20 years ago it cost an extra $25. a month to run my son's refrigerator while they looked for work and an apartment. That was on low. A freezer would have to cost more to maintain the temp it needs I would think. I had an upright freezer years ago and it was a big waste of money even with a family. There was the extra expense of eating more meat simply because we bought a half beef and it was handy.

A well-made modern freezer shouldn't cost that much to run. Don't put in in an unheated/uncooled garage, tho.

We use our freezer for meats, since I buy the best Choice-grade meat at Costco and freeze steaks and pork chops in individual servings. I also freeze spaghetti sauce that I make, soups, other home-made things. I do shop a lot at Costco, even tho there are just the two of us. OJ in 6-packs, big boxes of frozen waffles.

I wouldn't be without my freezer!

I like having a freezer for meat. I buy a lot when it's one sale and it wouldn't all fit in the regular freezer that's in the house.
As far as a pantry goes - I have a built in one in the cabinets, and it's still not enough. We are midway through converting one of the spare bedrooms into a "project room", and part of it will include converting the closet into a pantry.
I am a fierce "sale" shopper, so we really need it!

We run three of them! LOL!

The huge one that at least one body could fit in, we fill with dog bones from the butcher.

The smaller one is for the meat we buy for the dogs. We stock up when there are sales.

And the upright is the human freezer that we use for us. And yes, it's at least half full most of the time. We buy meat in bulk at Sam's or Costco and then break it down into meal-sized packages.

There are normally two humans and nine dogs here, but right now DS is living with us til year-end so we're going through food more rapidly. He's got a good appetite!

The dog freezers are in the garage which is a separate building and has it's own electric meter. That bill runs us about $35 a month and includes the doors going up and down, lights when DH is working out there, his little TV going all day, etc. So I'd guess at the most it's $10 a month per freezer. Not bad for the convenience and the savings in meat and dog bones we get from buying in bulk.

I have one whole wall in the (unfinished) basement that's shelves, and it's serving as my pantry area.

We raise beef cattle, so I always have a lot of beef in my deep freeze. I also buy large quanities of chicken, pork, etc. when they are on sale.

I have a newer freezer and I don't know that it adds a lot to my bill. It is a chest type - I don't like the upright ones at all.

NEVER USE A FROST FREE DEEP FREEZE!! They will not keep anything long term. The constant heat/thaw/freeze cycle is not good for anything kept for storage.

I also freeze garen produce, especially sweet corn. On a normal year I will freeze 75 - 100 quart bags of home grown sweet corn.

I also have a special plug on my freezer. You have to twist it into a special plug in. That way it doesn't get accidentally unplugged - and you can't use the plug in for anything else.

My Mother has a chest freezer in her garage. One month her electric bill zoomed from $100 a month to $700. She realized the freezer was running all the time. It had broken down. She got rid of it and her electric bills went back to normal. So figure $600 if it runs constantly. That of cours, depends on your cost per kilowatt hour, etc.

Yes...to both freezer (18 cu ft upright) and pantry.
My sub-Zero refrigerator has no freezer compartment.

I like to keep things on hand, and not have to plan meals in advance. Also, like to buy in bulk when things are on sale.
So, both pantry and freezer work for me.

Freezer is getting older, and we are looking at smaller ones, tho.

Family of one here with both a big freezer in the basement, and a small pantry, besides basement shelves for overflow and home canned goods.

I'm in the country though, so I like stocking up on things when they are on sale, and having whatever is wanted handy. If I don't have something, it might be a week or two or more until I finally 'have' to go into town for 'things.'

I love the convenience of having most anything I want or need here, without having to do without, or running for stuff.

I have two upright freezers and I love them. I use them for all kinds of things to freeze. I have them full and it isn't just meat. Lots of black raspberries in there now. I only go grocery shopping once a week and could easily not go for a month if I had to. We do not have a $600 a month electric bill. Both are frost free. I would not want any other kind. I have had those and no thank you, too hard for me to clean.

