Are deep freezers worth the money? Or do they end up costing more to run than you would save?
Question:I was thinking of purchasing one to buy meats and such when they are on sale. But I'm wondering how much they cost to run?
Answers:
As long as you keep the freezer as near to full as possible, it won't cost that much to run, probably less than your fridge, which is opened more often.
A chest freezer is a cheaper option to run than an upright, and an upright with drawers is better than a an upright with shelves, due to that fact when you open an upright's door, you loose more cold air and it requires more power to right the temperature.
Is it worthwhile running one? I certainly wouldn't do without it now.
Buying things on special, and using them when things are more expensive is one benefit. Being able to buy cheaply in bulk and store, is another. Having a variety of goods on hand so you can shop less often, thus avoiding "impulse" buying, is one too. Just make sure you package meats and such in meal sized serves, so you only have to take out what you need, to get full benefit from this. Bread can also be purchased once a week/fortnight and frozen, for a continuous supply. Defrosts in less than 1/2 hour.
If you have a vegetable/fruit garden, it gives you another way to store produce for off-seasons.
You can also prepare meals for freezing, to give you a heat and eat option on those days you don't want the fuss of cooking.
I don't have the numbers but my parents have one and they love it. Dad even freezes cartons of milk so he always has some on hand. You can figure out how much the freezer will cost to run based on it's energy rating. If you are still confused the sales man should be able to explain it.
Deep freezers use a lot of electricity, I think they would be useful to a large family tho, otherwise buy a refrig. with a larger capacity.
Chest deep freezers use less electricity than uprights. If you have a large enough family then your savings on food purchases would be more than the cost. If you shrink wrap items in the freezer you greatly extend the life of the food, from weeks or months to a couple years for some items. Of course if your husband is a hunter you might open it one day to find a deer head or some bloody leg he popped it and forgot about.
Chest type freezers are not very expensive to operate, especially if a room temp not in a hot garage. Because the lid opens from the top, cold air does not pour out when the lid is opened. If you are willing to buy sale prices when you encounter them or shop for them, and you are willing to repackage into usable quantities, then they are very useful. Buying 5 pounds of ground beef on sale and freezing it to a block to defrost it slowly is pretty useless. Packaging shaped chunks as burger patties, amounts for meat loaf or chili, for example 1 or 2 pound blocks. Family packs of pork chops or steaks should be repacked in 2's, 4's or 6's as you would serve them most often. Ours is along side the washer and dryer and provides a work surface.
I have only owned a chest freezer(small one)I always thought it saved me money.I lived in the woods and it saved me going to the store for a lot of things(40 miles round trip)They are not too expensive to run and can save you in the long run.
More Related Questions & Answers...