One of the many ways we make couponing and frugal living work is by stockpiling products when they go on sale, in order to use them when they’re full price.  We should buy up to 10 weeks’ worth of items that regularly go on sale, such as toilet paper or pasta, and up to a years’ worth on certain seasonal items. Ketchup and paper plates during barbecue season are a good example.  This is easy for shelf stables products that can sit in a closet for up to a year without needing to be used, but what do we do about those items that must be kept cold in order to stay fresh?

The answer is: use your freezer.  Some items are a no brainier when it comes to freezing in order to keep an item fresh for months at a time, but exactly how long can we keep that uncooked Christmas ham?  You might be surprised.

According to USDA, most uncooked meats can be kept frozen for 4 months or longer. 
                Whole Chicken – 1 year
                Chicken Pieces – 9 Months
                Fish – 3 Months – 6 Months (leaner fish keep longer)
                Ground Meat (Beef or Pork) – 2-3 Months
                Roasts or Chops (Beef or Pork) – 6 Months
                Steaks (Beef or Pork) – 6 Months

If you’re freezing cooked leftovers, then subtract the total by about 2 months.

Did you know other items could be kept in the freezer as well?  See below for some great stock pile items that can be kept in the freezer:

Milk – Milk can be kept good for up to 2 months in the freezer.  For plastic containers, remove one cup of milk in order to leave room for expansion.  This is not necessary for cardboard containers.  Thaw in the refrigerator and shake well before use.

Butter – Butter freezes and thaws LIKE A DREAM.  It can last up to 9 months in the freezer.

Eggs – It’s a bit of a chore, but if you find a great deal on eggs in bulk, this is best way to keep them fresh.  Unfortunately, you can’t just stick them in the freezer like some foods, because the shells with crack under pressure.  The video below is from a great frugal saver by the name of tipresource.  She did a fantastic “how to” video on freezing chicken eggs at home!

See The Video Here

Fruit – Bite sized fruit, such as grapes or berries, can be put in a zip lock bag and frozen as is.  Larger pieces of fruit, such as apple slices, can be spread out on parchment paper on a cookie sheet and frozen.  Once frozen, they can then be put together in a bag and stored in the back of the freezer.