Feeding on a budget without a freezer!!

HappyMJ

A long term investment might just be to buy a freezer that you can take to the next house with you. Cheapest ones are £100. Reasonable ones at £150 and better ones cost more. If you don't freeze foods you can only put the leftovers in the fridge and you'll be eating the same food for 3 days in a row. You'll get bored of that very quickly. Stick with just cooking in small meal portions possibly enough for the main meal one day and mixed with something else to make a slightly different lunch for the next day.

quintwins

i would check freecycle/freegle and ebay for cheap/free freezer tbh you can always move it with you, and if you've no room you can stick it somewhere random like your bedroom after all no-one will see it and it will save you money in the longrun

or you could try going shopping 2-3 times a week late on looking for reduced items you can eat over the next few days

BitterAndTwisted

You should be able to store cooked meals in the fridge for about a week if your fridge is cold enough. When I check out cook-chill ready meals in the supermarket they are almost always good for a week, and who knows how long ago they were prepared in the factory before they are put on the shelf in the chiller cabinet.

Cook several double-batches to avoid having to eat the same thing two days in a row.

jackyann

You can recycle some foods - I often do a slow-cooked pot roast (cheap cut of meat) at a weekend, then use left-overs in sandwiches, stir-fried, layered into a hot-pot etc.
A left-over stew can be cut up and done as a pasta sauce etc.
Marinade cheap stewing meat in wine, cider or beer, it will keep a good few days and be more tender.
Make up a standard batch of mince with vegetables & tinned tomatoes, then make a chilli, bolognaise, cottage pie out of it.

You can bottle (look it up properly because you have to be careful of temperatures etc.) fruit, make jam etc.

However, I do agree that a cheap freezer is a money-saver. You can buy good stuff that is reduced and just put it in the freezer.

pink_numbers

Hi ladies, I am really hoping that you could help a girl out of a dilemma.

We've just moved into a new city, and into a new flat. The flat comes with only a fridge, and no seperate freezer. The fridge does come with one of those 'freezer shelf' thing, but I don't really trust it to be able to keep food cold enough to preserve for more than a few days.

I've always had big freezers, and so got used to bulk buying things when they go on good deals, freezing them in portions and using them over a few months. I have no idea how I am going to make use of good deals and keep my food bill low without the trusty freezer.

Since we are only going to be living here for 1 to 2 years, buying a freezer isn't really an option. Do you have any suggestion of how I can still be thrifty without a freezer?

Thanks for you help in advance.

beautifylife

Hi, yes I'm in a similar position, and looking forward to hearing ideas. My freezer is a little compartment at the top with a small door. I try to put things in containers where possible and rotate food as much as I can. It has hindered some batch cooking, need to plan out my meals even more carefully now.

Lets see what response we get! If you have the space how about buying a second hand table top freezer, if it's cheap enough might be worth the saving over 2 yrs, might be worth a bit of research.

Kittenkirst

I would suggest meal planning, but checking the fridge first to see what you have already & what you need to use up. We have found this the best for cutting down our shopping bill & the ampunt we throw away.

I also put a 'make do' dinner on the meal plan once a week, for example we had half a pack of gnocchi with some spoons of pesto (to finish the jar) some cream cheese (use by next week) some brocolli & beans that have been lurking around. Served with some salad bits from lunches that were looking a bit sorry for themselves: a squeeze of lemon juice perked it up a bit. Tasted dead good, had lots of veg portions (lettuce, peppers, toms, brocolli, green beans) and stopped it all from hitting the bin next week.

We also live in a flat but have an under counter freezer but it always seems full so we dont buy much frozen; I find shopping around helps: we use the market (we can walk there), Lidls & Aldi on a Saturday for their fruit & veg deals (peppers 3 for 99p, kiwi's 6 for 69p, 7 big bananas for 68p etc).

kittycat204

i would look for a freezer on free cycle or one locally on ebay, you never know. in the mean time i would look at the store cupboard thread. have all that in stock then buy in the meat, fish etc as and when you need it. most of the rest will keep out of the fridge at least for a few day.
eg, buy in chicken, make a white sauce, stuffing from a packet, carrots which don't need to be in the fridge and rice, store cupboard.
it's do-able, will just require a little more thought.
maybe more short trips to the super market if you can, rather than one big shop.

Alison_Funnell

Meal plan but go shopping with an OS eye. See what is reduced and you can use. Remember if it is reduced and you cook it, you can then store it for a few days in the fridge. Plan for a curry but it could be chicken/beef/fish/veggie. Chilli could be mince/chicken/bean based. Obviously this does depend on what foods you like. Storecupboards are great, make sure you have the basics on hand so you can make the best of what you find.

BitterAndTwisted

I don't have a working freezer either, so I know how difficult it is. I make stuff and just keep cooked soup and meals in the fridge. Often for over a week until it's used up. I just think of those cook/chilled ready-meals on the cold-shelf in the supermarket and imagine how long their use-by dates are.

If you're going to be in that property for 1-2 years I think it's definitely worth it to get a freezer, even if you have to keep it in the bedroom if there isn't enough room in the kitchen. You could always ebay it later if you're not going to need it when you've moved.