What's big, rectangular, white and happiness-inducing?
That would be my brand-spankin' new chest freezer, which we purchased with money from our home maintenance fund.
Before you can appreciate why this freezer makes me so giddy, you need to see my old one.
This was a freebie, and I think it may possibly have pre-dated me.
It was enormous.
(full disclosure: I considered cleaning up my messy laundry room before I took these pictures, and then thought better of it. Please enjoy the real-ness. )
It was leaking, which caused rusty water to drip onto the floor.
The seal no longer worked, which meant that ice would build up very quickly around the lid. That's solid ice between the lid and freezer.
I could knock it off as much as I pleased, but it came right back.
And the lid of the freezer! Oh my goodness. There was so much ice accumulated inside of it, it must have weighed 20 pounds.
The weight of the ice in the lid was actually causing the plastic to sag and pop out.
The lid was so heavy, it scared me to think of what might happen if I didn't manage to hold it up properly while reaching into the depths of the freezer (props to Joshua for holding it up while I took the pictures!).
The final strike against this freezer is that there were no baskets or compartments or anything inside of it. It was a massive space that just begged me to lose and forget about food I'd frozen.
Oh, I remembered one other bad thing. Lately, it had started to not stay sufficiently cold (this is a major defect in a freezer, I think).
So! Given all of that, you can maybe understand why I am so stinking thrilled with my new freezer.
Check this out. I have baskets! Small items will no longer hide in the depths of the freezer.
And I have compartments! I love compartments.
There's even a little divider on the side of the motor, which makes a handy little storage section.
This is one of the best parts. Do you see what that lid is doing? It's staying UP, all by itself. The lid on my other freezer never stayed up by itself.
And it has a light! The light on my other freezer never worked.
Do you know what I'm most excited about, though? I think that this freezer will help me in my fight against food waste.
- Since it has baskets! and sections!, I think that I will be much more able to keep track of what I have (no more forgetting about stuff until it's several years old).
- Because it's easy to organize and easy to open, I will be much more prone to storing food in it instead of in my above-the-fridge freezer. This will reduce waste because food stored in my chest freezer will not get freezer burnt like it does in my above-the-fridge freezer.
Happy sigh.
New freezer, I love you.
Why did you not buy a upright? After having both, I found the upright leads to much less food waste and the ability to see most things at once. Just curious....
Well, for a couple of reasons. A chest freezer is more energy efficient, and because it doesn't defrost by itself, things inside of it are far less likely to get freezer burnt (the one above my fridge defrosts itself, and that thawing/freezing cycle is what burns the food).
I don't foresee any problems with losing food in this freezer because it has such nice organizational options. I'm excited!
Truly a beautiful freezer!
Oh my; that is a beautiful freezer!
I can well understand your excitement; especially after the guided tour of the state of your old one. This new one is going to be much more frugal on the amount of electric you use. It's a beauty; the baskets are heavenly LOL!
Congrats on the new freezer! We just inherited an upright deep freeze from my dad and I'm super happy too! Not as fancy as your recent addition though! Woo hoo for you!
I'm thrilled for you! I feel the same way about my sink you feel about your chest freezer. Isn't it funny how we can get so excited about normal, everyday items?
I wish you and your new chest freezer a long, happy, and maintenance free life together.
I feel the same way about my beautiful new front loading he washing machine. Why did I wait so long??? Oh that's right, we were paying cash.
I'm so glad someone else gives freezers so much thought! We're planning on having an electrician install the right type of outlet in the spring so I can buy a freezer for the basement!
I am just dyyying for a big chest freezer, I am so envious of your storage space!
I do have a question though- how will there be less freezer burn on the food kept in the chest freezer? I don't know all that much about storing frozen food- I currently just store meats that were on sale and am paranoid they'll get burned in the freeze. How do you keep that from happening??
I think I have freezer envy. We have an upright, which does just fine for us, but I am a lover of baskets and compartments too. I love your freezer!
I am so jealous. I dream about having a freezer right now. I feed a family of 6 and have only my fridge (small) freezer to work with. Looks as if a fireplace insert is is taking the place of a new freezer. We will be warm so I should not complain.
I am so happy for you!
So until next time....I keep dreaming....
I bet that this will save you a little on electricity compared to the old one too 🙂
I think that may be the exact same freezer that my sister got last year! (She was really excited about the baskets, too.) I'm not convinced that chest freezers actually save more in food costs than they waste in electricity, but the new freezer is definitely going to save you tons over the old one. I'm interested in how much--can you update us on the difference in your electricity bill in a month or two?
I think I have freezer envy too! But alas, we have no room for one anywhere, so the one above my fridge will just have to do...
I am so jealous!!!!! We unfortunately do not have any place to house a chest freezer so alas I will have to wait for the next house 🙂 Would you mind sharing what brand/version you bought? I would love to know more. Thanks for sharing your pictures!
I'm absolutely drooling over the baskets! What an amazing purchase! Certainly better than your old one. I'd count that as a definite frugal buy 🙂
We are in the market as well. What brand is your freezer?
We are trying to decide on upright (easier to organize and see things) vs. chest (more energy efficient) but I would definitely go chest if I can buy one like yours with all those compartments! Love it! Congratulations 🙂
Kristen- You're selling or giving away your old one, right?
Even though you listed all its defects, there will be someone who can use it, and then it won't end up in a landfill.
Congrats- it's really cool.
When I saw the post title on my side bar I was expecting to see a sheet flying in the wind. LOL!
We are looking for a freezer and have not been able to find a nice used one, so will probably start looking for an afordable new one soon. I love the baskets and dividers; I'll have to add those to my specs.
FrugalGirl, I feel your joy. My KA standing mixer makes me smile, 15+ years after purchase.
I aspire to find a local source of bulk happy meat (what organic should be but isn't: animals raised outside, in environmentally suitable conditions, with plenty of room, and eating food that a child would recognize as natural). If I do, I will be adding a chest freezer to my household. I can get retail happy meat but it's too darn pricy. Unfortunately there's no way to get around the fact that happy chicken is extraordinarily expensive.
Do you keep a list of what's in your freezer? Did it help avoid the losing of small items?
My upright is just like a chest freezer and does not defrost by itself either. It is a good point that you made that a lot of people probably are not aware of. The freezer with your fridge is frost free because it is constantly heating and cooling to keep it at a frost free temp. Which is great to eliminate having to defrost the thing, but will lead to freezer burn on meats and other items after a period of time.
wow, that's impressive, very happy for you (and ok, a little envious too...need to work on hubby some more) ... I like the compartments and such ... not to be a snot, but can you tell me how much you shopped around (make, model, pricing, etc.) ... I have 1 above freezer in garage and 2 side by sides in the house (don't ask, we have a 2nd kitchen in the house) ... and all 3 are jammed packed and of course, no organization whatsoever (can you hear me, "hmmm, I'm quite certain I have some bratwurst here somewhere ... )
Congrats, enjoy, and don't forget to christian it with a nice coat of car wax. Seriously! Hubby drives me batty with this type of stuff 🙂
What size is your freezer? I'm about to purchase one for the first time and I don't want one that's too small. Is this a Kenmore?