Thanks for the directions to the Thrift and Making DO thread in social chat, Anne!

I read this one every day too! I'm always looking for new ideas.

As for the freezer costs, if you keep it filled, even with bottles of water, it saves on cost. A full freezer costs less to run than an empty one. If you have an old freezer, it will cost you, but look for deals on newer freezers on Craigslist or in your local paper.
A new freezer costs $25.00 to 30.00 a year to run when full. A chest freezer costs less than an upright. You can even buy a new freezer at a scratch and dent sale for half of what it would cost if that scratch or dent wasn't there!

I have a full chest freezer and a full freezer on my fridge and I rotate the contents every two weeks or so, to make sure it is all getting used. We cook in bulk, buy in bulk, shop sales only, and hit the bread store and the local farm for our milk (raw)

This week we are making cheese! I love fresh mozzarella and ricotta and it's so easy to make, it's worth the time it takes to have it fresh! Then we will make some pans of lasagna and stuffed shells and some manicotti. One pot of sauce, one pot for boiling the pasta and a bunch of baking pans to hold it all.

Nothing like popping a pan in the oven, putting it on timed bake and coming home to fresh Italian!!...MMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!