Sue

Couldn't be without a freezer. Even living near dozens of grocery stores, it's worth having the freezer so you can stock up on sale items. So you can preserve fresh foods in the summer. So you can prepare ahead of time for large parties you might be hosting. I figure if I'm baking bread, it's no more trouble to make 3-4 loaves than it is to make one-the extras go in the freezer for future use.

A freezer shouldn't cost anything near what a fridge does to run. It's a simpler appliance, and as someone else mentioned, you DO NOT want a frost-free model. The heating cycle on frost-free fridges is what eats up the utility use.

Also, a chest freezer is much more economical to run than an upright. With a chest, when you open it, the cold settles down around the food. With an upright, everytime you open the door, the cold air spills out into the room and is replaced by room temp air, and the freezer has to work that much harder once you close the door, to chill all that warm air.

Pantry? Not really. I tend to freeze anything I want to keep for longterm storage, and I buy very little in the way of canned foods. Also, I don't like to buy ahead so much any more for things like mayo, salad dressing, etc, so don't really have a pantry as such.

My favorite magnet hangs proudly on my freezer in the garage it says:
Ex-husband in freezer

Trin

We use to have an old mini freezer, over 25-30 years old. It started having problems so we got rid of it. The seals started going and the ice started forming on the outside edge and melting. DH didn't want to get a new one and I miss it. We use to stock up at Costco or from the local grocery store when they had sales on certain meat items. We don't do that anymore so I am always going to the store because my refrigerator freezer doesn't have a lot of room. I also use to freeze fresh fruit when it was in season. Then I could make pies and cobblers in the winter. I don't do that now because I hate canned fruit.

I would guess it cost about $5 a month in electricity. I probably use that much in gas going to the store more often. The only con I had was I would forget what I had in it. And I had to defrost it every other month or the ice really built up.

We just turned the coat closet by the back door off of the kitchen into a pantry. We use to keep the can goods out in a white cabinet out in the garage. This is much more convient and I see what is there so use it and don't throw it out because it expired.
Clare

I have a huge chest freezer in the garage....it's only fifty years old, and does a fantastic job of freezing. We got it when there were nine of us, and now it's serving only one! When, and if, it dies, I will be desolate, as I know a new one could not live in an unheated garage.

We've always had at least one big chest freezer. When we grew our enormous vegetable garden and belonged to a food co-op, we had three. Now I have one. It's in the dungeon basement. I don't know what it costs to run it, but I wouldn't want to be without it. I stock up when things are on sale, and I still make and freeze a large quantity of applesauce each year from our own fruit.

I do have a large pantry. (It used to be a small bedroom.) I'm ten miles from the nearest store, and winter weather can be another limitation. My pantry holds other things besides food, though: cookbooks, office supplies, a small wardrobe for jackets and umbrellas, large pots. It could be a lot more efficiently organized!

I have a huge pantry and freezer, full of everything I need . It's called my local grocery store.

we have a small chest freezer (small enough to fit in the kitchen) and love it. we usually buy meat at sams, or costco, so it's had plenty of use. i divide evything up in 2 person amounts so can plan a dinner in a very short time...

I have a medium sized freezer but I'm thinking about replacing it, partly because it's over 20 years old and I think a newer one would be more efficient, and partly because it's a little bigger than what we need any more with out kids moved out. I just asked DH what our hydro bill is- with a house, greenhouse (fans, heaters etc), a freezer, washer/dryer, two fridges etc... he said that "sometimes" our bill gets up to around $200.

I don't have a pantry, per say, but I use a closet as one. I will always have a freezer.

We have a pantry, always have had. I can a lot, and a pantry is a good place to stash my pint and quart treasures.
We got a freezer last year, first one we've ever had. I love it and can't imagine how I got along without one! We are about 8 miles from town, and I shop once a week. I stock up on any meats that are on sale, freeze our own garden produce, and bake our own bread. With only the freezer compartment in our refrigerator I had to plan carefully so as not to overload it. Now if I get a bargain or the urge to bake, I go ahead, knowing I have room in our upright freezer.

