Save Money and Buy These Foods Frozen Instead of Fresh

In the winter months, good fresh food can be difficult to find, and when you do, it can get expensive fast. Another downfall is that many of the items listed below have a short shelf life when bought fresh, so portions often get tossed instead of consumed, which is just like throwing money in the trash. Keeping the following food items in the freezer both costs less and stretches your dollar at the same time. If you don’t have these in your freezer, it’s time to stock up and save.

Berries - Frozen berries are often picked at their peak and flash-frozen to keep them that way. They come in larger quantities than fresh and usually at a cheaper price. When thawed, they can be a good replacement for fresh berries in recipes, or great in smoothies.

Spinach - Packed with nutrients, spinach has been linked with potential health benefits including improved blood pressure. Fresh spinach can go bad quickly, and unless you eat a bunch of salads, you’ll likely end up with a mix of dark green, slimy leaves stinking up the container within a few days of purchasing. Frozen spinach is cheaper and can be easily added to your diet in soups or smoothies.

Peas and Edamame - Packed with protein, these are good freezer options for respective reasons: canned peas are higher in sodium, and not many grocery stores sell fresh edamame. Both are good options to toss in soups or pastas to get that extra protein punch in your diet.

Meat - Buy in bulk, divide into single-meal portions, and freeze separately. This saves money, but you do have to plan ahead for meal prep and make sure your meat is thawed before cooking.

Bread - Bread left on the counter will quickly mold–which can be hugely disappointing when all you wanted after a long day at work was that comfort-food grilled cheese sandwich. You can purchase bread in bulk (usually comes in two packs from Sam’s Club or Costco) and freeze one for later, while keeping the loaf you’re using in the fridge.

Fish - The shelf life of fish in the fridge is only one to two days. Crazy short! So unless you’re planning to cook that fish you bought tonight, put it in the freezer. Fish also doesn’t take as long to thaw as meat or poultry, so you don’t have to plan quite as far in advance when meal prepping.

Source: Ball, M.S., RD, Jessica. “6 Foods You Should Always Buy Frozen to Save Money, According to a Dietitian.” Eating Well. 31 October 2021. https://www.eatingwell.com/article/7923142/foods-you-should-always-buy-frozen-to-save-money.