[exquisichi]

I have one upright, a large chest and a midsize chest, the top of my fridge freezer [actually technically I have 5, as I have 2 fridges too, LOL]. I am really not brandspecific and 2 of them are currently in storage [I had for a long time 2 individual places - one my house and the other a rented location home/business combination - that is why we have so many of each plus I had been rawfeeding my dogs so more freezer space was required, LOL]. 3 I bought new at full price, 2 I got used in very good condition at less than 1/3 of full price. My oldest one is about 12 yrs old [the upright], the youngest is 3 and I honestly do not see a difference in quality.

Because of my tight budget, I run only as few freezers as I can get away with, currently the large chest and the top of the fridge only, but I'm thinking of getting the upright out of storage as it is simply easier to find stuff in it [it's wonderful to have multiples when it comes to untawing freezers or doing inventory, LOL]. Personally - I like the upright - simply because it is easier to find things in it and see what you got left. They also take up less space. The chests are great for bulky things and mass storage. For a while we got deers during hunting season and it's great to be able to drop large odd packages in the freezer, without blocking everything else. If I were to buy another one new - I'dprobably go with an upright again.

I can't say about the individual electric costs to run one, but I'd say overall speaking, it more than makes up the cost, being able to stock up and save on the grocery factor. That first year when I started up couponing again, there was this huge Sara Lee pie deal going on - free and almost free pies [fruit + berry pies, cobblers, individual little pies etc -you name it] and I must have had at least 70 or 80 of them [they are great contributions for potluck dinners, BBQs and friendly coffee chats with friends - no work involved, LOL]. If all I had was the little thingy above the fridge - I might have gotten 2 or 3 - with the big freezer available, I had pies coming out of the ears and plenty to share.

That year was also the first year that I started buying frozen veggies in mass - I had about 120 GreenGiant boxes and about 60-70 Birdseye pouches - we went into last year fall veggie season with plenty left. The GG veggies were coupled with a catalina deal at BiLo - buy so many and get $3-4 catalina, if I remember they were on a BOGO sale, with coupons doubled - they came to only a few cents each and spit out a OYNO which I used to pay for the next batch and also to buy meat with. Free veggies and free meat - I could have never taken advantage of that deal without the freezer.

I definitely would get one if I were you - if you are looking to buy used - buy a fairly new one [not older than 3-4 yrs] as the energy ratings are better than on the old cows, I never paid more than $150 for a used one. Your savings and opportunities for great deals will more than pay for the freezer and the electric it uses, well in the first year. Hope that helped some...

PS.: Of course you can freeze yoghurt - I've gotten to the point where I like it better frozen than normal, LOL. Ditto for cheese [I just got another 30 packs of Kraft last week, but still had some from the previous deal left over]. I rarely pay more than .50-70 for a pack of cheese now, and preferably less. Same for milk, butter and margerine. You can also freeze eggs [out of the shell], refrigerated biscuits and cookie mixes, fruit and veggies if you happen to get a great buy. Water melons too big to eat for your family? Chop them up and put in freezer baggies, pull them as needed [also great for slushies]. Bananas getting a bit too much color - do the same and use for baking banana cakes or bread or milkshakes. This is the time for strawberries - I save the prettiest ones in a batch and freeze them on a cookie sheet and then drop in a baggie... Endless possibilities...

Leftovers? Cooking big batches of food? Got a great deal on something - in the freezer it goes...