With all the freezer cooking that I do, I sometimes forget that others have trouble figuring out how to do it all themselves. Ever since I started writing articles about freezer cooking, I’ve been trying to help others save money by this wonderful method of cooking, but since I’ve been getting questions from people who are interested in trying it out for their families too, I realized that there is still a lot of ground to cover. Over the course of the next several weeks, you will see many freezer cooking related articles posted in the frugal living blog and many related recipes posted in the food blog. I am working on cooking articles about not only the basics, but also the more advanced techniques, as well as adding some very easy recipes, meal plans and I will work hard to answer the questions that people ask regularly.
The most commonly asked question I get from people, is why do I do it? The answer is simple. With a family of seven, we have to budget our food spending to allow for other more fun activities, so it doesn’t seem as if we spend all our money on food. Freezer cooking helps us plan meals, eat out less, and save loads of money.
When I first started freezer cooking, I was a single mom of two children. It saved me loads of time when I worked outside the home. I was able to come home and pop a frozen meal in the oven and have dinner on the table in less than an hour. Correction: I was able to have a home-cooked dinner on the table in less than an hour. This was the important part. I was tired of grabbing fast food when I was too tired to cook, or cooking when I’d been at the office all day and was exhausted and really just wanted to relax. It enabled me more time with my children, it was easier to plan meals, and it saved me a lot of money.
Just over a year ago, I was given the opportunity to work from home and make very near what I was making in the work force. What a lifesaver that was, I loved being home for my children and attending field trips, etc., but it did cause me to rethink our budget, plan better and change our lifestyle just slightly.
A few months later, I officially became a family of seven. Once our families blended, the focus on hot home cooked food was important to me. I enjoyed eating out on occasion, but I also loved the fact that I could finally cook for a larger crowd of people each night. Freezer cooking has saved me ever since then. With the help of the DEALS forum here at families.com and my knowledge of frugal living and freezer cooking, I have saved our large family, thousands of dollars in groceries and other expenses. You can do the same for your family!
Watch the frugal living blog for much more information and helpful advice for getting started with freezer cooking, also known as Once a Month Cooking (OAMC).