Freezing Milk!

As I mentioned in my previous post, we worked very diligently to pay off a large amount of debt in a very short period of time before R was born.  I will share more about that in a later post but today I want to talk about 1 specific way we save money on our grocery bill: buying ahead.  And today’s post is specifically about stocking up on milk. 

I LOVE milk!  D doesn’t really like it just to drink but we still use quite a bit of it between the 2 of us.  While I was pregnant I was literally consuming almost a half of a gallon each day just by myself!   I don’t drink/use nearly that much now but I still like it on my cereal and usually have at least 2 big glasses each day at some point plus whatever I use to cook with. 

The cost of milk can really add up.  Now don’t get me wrong, I KNOW dairy farmers are NOT getting rich!  Many of them are not even breaking even.  And they work LONG, HARD hours!  So the cost, at least the portion that goes to them, is justified.  But if I can find a way to save a little bit of money I will.  So, when my local stores have a sale on milk I buy A LOT!  For example, this week Dillon’s has half gallons of milk 10/$10 with no limit!  That makes it $2/gallon.  The cheapest milk anywhere else in town was over $3/gallon.  So…I bought 30 half gallons yesterday.   I know your initial thought is probably…”SHE”S CRAZY”.  How do I know that’s probably your first thought?  Because all the old ladies at the store tell me so!  I’m not sure why it is any of their business why I’m buying so much milk but they all have to ask. 

So what do I do with it all?  I freeze it!  Milk freezes VERY well.  Some people just stick it right in the freezer.   But I prefer to take a little bit out of each jug first (I take out about a 1/2cup).  Why?  So it has plenty of room to expand when it freezes and doesn’t break the jug.  I just put all the little bits I take out of each jug in a lidded pitcher in the fridge.  I also like to put a little square of press-n-seal under the lid of each jug before I seal it back up.  And then it’s ready to freeze!  Obviously it helps to have a large freezer to do this, but even if you just have a little freezer space to spare you could buy a little extra to put in the freezer and save a little money. 

When I know I will run out of milk in the next 12 hours or so I just go get a jug out, put it in the sink for an hour to start the thawing and then stick it in the fridge.  Shaking it occasionally will help it thaw faster.  It does take quite a while to thaw but you will get the hang of it! 

Stay tuned for more money saving tips!

(My 15 gallons of milk ready to go in the freezer and the pitchers of "extra" I pulled out)