In another life I had a 25+ cf freezer which held sides of beef and pork and frozen chili, soup, etc. BTDT.

Fast forward 27 years - We recently bought a 14 ft. Frigidaire self-defrosting upright. Little change on the electric bill so far. I just checked the instructions, as it is in an unheated/uncooled garage. Here's what it says: "...where surrounding temperatures will not exceed 110F. Temperatures of 32F and below will NOT affect freezer operation. Additional compressor heaters are not recommended."

This one isn't used for long-term like the huge one was. I like to buy on sale and have plenty on hand, especially during our northeast winters when I definitely don't want to go out if I don't have to. I also like to make huge batches of chili and soups to freeze. My 'wide by side' just doesn't do it. I will NEVER have another side-by-side refrigerator.

I have a pantry, but I dearly wish we had space for chest freezer in there. I love to cook ahead and use the seal a meal to store food in as little space as possible. Still, Our regular freezer in our fridge is often stuffed to capacity.

With the warehouse grocery stores so common these days, I would think that most new custom homes would have a pantry. Space for a freezer would be a bonus, for me.

I like to freeze shrimp, or I did, when my husband was shrimping, and I wouldn't mind having a freezer just for that alone. I like having a pantry too. I don't eat very much food that is in cans, but it's a good place for all of my extra dishes.

Hmm...I doubt there are any *savings* involved in running a freezer to store many of the 'bargains' listed above. I understand about the *convenience* factor though. I'd rather let the store keep my food cold until I buy it! LOL

I shop once a week at most and am fine with a 42" side X side and a big back hall closet instead of a designated 'pantry'. We visit Costco about four times a year -- less now that our local groceries carry Choice beef. (What WERE they thinking, carrying only Select?)

We have two fridge/freezers, one frost free upright and one upright freezer. The freezers are in the cooler basement so the environment is perfect. We grow our own beef and I like to keep some stock for daily meals or last minute dishes. I keep some bread, Pizza, shredded cheese and ice cream items in them too.
The only time I've ever had a problem was when I overfilled the frost free freezer. It's back to normal now that it's not filled to the brink. I can't say for positive but I don't think any of the freezers are power hogs.

The two air conditioners definitively take up some power.

It's not all that expensive to operate a freezer.

Even my 36" upright Sub Zero Freezer is estimated to use 645 KWH - that's comparable to a 100 watt light bulb. The Energy Star rating for my unit states it costs about $77.00 a year. My refrigerator doesn't have a freezer, it's all refrigerator and that's rated at 876 KWH.

I have an upright freezer as well as an extra refrigerator in the garage.Both are the energy efficient ones.Have a big kenmore elite french door fridge in the kitchen.Yes i also have a pantry cabinet and an extra cabinet in the garage.We're on the budget plan with our gas & light co and pay 132.00 every month summer,fall winter and spring.
Kathi

That question is like asking how much does it cost to buy a car? There's a lot of factors that will affect it.

As a starting point, I have a 9 cubic foot upright freezer that I bought in the 80s. I figured that it cost about $4/mo+ to run it. I haven't used it in years so I can't give you current use but electric rates probably have gone up a bit but not horrendously here. But what are your rates? That's the key.

My cousin bought a 5' chest freezer a couple years ago and has it at his lake place. He said it costs about $5/mo+ to run it. He has a little higher electric rates there than we have in the cities.

So then it would depend on the size, age and style. And it will depend on how full you keep it and how often you open the door. It'll also make a difference how often it's defrosted and other variables. As said, don't get a frost free for long term storage, but a frost free will take more electricity.

Freezers will have energy guides on them with approximations of energy use which will give you a ballpark figure. You can adjust the rate to match your current electrical rates for a closer approximation. I tried to get some from some sites but the one that had them weren't available right now.

