**SIFO** Perishable Food Storage Tips (and more)

**Not really Stuff I Found Out but Stuff I've Known**

 If you want good tips about being frugal, ask a broke person with a good credit rating. That's me. Ask me.

My neighbor came by while I was putting away groceries. When she noticed how I was prepping the meat and liquid dairy products, she was intrigued. I explained that I store a lot of my groceries in serving sizes. It saves money (food lasts longer when sealed and/or frozen), it saves space (because of how I separate and seal food), and it saves time (because it's easier to thaw smaller sizes of food). She suggested sharing these pointers here on my blog. (Since I share just about everything here, I can't believe I didn't think of it myself.)

Although I am single, I still like to buy food in family-sized portions. And what do most of us do when we catch a good sale on certain grocery items? We stock UP.

So, I am sharing some of my storage and money-saving tips. 

First off, I suggest collecting up some mason jars, various sizes of baggies (again, the cheapest kind that seal well), and/or a vac-seal machine and rolls of sealing material. Save any brown paper bags you have. Save any glass jars with good lids that come with jellies, jams, candles, etc. You can wash and sterilize them to use for storage. 

It does take a little more time to put away groceries when you are storing them for quick access and saving money but it really is worth it. I can shop once every other month or sometimes every 3 months for some things that a lot of people buy in smaller quantities, much more often (usually, at a higher cost). 

When I have chicken pieces, chops, or cuts of beef, I also store them by portion sizes. I usually put chicken pieces in zip-style baggies while I vac-seal the other stuff. Like with the ground beef, it's easy to pull out a meal portion to thaw overnight in the fridge. I will sometimes even add a bit of water and seasonings when I bag them up. That way, as they thaw, they are already absorbing some flavors.

I don't buy ground beef often but when it goes on deep sale...

This is how I fit 5 1/2 pounds of meat 

in my small freezer.

A rolling pin, scale, sealer & the bag for the meat

This is how thin I can get about 1 pound 3 oz of meat

And this is the meat neatly stored for later

If you don't have a sealer, you can use ziplock-type baggies. Just make sure you seal them tightly, getting out as much air as possible. Double-baggie them if you must. You don't want freezer-burned meat.

I find that it's easier to use the baggie method to store liquids, like broths, stocks, coffee creamer, and milk. And you better know I get the cheaper baggies! Once you seal them, lay the bags of liquid on something flat - a cookie sheet or a plate - to freeze. When you are ready to use the liquid, it will thaw much quicker. I usually measure out and store them this way:

Coffee Creamer - 1 pint per baggie. I will store the thawed creamer in a mason jar to use over the next several days. It's cheaper to buy the 64-oz bottles of creamer than to nickel and dime yourself to death with the smaller containers.

Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate - Because I generally make at least 2 cups of concentrate at a time, I will freeze 1/4 cup portions in snack baggies. Concentrated coffee goes a long way and I don't drink it every day. I have not noticed a negative effect on the flavor from freezing it.

Broth and Stock - 1 cup per baggie.

Soy Milk - I vac-seal about 4 cups at a time because I use vanilla soy to make my smoothies. Vac-sealing seems to help it keep the regular texture/consistency so it lasts longer in the freezer. When I used baggies, I wasn't always careful to get out all the air (lazy!) and the liquid would often separate a little when I thawed.

Whole Milk Powder - For the brand I use, 1 cup of water + 3 tablespoons of powder = a cup of whole milk so I store 12 tablespoons of powder per baggie. I can then make 4 cups of milk at a time to store in a mason jar. I really only use whole milk for baking and when I run out of coffee creamer.** Also, I sometimes add a teaspoon of unsalted butter when I mix the powder with warm water. Don't ask why I first did this, but the extra fat helps when I am using the milk for baked goods. Makes sense.

Frozen Berries - Because they are so good for me, healthwise but the prices can fluctuate so much, I buy a lot of frozen blueberries and/or bags of "fruit medley" when I can find the 16-, 24- and 32-ounce bags for really good prices from Aldi's. It's been said that the frozen fruit can often be better for you than the fresh. I do know that frozen fruit lasts just about forever, which is great because I usually only use it in smoothies. I vac-seal and freeze about 2 cups of berries to portion. The price recently went up on the blueberries so I'm glad I have about 40 ounces left from the last 4 months shopping. (One of my nieces is a smoothies fanatic. She pre-preps her smoothies in containers she bought by adding fruit, juice, and oat milk. She has them lined up in her fridge next to the Greek yogurt that she likes to add to some of her smoothies. She has a lot of cute containers and a much larger fridge that I don't have!)

