chicken in bulk straight from a local farmer/rancher, as well as I stock up when I do make it to the grocery store about every 2 weeks. Because convenience of food is something I fight i do tend to keep alot of food on hand. I am a work-from-home-mom as well as a homeschool-mom so leaving the house is a challenge🤣

[@sccountrygirlhomesteadgard3516]

We freeze bread, cheese, veggies, breakfast meats , milk, juice and of course chicken, beef,etc.

[@christinaw2102]

Yay on your new freezer! 😆 We have 2 freezers that are about 2.5 times the size of yours. 😬 And they're full. Haha. We do process our own chicken so that's why. Homemade patties are often in the freezer, frozen fruit, I just made a bunch of freezer jam, usually there's lots of bread in there. Frozen snacks for the kids. Nothing special I guess! 😆 Jordan Page has a bunch of freezer tips. She freezes a lot of things.

[@simplejoyfilledliving]

We bought that exact freezer at Sam’s last month after searching for one for a long time. We love it!

[@jaimiekight]

I know how excited you were for this!! Woohoooo!!!!!!

[@GraceandGrit]

So jazzed 😂

[@aaliyauddin8640]

Lasagna is a great meal to freeze! We have a new chest freezer too, so when making large meals like that, I'll just double the recipe so I can save one for later in my freezer in the garage. I'm about to pickup my Sam's and Walmart pickup orders tomorrow to stock our new freezer. The things we get so excited for as adults, am I right? :)

[@ashleyacosta3149]

We have the same freezer and love it. My only issue is when the freezer is full I have to empty stuff out just to see what’s in it. I think I might try your idea of the list. It was very helpful during the quarantine.

[@melissab6144]

That’s about the same size of freezer we have. I keep meat, veggies, extra bread, soups I make homemade, broth, ice cream, baking. So handy having the freezer, especially on holidays. Good idea on the inventory list 😀

[@leahrumsey3021]

We invested in a freezer about 5 years ago. Military Housing Fridges are a joke you can fit a Popsicle in it and that's all ( yes I'm exaggerating but close enough). The Cinnamon Toast Sticks are my kids favorite even when we are rushing out the door they can pack it in the bento box.

[@kellie5393]

I have a deep freezer in the garage too. I keep extra meat in there like group beef and chicken and that kind of stuff. But I always have extra butter and cheese and bread in there.

[@leahvaughan7564]

We just got our deep freezer last week and I started stocking it yesterday.

[@nikisanchez7816]

We love to make extra meatballs and freeze them for sandwiches or pasta. Just pop in the crockpot and go! I do cook mine before I freeze them. Love the inventory list idea!

[@elizabethwoffordgirard7103]

Very nice. I have a gluten allergy so I often stock up on things like special bread because I don’t live close to the specialty stores I get them from. I also make hamburger patties in advance and freeze those too. Thanks for sharing.

[@hannahc1072]

Do it on a dime has a video about how she keeps track of her deep freezer lists, basically a list with a dry erase marker! We keep our meat, frozen meals like soups, lasagnas and any other dish we make extra of. Vegetables, fruits and breads!

[@GraceandGrit]

I did that without even watching! Thanks for sharing

[@elyzaiusan5077]

We keep all kinds of meat: ground beef, chicken, pork & homemade bread.

[@loissnowden9093]

I just brought one and I love it!!!

[@daniellethomas7365]

To organize your chest freezer, use cloth bags. You can get cheap, good-sized ones from the dollar store. Label each bag with what is in it on the handle of the bag (chicken, veggies, freezer meals, etc.). It is so helpful to be able to just pull out the bag you need, instead of digging through every. single. thing. It helps with items not getting "lost" or "forgtten".

[@lindaneuhaus1026]

Hi Ashley, funny you talked about putting off getting a deep freezer. We have done the same thing and still can't buy one yet due to covid19. Will get one soon I hope. Lol... Still on backorder here.