The value of a freezer varies but it's safe to say that for most, it's more of a convenience than a true savings. Occasionally you can have a power outage and lose everything in there. Factor that into your cost of operation. Spoilage from overstocking and poor wrapping too and how many times has someone not closed the door all the way?

A pantry on the other hand is something that everyone should have. Some basic staples to a comprehensive store depending on your needs and wants. This can result in some savings. People seldom consider what it costs to "run to the store" because they're out of a staple. That's pretty silly to not have SOMETHING you can make into a meal. Especially when you get sick or have inclement weather. You don't need a fancy pantry. A closet, under the bed, a shelf, under the sofa, in the coffee table or a myriad of other places. Plus having a pantry stops impulse purchases. Going to the store is a waste of time unless shopping is your hobby. I don't like shopping. I avoid stores as much as possible. I can't believe the number of people who don't have an extra package of toilet paper in their house! So they run to the store, pay an inflated price, plus gas, wear on the car, time that could be doing something a lot more fun than buying toilet paper and there's probably other expenses I'm not thinking of offhand.

I've been interested to read here that newer freezers use less electricity. I agree with cynic that there are a lot of variables to take into consideration.

I don't see a freezer's value to *us*. We are just two people and live three minutes from town. We go to town for things other than groceries: library, haircuts, bank, train, vet, etc. We combine errands, but are probably in town three times a week. It's easy to pick up milk or eggs between regular 7 - 10 day grocery runs.

We'd probably be better off with a 'reverse' side X side -- more freezer and less fridge. It never occurred to me to get one of each when we built this house!

I don't 'get' the dedicated pantry idea in new house plans -- unless you have a large family or are miles from stores. I think it's an outgrowth of the Big Box store mentality. I don't need to stock a mini-store of cans and paper products at home -- certainly not in recent low-inflation years.

Pantries were the only storage in old homes. Kitchens were small and didn't have built-in cabinets and drawers as they do now. Stores were farther away and store inventories were limited.

A walk in pantry can be a handy place to store large items like a stand mixer or a crock pot. And if you do a lot of baking you can store large containers of staples and it's easier to get to them then when they're on the bottom of a cabinet or behind cans.

I don't have a large pantry but when we designed our kitchen we opted for an oversize cabinet that is as high as our soffit and has heavy duty shelves that pull out. That's were we keep most of our cans and boxes.

As for separate refrigerators and freezers there are many more on the market than when we first did our kitchen in 1987. Sub Zero was the only company that made counter depth units then and the only width you could get was 36" so we have the refrigerator in the work triangle and the freezer on the opposite side of the kitchen.

You mentioned more freezer and less fridge- now you can opt for modular units like the Thermador Freedom columns where you can pick freezer units that are 18, 24 or 30 inches wide and refrigerator units that are 24 or 30 inches wide.

It's amazing how many choices are now available in kitchen design.

We raise cattle and wouldn't be without one. We were told that frost-free models cost more to run and need repairs more often because of the constant cycling. Besides, it isn't a big deal to defrost it once a year. Ours is 20 years old and still going strong---although newer models might be cheaper to run.

I have an up-right in my garage. I like it better than than the chest type freezers because you can see the food better. My parents had the chest growing up. We were always 'losing' food down to the bottom.

My biggest problem with an extra freezer is that sometimes the door doesn't get shut all of the way and the food thaw which ruins a lot of stuff at one time. For the most part, I've quit putting ice cream in there and have banned the kids from opening it.

We don't have a freezer, but we do have a pantry. The pantry is a tall kitchen cabinet with drawers, and we store dry goods and canned goods. There's also a microwave in the pantry, a drawer with chargers for all our small electronic gadgets, and another drawer where we store medicines and some tools.

I've thought about buying a freezer, but I don't really see the need. There are only three of us, and even when I stock up on sale items, there's always plenty of room in the freezer. Plus, we live three blocks away from a grocery store, so we can always just walk over there or stop on the way home from work. I stop often, anyhow, as I like fresh produce.

