Thrifty Thursday: Sales + Freezing Food

Taking advantage of sale items is an obvious way to save money. However, we might not stock up on perishable sale items because they will likely go bad by the time we go to use them. That’s where FREEZING comes in! 

$1 Kroger Produce
Richmond’s Kroger has great weekly sales on produce that is often about to go bad. This week, I found three bags of red and yellow bell peppers for $1 (each bag had 3 peppers). So, $3 for NINE yellow and red peppers. Oh, yeah, and they were ORGANIC. Since I’m not going to cook up nine bell peppers this week–I decided to clean, chop up, and freeze them for later use.

Seasonal Sales
The local Kroger has been undergoing renovations and I found a whole refrigerator full of fancy cheese for a dollar or less (65-75% retail value). I bought about $15 worth of fancy cheese–including goat cheese, Parmesan, and extra sharp cheddar. I grated the cheddar cheese, tossed the logs of goat cheese in the freezer, and used the Parmesan that week.

Tips for Freezing Food
– Squeeze (or suck out) excess air to prevent freezer burn on food.
– Defrosting food at room temperature can encourage bacteria growth. Defrost in the refrigerator or the microwave.
– Check out Good Housekeeping for additional freezing tips.

Is freezing food something that you already do? How do you take advantage of sale items?