Most people have a freezer attached their fridge.
So why should you get an additional chest freezer?
There are 5 big reasons why you should consider having a chest freezer in your home.
After you read this, you might even consider replacing the extra fridge in your garage with a chest freezer.
Let's get into it…
Save Money and Time by Buying in Bulk
When you have a chest freezer, you have the capacity to buy more items and freeze them for later.
This allows you to take advantage of sales and buy food that's in limited supply.
I'm sure you've found a sale in the past where you wish you could have bought more, but simply didn't have the space.
If you live in an area with a Costco, I feel that a membership is a must. My membership has paid for itself many times over in the money I have saved by buying in bulk.
When I was in college, I used to shop at Costco, even though I was just cooking for myself.
Even if you are by yourself or living with just one other person, shopping at Costco allows you to buy big packages of frozen food and use them later.
I don't make any money by mentioning Costco, by the way. It's simply a fantastic resource that I feel everyone should take advantage of.
But there are many other sources of bulk food. Another one I like is Azure Standard.
Having the ability to store food away for later not only saves money, but it saves you the time of not having to go to the store as often.
When food prices start to rise, having a chest freezer is a great way to save money.
Store Food for Emergencies
The next benefit is obvious, but many times we don't take action until it's too late.
So this is your call to action.
Do it now.
There are many emergencies that you cannot predict, everything from bad weather to supply chain problems.
Having an ample store of food for at least 3 weeks will get you through most short-term emergencies.
Every time you go to the store, just buy a little extra of what you would eat anyway.
Put that extra food away in your freezer and rotate it out as you use it.
To learn more, get my prepping checklist.
Many Types of Food Can be Frozen
There are some foods that you probably never thought of freezing, but actually keep very well in a freezer.
Here's a short list of things you might not have thought of freezing:
- Bread
- A large amount of meat bought directly from a farmer or hunter
- Eggs
- Leftover broth from stews and sauces
- Herbs
- Applesauce
- And more
So take a minute to think about foods that you use often and find out of they can be frozen.
Backup Refrigeration
Most power outages usually only last a few hours.
Some last a couple of days, but they usually don't go longer than that.
If you keep your freezer closed, your freezer will prevent food from spoiling for a day or two, depending on the outside temperature.
So if the power ever goes out and you think it's going to be a pretty long blackout, you can put the food in your fridge into your chest freezer to keep it cold.
It's a simple backup that will always be there when you need it.
Peace of Mind
Which brings me to my final point…
The ultimate benefit of having a chest freezer is that you'll have confidence knowing that you're ready for emergencies and have the capacity to store large amounts of food.
It can be easy to put off buying a freezer because you have to invest some time and money to set it up.
But having a chest freezer does save money in the long run, and it doesn't take that long to pick one out. You can even have it delivered to your home.
Once you have a freezer, you'll silence many of the nagging thoughts in the back of your mind that worry about the cost of food and what you'll do in an emergency.
In my opinion, that's worth many times the investment.
Sizes of Chest Freezers
There are basically 3 categories of chest freezers worth buying:
- 5 cubic feet
- 7 cubic feet
- Between 15 and 20 cubic feet
Anything smaller than 5 cubic feet doesn't hold much and anything more than 20 cubic feet is hard to find space for.
So this is where seeing the freezers in person helps a lot.
Go down to your local hardware or appliance store and look at the available sizes for yourself.
When you can physically compare the size of a chest freezer to your current freezer, you'll have a better idea of what you'll need.
It's really hard to do that online.
Tips for Maximizing Your Chest Freezer
Once you have a chest freezer, there are a few things that you can do to get the most out of it.
Here are a few tips that I've learned.
Freeze Water Bottles
When the power goes out, it helps to have a few blocks of ice in your freezer to keep the temperature down.
The easiest way to do this is to leave a few water bottles in your freezer.
They will keep your freezer cold longer and they won't make a mess when it comes time to defrost your freezer.
You can also use the frozen bottles in your cooler bag, or take them on a long road trip.
Always Label Your Containers / Bags
Once food is frozen, it can be tough to figure out what it is.
Is that chicken from last week, or turkey from two weeks ago?
Write the contents and the date it was put in the freezer on the bag or container and you won't have any trouble identifying it later. A simple permanent ink pen will do.
This may seem like common sense, but it can be easy to forget to do this.
If you forget to label your packages, you'll end up with mystery meat.
Have a Backup Battery
Consider buying a solar generator that can be used to keep your food frozen during extended blackouts.
Your chest freezer will keep your food frozen for awhile, especially if you have some frozen water bottles in there.
But if a blackout goes longer than expected, you can easily plug in your solar generator to keep it running.
When buying a battery for a chest freezer, you have to be sure that your battery can not only handle the running amps, but also the startup amps.
The amount of power a freezer draws when it's first starting up can be 3 times the running amps, or more.
For example, if a chest freezer has a running draw of 2 amps, the startup draw could actually be 6 amps.
So check the running and startup amps of your freezer and find out if your solar generator can handle it.
A backup battery is also useful for powering other devices in your home when the power goes out.
It's also very handy on camping trips.
There's no downside.
Cost of Ownership
Now you're probably wondering how much it costs to run a chest freezer.
You may have flashbacks to your childhood…your parents telling you to close the fridge or you'll run up the electricity bill.
But in reality, according to this study of 354 freezers, it only costs an average of about $55 a year to run one.
That number is probably a little low, but even if the actual cost is 3 times that number, it's still very inexpensive.
The chest freezer itself doesn't cost that much either. You can currently get a 5 cubic foot freezer for under $200.
If you factor in the money you save by buying in bulk, it pays for itself very quickly.
That makes it a no-brainer.
Final Thoughts on Chest Freezers
I feel that almost everyone would benefit from having a chest freezer. This is especially true if you have a large family.
The peace of mind you'll gain and the money you'll save may not be obvious right now. But do some research and rough cost calculations.
You'll probably find that it's worthwhile.
Be prepared.