I have an upright commercial freezer. It's frost free. In no way does it not freeze well. Stuff that is in there is ROCK solid all the time. I swear a stick of butter out of that thing would dent my floors if I dropped it.

I love it for bulky things like frozen waffles, ice cream, sale stuff, meats, ice for parties,vodka LOL etc.

As for the door, the hinge might need adjusting or the seal may need to be replaced. When mine shuts it sucks the door closed and I can't easily open it for a few minutes.

Here is a link that might be useful: arctic air

We have a large chest freezer in the unheated garage. Currently, it's holding 1/4 of a buffalo, about 3 deer's worth of venison and a bunch of chicken, pork, beef and fish. We live 20 minutes from the nearest grocery so we keep it well stocked with meat, blueberries, limeade, etc. And our electric bill, for a 3 story house, is never over $125 a month, usually it's around $90- that's with 2 fridges and the freezer and washer/dryer and heat pump. So the freezer is obviously not using much power.

We have baskets in the freezer- each basket is for something different. That way nothing is lost and since the freezer has a terrific light in it, we can see everything.

Love my freezers. Have a large side by side fridge and freezer, big chest freezer in the second pantry and a smaller chest freezer in the back shed. The second pantry is almost a small galley summer kitchen, which is great for hot weather cooking, as I can keep the heat out of the kitchen, so if we chose to eat in the kitchen, it is cool. And I have another full size fridge in the back pantry. But there are six of us at home, five adults and one baby. Perhaps someday when it is just the two of us again, we will downsize on the freezer's and fridge's. And yes it does cost extra to run a freezer, but if you keep it full and defrosted, it does not run as much.

nikki - There might not be anything wrong with the freezer. My Sib Zero freezer does the same thing and one tech told me that it's designed to do that- it's almost like a vacuum.

My in laws gave us a freezer that they had owned the year after we moved into this house 35 years ago. It doesn't cost that much to run and is a real convenience even though I am alone now. I have considered getting rid of it because it's less than half empty and I have at least a half a dozen super markets less than 10 minutes away. But that would require some effort on my part, wouldn't it? LOL

We have a small chest freezer in the garage. I wish it were bigger, and there are only two of us. I am a Grocery Game shopper and have a big stockpile. Our house is all electric (2000 SF) and our electric bill last month was $82. We live in Texas. So I don't think it costs very much at all to operate the freezer.

Yes, the freezers are designed to draw the air in and make the door tight. Both of mine are that way. You want them to do that, otherwise, your door isn't shut.

Sue

Yep, I know about the vacuum thing. I was answering the other person who posted that her door doesn't shut properly :)

we have the refrigerator in the work triangle and the freezer on the opposite side of the kitchen.

That's the biggest thing I dislike about our kitchen...my freezer is also at the opposite end of the kitchen, which is 20 ft away!
With this remodel, i'm thinking of moving it close to the refrigerator, but the only area that might do is to have Refrigerator/server/freezer. The server is 8 ft long, but it beats the walk I have now --- just for ice cubes for a glass of soda.

BTW - I'm so glad to hear someone else has a problem opening up their sub-zero refrigerator. I though it was just me, and have been grumbling about not being able to open the door ever since I moved in here.

Oh sorry nikki - I didn't realize you were answering a post.

Monica- That is a long walk to the freezer. My freezer and frig are only about 10 feet apart.

Old uncle had two freezers and I defrosted and cleaned them when I came to spend a couple of months with him seven years ago after the death of his wife. His major pains caused us to worry that, going out to care for his cattle in his mid 80s, he might fall in a snowbank and be unable to get up: with no one in the house to call help after a short while, he could well freeze, so I stayed with him for a couple of months till his cattle went out to pasture.

On his death, five years ago, his nephew got the newer chest-type one and the older chest-type one remained in the basement, so when I rented the house from the new owner I've been using it.

