# Anyone feed out of a 'normal' freezer?



## liquid (Dec 28, 2011)

I was wondering if anyone here feeds out of a regular freezer? Yknow, the one connected to your fridge!
I dont have the space or money for a chest freezer, so Im currently cramming things into my fridge freezer. Stuffing 40lbs of chicken backs in there was a NIGHTMARE. I feel like I shouldnt bulk buy anymore because of space constraints.  But how else is a girl supposed to get chicken backs and beef hearts? Every place I've called will only sell by the case.
Do you do it? How do you deal with it?!


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## kathylcsw (Jul 31, 2011)

I have a small freezer in the basement but it is full of our stuff so I can only put a bit of the dog's stuff in there. Same for my fridge freezer. Luckily for me my brother has a BIG freezer and lets me put overflow in his. Do you know anyone who has a bigger freezer with extra room?


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## JayJayisme (Aug 2, 2009)

I did for quite awhile when meat around here was dirt cheap on a regular basis. I'd buy just enough for a few days or a week tops and keep it in the "people freezer". Then I'd buy more when I needed it. I would still do that if I could.

But when prices started to escalate, and deals were fewer and farther between, I invested in a small chest freezer so I could take advantage of good deals when they came along. I do use it for people food though as well since I buy 100% grassfed Angus beef from a favorite supplier in bulk (50 lbs at a time).

I now keep a few days worth of frozen dog food in the fridge freezer and the rest in cold storage in the chest freezer, which is outside and not very convenient to use on a daily basis. I have to write what is on all the Ziploc bags though so we don't mix people food up with dog food. Some of what I freeze to feed for the dogs is expired meat so labeling is critical. We have had to cut back on the amount of people food we keep in the fridge-freezer though to make room. The little inconveniences of raw feeding like this, and there are others, are totally worth it to me though.


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## Georgeyporge (Dec 30, 2011)

I'm the same at the minute, just crammed 20 odd lbs of chicken backs into our fridge freezer and it's full. I don't have a chest freezer, nor the space for one. I can't help thinking it's got to be the way forward though, there's just not enough room for anything else in there, reckon I'll have to make room for a bigger one somewhere.


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## frogdog (Aug 10, 2011)

We only use our regular freezer because we have just one dog. Also, we never used it for ourselves...literally nothing was ever in it but cold beer mugs. I can get away with it because I do not buy in bulk...all grocery items. Charlie did say a couple of weeks ago that he thought we should get a chest freezer for all Yogi's food.

This is what our's looks like....


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## IslandPaws4Raw (Sep 7, 2011)

I do and I'm feeding 3 dogs raw :tongue: Granted none of them are very big....... but I manage by buying only when I need stuff. The only thing I can really buy in bulk right now is chicken from the local farm, but those only come in 10 lb bags anyway. The rest I buy at the grocery store. I try to stagger it so there is room to add a variety of meats.


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## liquid (Dec 28, 2011)

I wish I knew someone with extra room! I would invest in a chest freezer if I had the space, but unfortunately I currently rent and the entire apartment is covered in carpet except for the tiny kitchen and the bathrooms. I wonder if its hazardous to put a chest freezer on carpet, (fire?) or if it'd ruin the carpet and I'd lose my deposit! 

I only have one dog to feed. :smile: It'll get expensive real quick if I start buying from the grocery store, though. Especially when it comes to beef!
Which I want to start feeding, but have no idea where to start. 
My fridge freezer is one of those standard top-freezers. I ended up tossing out some people food (frozen chicken nuggets, almost-finished icecream..) in order to make room for the dog food.. LOL!


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## eternalstudent (Jul 22, 2010)

I did for ages, it was not that long ago that we got a separate upright for the pup. Before then it was a question of how well could we pack the chicken to make the most of the space. 

I will say though - don't forget that stuff expands on freezing (ooops)

otherwise its perfectly do-able


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## liquid (Dec 28, 2011)

eternalstudent said:


> I did for ages, it was not that long ago that we got a separate upright for the pup. Before then it was a question of how well could we pack the chicken to make the most of the space.
> 
> I will say though - don't forget that stuff expands on freezing (ooops)
> 
> otherwise its perfectly do-able


Haha, its like a game of tetris isnt it? :tongue:
I actually forgot that things expand when frozen.. I'll keep that in mind next time! 
I might have to find someone in my area to split cases of meat with, I think that'd help a lot, since buying meat at the grocery store isnt nearly a good a deal as it is to buy in bulk from a butcher.

