I use to never freeze meat. Hell, I use to never buy meat. It took me years to break my college grocery habits of shopping for solely Lean Cuisines, Totino’s party pizzas, Chef Boyardee ravioli, and of course ramen noodles. They were all cheap, didn’t go bad, and required zero effort. I still like making as little effort as possible, but I guess you could say I’ve matured as a shopper.
Having a completely stocked deep freezer is a relatively new concept to me. I will never get over the day Governor Justice announced schools would closing until further notice due to COVID-19. I had seen people sharing pictures of empty aisles with no toilet paper prior to the announcement, but I though “nah”, this is no big deal. LOL, past Anna. The joke’s on you.
Little Mrs. No Food in the House was waiting on pay day to grocery shop. Before that day it didn’t bother me at all to get creative with what you have at home while you’re waiting to get paid.
Never Again.
What I witnessed in Aldi that day changed me forever. It looked liked a tornado had swept through the store. I expected the toilet paper and Lysol wipes to be gone, but there was NOTHING left. The meat shelves, freezers, and canned items were all empty. In the days to come Rob and I managed to panic shop our way into a decent little stock pile.
Being laid off and having that stock pile really changed how I cook. It really was so nice having everyone at home and having a variety of ingredients available to get creative with. I can imagine my future grandchildren knowing that I shop the way I do because of 2020, the same way I know my great grandmother never wasted a thing because of the depression.
Okay, now the good stuff. Today I restocked my deep freezer to the tippy top with all Aldi products for $172.81. I got ALOT.
- 4 frozen pizzas
- 8 bags mixed vegetables
- 4 bags frozen broccoli
- 4 bags frozen corn
- 3 bags tater tots
- 4 Cornish hens
- 2 5.5 lb packs ground beef
- 2 chicken breast family packs
- 2 chicken thigh family packs
- 2 chicken drumstick family packs
- 2 country style pork rib packs
- 2 bone in pork chop packs
- 2 black angus skirt steak packs
- 2 petite sirloin packs
- 3 fresh salmon portions
I already had plenty of sausage and bacon, so I didn’t need any breakfast meat. I should also mention the freezer is about 1/4 full with venison as well as a ham. Even though I already had items in there, I am confident I could get my deep freezer filled from empty for about $200 at Aldi.
I compared the price to Walmart and ended up with a savings of $22.99. I have compared prices on my receipts before, item to item, and came out with a much larger difference. Meat is going to cost you no matter where you shop, but I’ll take spending $172.81 over $195.80 any day. Not to mention Aldi’s products are GOOD! I like everything they have over great value brand, and almost everything they have over name brands.
Today’s haul will make a ton of meals. I can’t wait to share my recipes! They are easy peasy lemon squeezy, yall. I am not the Barefoot Contessa. I’m exhausted and in pajamas. Store bought really IS fine!