[@get.yourmoneyup]

I have that exact freezer! Thx great idea of the inventory list starting mine tomorrow!

[@shannarangel54]

So I seen you have alot of that chicken in that house one... I store only thing we eat everyday or several times a wk in the inside freezer....that helps to rotate also.

[@shannarangel54]

In store up chicken bones for broth.

[@meghansiporin2177]

The inventory list is such a good idea!!

[@AmongStouts]

I thought deep freezers were just randomly sold out everywhere here in TX, we’ve also needed one and once we finally decided to get one they’ve been sold out everywhere! Can’t wait to get one, lol

[@tashundrarobinson3792]

Your refrigerator is amazing what type is it?

[@QouteOfTheDay33]

I love your new freezer. So cute! I have the really large deep freezer and I feel like it's too big.

[@BustlingHome]

Aaaaand now Sam's Club is requiring masks starting July 20 😞. Do you think you'll stop going there too? If I remember correctly, you stopped going to Costco because they required masks. The city where our church is located will require masks in all public places starting July 16, so we probably can't go to church relistically either. I hope Walmart doesn't do this too. I doubt I'd be able to keep masks on all of my littles for an entire shopping trip or church service. Four year olds and three year olds are not known for their compliance.

[@IamJekilah]

Thanks for the video, I’m looking for a deep freezer. What size is there one you have

[@MeredithHazel]

We ordered a deep freeze in April. We’ve seen two delivery dates come and go. Pending delivery on August 12th now. 😬

[@MusingsofFamily]

That same thing happened to me too. Then suddenly in June I received an email saying my freezer was in. My estimated delivery date was August 29th, I believe. So hopefully yours will come sooner than you expect!

[@MeredithHazel]

Monica Skola oh I hope so!!! We have a fridge in the house and the garage but that deep freezer is SO needed. My parents live with us, so we’re a family of seven!!!

[@graceharper6384]

Thank you. How is the freezer now? I would appreciate any updates. I am looking to purchase this now from Sams club. Thanks.

[@GraceandGrit]

Great! We love it

[@jerilyn-ourhomeschooltable]

As your kids get older and bring their friends home etc. you'll want to have lots of extra food around anyway! 😊

[@jennesset1102]

Where did you manage to get your deep freezer? I’m in WA and we are tapped out!

[@GraceandGrit]

Rcwilley!

[@AprilPierceREALTOR]

Perfect timing, I’m just about to do this!!

[@heathers9378]

As hot as it gets there, will that effect the freezer since it's in the garage? We live in the deep south and are hesitant to put a freezer in the garage because I've heard it doesnt stay as cool as it should.

[@GraceandGrit]

So far it’s been great, I keep it colder than the recommendation for that reason.

[@meganl9698]

We’re moving into our new house in 5 weeks. Deep freezer is on the to buy list. You’ll have to let us know how you like the one you have. 😊

[@karinaenglish4204]

Pandemic freezer=5 kids. We prefer stand up to be able to see everything we have.. Always have milk, bread, pizza dough, fries/taters, veggies, fruit, pizza pockets, cheese...to name some staples

[@jenniferjones6228]

I'm the first to comment! I know I will love this video because its yours!

[@GraceandGrit]

So sweet! Thankyou!

[@abbie_on_the_prairie]

We use our deep freezers for our meats. Currently we have 900lbs of ground beef in our two deep freezers 🤣

[@Backtocool]

Watch the channel “She’s in Her Apron!” She is so great and does a ton of freezer meals and tips on food storage like what you’re talking about:)

[@pamconry2880]

What size is the freezer? I just bought a 3.5 cubic feet.

[@tink08bell1]

Where did you get your deep freezer?

[@michelefrederick7714]

I like to watch She's in Her Apron and Six Sisters Stuff You Tube Channels for freezer meal ideas.

[@michelefrederick7714]

Oh! And the Pioneer Woman has a lot of freezer meal recipes on her website as well.

[@byaliciabrooke]

This is really smart!