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The Modern Dilemma
We could all use a few more minutes in our day, couldn't we? Anyone out there have enough time for everything they want to accomplish? No? I didn't think so.
I've been using bulk cooking techniques for many years. The concept of cooking a month's worth of meals ahead of time to store in the freezer revolutionized the way I feed my family. I adapted the techniques using my own inexpensive recipes -- and we've been saving time, money and sanity(!) ever since. No matter who you are, how big your family or what your lifestyle, I believe cooking ahead for the freezer has something to offer everyone.
The Benefits
I've been asked, "Which do you have more of: Time or money?" Hmmmm ... Tough question. I don't have much of either one! I originally started using these techniques because of their time-saving benefits, but I was quickly surprised to discover I was saving substantially on our regular food bills as well.
Before using these methods I was spending about $700 per month on groceries and other food-related expenses (including drive-thru restaurants, paper products, pizza delivery) for a family of five. By simply making the change to cooking ahead and buying in bulk, I was able to reduce our food/grocery bills to less than $300. That's a $400+ savings every month! Over time that adds up to a considerable amount of money. By cutting back our grocery bill by $400 each month, over the course of five years, it added up to a whopping $24,000 savings ... on just groceries!
People from all walks of life are reaping the benefits of this simple, common sense approach to cooking and meal planning: single people, married, stay-at-home parents, part-time workers, full-time working parents, working couples with no children, business owners, big happy families and small happy families. And they're living all over the world -- throughout the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia and elsewhere.
Getting Started
There are numerous websites, books and other resources dedicated to the idea of cooking ahead for the freezer. To get you started in your search online, start at the Frozen Assets Home Page.
Official Frozen Assets Home Page
http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com/my-books/frozen-assets/
Articles, lots of links, recipes, recommended resources, more.
Frozen Assets Email Discussion Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/frozen-assets/join
Share recipes, tips and encouragement with other freezer-meal cooks. This is a fairly high-volume, friendly group so be prepared for a large quantity of email. There is also a Digest version available for people who prefer receiving the individual emails combined into a single daily email format.
Frozen Assets: How to Cook for a Day and Eat for a Month
by Deborah Taylor-Hough (Champion Press)
Step-by-step meal plans and recipes for a two-week menu, thirty-day menu and a special 10-day Holiday menu (imagine the holidays without cooking -- what a great gift to give yourself this year!). Frozen Assets can also be ordered through any local bookseller. Or check with your local library for an inter-library loan (a very frugal option -- great idea for any book you want to check out for yourself first before buying it).
Deborah Taylor-Hough is the author of the bestselling Frozen Assets: How to cook for a day and eat for a month and Frugal Living For Dummies(R). She also edits the Simple Times email newsletter. To subscribe, visit Debi online at: thesimplemom.wordpress.com
Copyright 2000 Used with permission. All rights reserved.Sign up for our free eNewsletter Dollar Stretcher for Parents.
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