A couple of weeks ago, we bought a 1/8 of a cow. It was a big ass cow. Our 1/8 was 99 pounds of meat.
We split the cow with several other people and my friend did all the organizing and picked the meat up from the butcher, which was so helpful.
We paid $324 for 99 pounds of beef. That includes all the butchers fees. So it came out to be $3.27 a pound. And if you buy grass fed, organic beef from the grocery store, you know that is an AMAZING price.
We mostly got ground beef and chuck roasts, but we did get several steaks and ribs. I am very curious to see how long this much meat lasts us.
When we got the meat home, my deep freezer looked like this:
NOT OK, in my organized OCD home. Something had to be done, not only because it makes my skin crawl, but when you have organized home and know where everything is, you save time, eliminate stress and have more time for fun stuff.
Organizing things happens to be fun for me, but I digress.
I decided to organize my deep freezer like it was organized when it was full of breast milk (at the peak, the deep freezer and our inside fridge freezer were full to the MAX).
My husband, the Engineer (also a bit OCD), had the genius idea of putting the bags of breast milk into plastic containers and sorting them by month. Then placing them in the deep freezer oldest at top (to be used first).
So I did the same thing this time, but organized it by cut. So all my ground beef is one container, all my roasts in another etc. I labeled all the containers and made an inventory list. I will be able to glance at the list and know when I am getting low.
I have all my bags of slow cooker freezer meals in there as well, and I just lay them flat where I can. Then I have odds and ends (salmon, pastry dough from Miami to make empanadas, etc). I also put all those small odds and ends into a container, so I don’t have to pull out 50 million things looking for what I need.
We also have a fridge in the garage, with a freezer. It houses all my homemade stock. And our freezer in the house, stores all my frozen fruit to make Penelope’s smoothies, her smoothie jars themselves and the random pint of ice cream for my husband (I am a cookie girl).
What is your best freezer organizational tip? I am always looking for ways to take my organization to the next level!
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oooh, good idea!! This really makes me want a deep freezer. You're such an inspiration!
Sharpee markers are essential, I label everything really well with dates and ingredients (never know who's coming for dinner and if they have any allergies).
I also use clear bags and clear tupperware to store.
Brooke
http://www.TheAnnessaFamily.blogspot.com
Oh my I love organization! We have to refrigerators, one indoors and one in the garage, both with freezers. I so wish we had a deep freezer, but since we don't, I HAVE to maximize space with organization. I try to freeze anything and everything I can flat. Once they are frozen I store like items (i.e. broth, sauce, soup) in standing magazine holders. I love opening my freezer and seeing everything so neat and orderly
We've been thinking about going in with a friend too to buy a part of a cow, but I'm not sure how much I can store without a deep freezer. I had no idea an 1/8 of a cow would be 99lbs!
Now this has seriously made me want to get into my freezers and organize them. Thank you! Hugs, Bobbi Jo
I was wondering how big is your chest freezer? My husband & I are planning on getting one soon but are not sure what size. We are looking at a 7.1 cu ft freezer. Just curious how big yours was?
@Jessica…OMG, that is an amazing tip!! I have a ton of empty magazine holders that have been just waiting for a project, thank you!!
@Kelley…I am pretty sure ours is a 7 cubic feet. I would recommend buying as big as you can fit and afford. You will be surprised how fast you can fill it up!
I am not an organization junkie, but sometimes I wish I was. Because of this we got an upright deep freeze to keep from having to unload the whole thing to get to that one item in the bottom. It can have a little wasted space, but I’ll take that any day over wasted food.
I didn’t even know they made upright ones! Good to know!!
You have some great ideas! I’m looking forward to start my own supply of meals and such. I’ve been looking for a way to organize my freezer(s). We just bought a hobby farm and need lots of freezer space. We have 2 freezers (1 small, 1 mid-size) and the fridge freezer. I have been searching for an upright one for years! Love your freezer meals also..Hubby is a trucker, not home much, and I try to make most of his meals for him to reheat. The crockpot meals are great ideas! I can use smaller bags and he can use the little crockpot for trucks! Looking forward to more of your great ideas! ;o)
(sorry this got so long lol )
That is so awesome that you make these meals for your husband on the road! I have heard that truckers have some of the worst diets in the country simply because they don’t have access to good food on the road, how luck your husband is to have you taking care of him!!
It gets expense if he was eating at a restaurant every meal. And now that we bought this little farm, I’ll be growing most of our food, including raising some meat. This place has a neat old root cellar outside and a canning cellar in the basement. Can’t wait to start filling them! ;o)
So jealous. I can’t wait till we can buy some land and start homesteading a bit more.