Did you know that people in the colder parts of the country or even the world tend to eat the most ice cream? I learned that quickly when I lived in New England. The middle of a snowstorm was one of the busiest times for the local homemade ice cream shop, assuming that you had a vehicle that could get there.
Nowadays, I don’t get out much to ice cream shops. It seems that there are all chain stores that get their ice cream shipped from warehouses. At the same time, ice cream shop ice cream can be amazingly expensive.
That doesn’t stop us from eating it at home, though, where with a little smart shopping, we can control the cost of purchasing the ice cream from the grocery store.
To save money on ice cream, you’ll want to keep the following tips in mind.
Ice cream, once opened, has a pretty short shelf life. That is because once air gets in, it starts to react with the ice cream, creating that not so nice layer of frost. So unless your family or really champion ice cream eaters, stick to half a gallon or less, and use it up quickly. I know, I know, it usually isn’t a problem, right?
Check prices
Sometimes smaller quantities cost less believe it or not. The unit price will tell you this. Two pints might wind up costing less than a half gallon and also offer the opportunity for variety.
Make your own sundaes
Forget the fancy ice cream novelties. You can create your own sundaes better and cheaper by adding your own fixings. Like the convenience of pulling out a ready made sundae from the freezer? Just use cup cake liners for instant ones. Scoop a scoop into the liner, add some toppings, cover with wax paper and return to the freezer. I do these all of the time for birthday parties.