To buy that freezer or not to buy ..

Saving money at the grocery store means having to stockpile a bit when things go on sale ( or you're getting them free) . Meat , as most people know is one of the most expensive purchases at the grocery store. If you are considering having a stockpile of meat at the ready you'll need a freezer in addition to your refrigerator/freezer. The Question is , is it worth the cost of the freezer compared to the savings of purchasing meat cheaply, in bulk.

First you have to consider how much meat you eat .
If you are a family of 4 it's safe to assume you are eating around 12-15lbs of meat a week.
or 4lbs /person/week. If you save 2.00 a lb and purchase 15lbs of meat your savings are $30.00 / week.

What Kind of Freezer to buy ?
First look for the energy star label on your new freezer. I don't recommend buying an ancient Freezer or refrigerator because :
-it consumes a large amount of energy , not efficient, not good for the environment
-will probably break down sooner than a newer frezer and you might lose all your meat
You may also want to go to a website like Big Crumbs to research deals and get cash back on your purchase if you are shopping online and picking it up at the store ( like at Sears for example).

There are chest freezers and upright freezers, each with different storage capacities. 3.5 cu.ft up to 30 cu. ft. ( unless you're the Dugger family you probably don't need 30 Cubic feet of freezer storage space). One of the Best Deals I've seen is at Sears . The Kenmore 7.2 Cubic Ft. freezer has plenty of storage room for a family of four . Upright Freezers are a little less energy efficient in general and more expensive. It is easier to organize an upright freezer , so if you don't like the idea of digging in a chest freezer , the upright is for you .

What is the break even point ?
You'll be able to buy an extra 5lbs of meat or so when it is on sale ( we are assuming) and your new 7.2 cu.ft. freezer will hold 252lbs of food , about 8 weeks worth of meat for a family of four .
at 2.00/ lb savings you'll break even in less than 2 months , paying off your $271 Freezer and in turn saving your family beau coup bucks from then on !