Most freezers keep goods near zero Fahrenheit and most of the ones in a frig keep things just a few degrees below freezing, so folks with separate freezers say that it keeps ice cream better - meat and a number of other things, also, for that matter.

I'm pretty sure that the old freezer hasn't been defrosted since I did it several years ago - I know that it hasn't in the last five that I've lived here. It does need it, fairly soon.

As I live 8 miles from a village, where the small store is somewhat more expensive, and 13 miles from the city, I like to have various items available without making special trips, and like to buy a quantity of goods on sale. While I store some produce from my fairly large garden (just tripled in size, at least) in the basement, a major portion of it is best stored in frozen state ... and I do that for not only my needs, but my son's, a friend's and a couple of agencies that feed the poor, the homeless and some addicted persons in rehab, as well.

Frost-free freezers as it freezes for a while ... then heats up for a short time ... then re-cools the stuff that began to thaw a bit while the heating was going on ... uses more energy, that's not only costly to produce, but adds to both climate heating and pollutants. It seems to me that the cycling will mean that frozen goods should be used sooner and will deteriorate more rapidly.

Same story for frost-free frigs, for that matter.

Also, it will of necessity add to your electric bill.

Freezers with doors cost more to operate, also, for, as someone said, the cold spills out to the floor and your ankles the minute you open the door, then must be replaced when you close it.

Chest freezers may have a little heated air enter the box when the lid is opened, but only minimally so, so there is little extra cooling required after the lid comes down.

Freezers with doors add more to your electric bill, as well.

To simplify finding things in a chest freezer, make a map on a fairly large sheet of paper, in pencil to allow for editing, or on a white board, of the goods in the box. Use five large boxes numbered 1 - 5 for locations back to front, with small boxes in each of four lines in each of the five boxes, the small boxes labelled A - K for left to right and each large box has four lines labelled a - d showing depth.

1 Aa Ba Ca Da Ea Fa Ga for stuff at back, on top
Ab Bb Cb Db Eb Fb Gb for stuff at back, just below
Ac Bc Cc Dc Ec Fc Gc for stuff at back, near bottom
Ad Bd Cd Dd Ed Fd Gd for stuff at back, at bottom

2 Same routine, for stuff next to back, on top, just below, near bottom and at bottom

3 Same system, for stuff in middle of back to front, on top, just below, etc.

4 Same again, for stuff next to front, on top, just below, etc.

5 Same again, for stuff at front, on top, just below, etc.

Use different number of lines or boxes as it appears to suit your need.

Chief problem - when moving goods to get at stuff behind or below it, to replace it in the same place.

Leave large margins for notes.

Write small in the boxes, so when something far down is used and the item above it drops down ... best to erase, but works to cross out the the item gone, use an arrow to show that the item above has dfropped down.

You noted that one respondent spoke of her freezer as being 40 years old.

They don't make them to last that long, now: we're lucky if modern frigs last for much more than ten years.

Don't tell me that modern engineers are stupider - they want them to wear out early, so that we need to buy new.

Let's demand that they make them to last for 50 years ... at least.

We'd be money ahead if I bought one for my house, then in ten years continued to use my old one but paid for one to be "given" to someone in a Third World country who can now afford one, with him paying the price into one of the development banks that make small loans to other Third World people to help them get started in business.

The ones built in 20, 30 and 40 years could be shipped to the third world to meet their growing demands.

In 50 years, the one that I bought now will need replacing ... but it'll be by my kids, as I'll have long since departed this mortal coil (mine would have been sold at a yard sale when they cleared out my house).

Oh - that'd not work for me: I live in a rented house, with frig. provided. In any case - this house'll still need a frig (if it's still standing).

I hope that you're having a great summer week.

ole joyful

monica -- You need both hands and a strong back to open the refrigerator side of our side X side if you've just closed the freezer door. (A GE Monogram)