Getting the most out of your freezer

I'm sure you all know there are many things you can store in your freezer. Having a well stocked freezer is a wonderful tool to help you stay in your budget.

A freezer is not only good for storing extra meat and pizzas. You can make your own 'T.V. dinners'. Start off with a few freezer safe containers (that have individual compartments if you want) and anytime you have at least one serving left over from a meal you can make a t.v. dinner out of it. Not only will it be healthier for you than the premade ones you buy at the store, but you'll save even more money because 1. you won't be throwing away leftovers and 2. you won't be tempted to buy those frozen boxed dinners just because of the convenience.

If you have a garden your freezer will become your best friend. You can freeze most veggies, although a lot of them need to be blanched before you freeze them. Some veggies can't be frozen, or rather, they shouldn't be. This would include veggies such as cucumbers and avocados. Fruits freeze wonderfully also.

There are also foods that you can freeze that a some people don't know about or think about. Such as milk, just pour a little liquid out of the container to allow for expansion before you freeze.

Cheese is another food that freezes rather well. Particularly if it is grated. If you need a handful just pull it out of the freezer. If it clumps up just knock the bag on the counter to break the cheese apart.

Another food is eggs. Seriously! You can freeze these - just NOT in the shell. Crack each egg into a compartment of an ice cube tray. Pop out of the tray when frozen and into a freezer safe bag. Just take out and thaw to use, however you do need to make sure you use them right after they are thawed because they will go bad very quickly.