Bread - Sometimes, large amounts of bread are delivered to our building by a senior resources group. We might get a lot of loaf bread or croissants or tortillas and wraps. And it is a lot of bread. I don't eat a lot of bread but when there is the really good bread with nuts and whole grains, I'm all over that. I will vac-seal half-loaves so I don't have to freeze the bread. I really don't like frozen/thawed bread for some reason. And here's another tip: save those little packets of silica gel that comes in some packaged foods. Those packets are for absorbing moisture to keep foods dry. I toss them into my stored bread and into my jars of sugar.

Whole Bean Coffee - I vac-seal beans in 2-cup portions and put the sealed bags inside dark paper bags. I have bought some of the specially-made bags that have the degassing valves because they can be used over and over. I also have one little air-tight canister. The seal-and-bagged method is the cheapest though. There's a lot of debate about freezing or not freezing coffee but I do freeze mine and make sure to let them thaw to room temp overnight before grinding. I don't generally use pre-ground coffee anymore but I just make sure it's kept in a cool dark place in the summer.

$8 for 10 3oz bags
still using 3 months later

coffee bag with gas valve

Spices and seasonings in bulk - I buy Turmeric, Ceylon cinnamon, and Old Bay seasoning in bulk because it's cheaper to do so. My mom told me once that the reason people buy spices in those small containers is that they go stale and lose flavor easily. But if you can find them in larger (cheaper) quantities, they will last longer if they are protected from light, heat, and air. 

This is the Old Bay I get in the large container from Amazon vs what it would cost for small sizes at the local Hyvee:

Why would I buy this???

I keep some in a little can I saved and the rest is sealed and stored in the freezer. The back of the freezer, which is why I didn't take a photo for you!

Just as with the coffee, there are bags you can buy to keep things from those elements but you can also cut up butcher paper or paper bags to use when you vac-seal spices. I generally do this and toss the extra in the freezer. I have some yeast that I bought last year that is still working when I use it for baking.

I think that covers most of my food storage tips. Even if I could afford to buy cute little containers for all this stuff, I find my way is cheaper. And I can't afford all those cute little containers. My vac-sealer that I got in 2018 on a Lightning Deal is still around and kicking after all this time. I buy the rolls of sealing material because that's cheaper than buying pre-cut bags. I like to get the rolls in the 11inch x50 foot' and 8"x50'. 

(One thing I miss a lot about living in Alaska. We used to keep coolers on our back deck to use for frozen food storage! Ah, the good, cold days...)

Anyway, I hope you are able to use some if not all of these tips. I have to be "frugal" but even if you have money, there's no need in wasting it.

And, finally, speaking of wasting money and why we shouldn't (even if we could):

You can donate some of what you save to a worthy cause. By the way, see if your grocery store has any programs for helping those in need. In honor of Giving Tuesday (at the time I am writing this), Instacart is working with a bunch of non-profit organizations, making it possible for shoppers like me to donate - at no charge to us - to one of 4 different local & national programs for feeding the hungry. 

"Offer applies to all orders placed between 11/30/21 12:00 AM PST and 12/8/21 12:00 AM PST. The cost of a meal varies by nonprofit. The nonprofit you choose will receive at least $1 for every 10 meals donated. You must choose a nonprofit before placing your order. Your chosen nonprofit will be your default for all orders during the offer period. Does not apply to orders that are canceled or fully refunded."

I chose No Kid Hungry. My orders this month (that I made on one day from 2 different stores) funded 2 meals! That might not seem like a lot, but it is along with all the other shoppers who participate.

There is no reason for children anywhere to be living with hunger - and especially not in a society as wealthy as ours. Donate to a food bank or to any program you can find. You never know when you will be in need. It can happen to anyone.

Peace

--Free

** If I use whole powdered milk in place of coffee creamer, I oomph up the milk by adding some unsalted butter and either a tiny bit of brown sugar or sweetened condensed milk.