I feel better that a good number of you have fed from a regular freezer. :smile:


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## AveryandAudrey (Sep 20, 2010)

well I dont have another freezer but my mom has an upright one. So I keep most meat in there and keep about 2 weeks worth in my freezer attached to my fridge and yes, its packed. When we move to somewhere with more space, I will invest in my own freezer.


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## AveryandAudrey (Sep 20, 2010)

Plus, when we move I will be getting another puppy to our family. So I'll surely need a freezer.


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## frogdog (Aug 10, 2011)

liquid said:


> I only have one dog to feed. :smile: It'll get expensive real quick if I start buying from the grocery store, though. Especially when it comes to beef!Which I want to start feeding, but have no idea where to start. My fridge freezer is one of those standard top-freezers. I ended up tossing out some people food (frozen chicken nuggets, almost-finished icecream..) in order to make room for the dog food.. LOL!


You're in NC...do ya'll have BI-LO'S...can't remember. They are the BEST for buying beef, chicken and turkey...unreal sales. I leave outta there with $75 worth of beef for less than $20. It's my #1 place to shop for Yogi. Then, Food Lion has beef heart, tongue and kidney at great prices. I highly recommend looking into the two stores if they're in your area.


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

I am in the same boat as you. I don't have the money for a chest freezer either. I really don't have the room either. The room I was GOING to put it in has so much stuff in it now (all for the dogs) that there is no hope of fitting a freezer in there. Basically, I buy all of my meat from Walmart and the butcher. There are select meats that I buy from Walmart, like Foster Farms chickens for under a dollar per pound and the rest comes from my butcher. I buy 20 lb cases. Like you, I don't have the room for 40 lbs of something. I usually have enough for about 20 lbs though. What I don't have room for gets put in the fridge and fed first. So far, although it has been a pain in the rear, it has been pretty doable. Once you get used to buying meat more often you stop thinking about the fact that you don't have a chest freezer.


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## liquid (Dec 28, 2011)

frogdog said:


> You're in NC...do ya'll have BI-LO'S...can't remember. They are the BEST for buying beef, chicken and turkey...unreal sales. I leave outta there with $75 worth of beef for less than $20. It's my #1 place to shop for Yogi. Then, Food Lion has beef heart, tongue and kidney at great prices. I highly recommend looking into the two stores if they're in your area.


Nope, no BI-LO here :frown: I know theyre in SC though, youre so lucky!
Food Lion does have decent prices, but they dont carry beef heart, tongue, or kidney where I am. I actually called the meat department at my local Food Lion and they told me to ask elsewhere. I couldnt believe it :twitch:




Dude and Bucks Mamma said:


> I am in the same boat as you. I don't have the money for a chest freezer either. I really don't have the room either. The room I was GOING to put it in has so much stuff in it now (all for the dogs) that there is no hope of fitting a freezer in there. Basically, I buy all of my meat from Walmart and the butcher. There are select meats that I buy from Walmart, like Foster Farms chickens for under a dollar per pound and the rest comes from my butcher. I buy 20 lb cases. Like you, I don't have the room for 40 lbs of something. I usually have enough for about 20 lbs though. What I don't have room for gets put in the fridge and fed first. So far, although it has been a pain in the rear, it has been pretty doable. Once you get used to buying meat more often you stop thinking about the fact that you don't have a chest freezer.


I'll have to call around and ask about 20lb cases. I do the same thing, when I run out of room in the freezer I put everything left on the bottom shelf of the fridge, in plastic containers. Its definitely a pain..
Thanks for the advice :smile:


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## AveryandAudrey (Sep 20, 2010)

Anyone have an albertsons?


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## liquid (Dec 28, 2011)

AveryandAudrey said:


> Anyone have an albertsons?


None near me, unfortunately.


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## frogdog (Aug 10, 2011)

AveryandAudrey said:


> Anyone have an albertsons?


Nope...me either



liquid said:


> Nope, no BI-LO here :frown: I know theyre in SC though, youre so lucky!
> Food Lion does have decent prices, but they dont carry beef heart, tongue, or kidney where I am. I actually called the meat department at my local Food Lion and they told me to ask elsewhere. I couldnt believe it :twitch:


Now that's just rude...where's they're southern hospitality and customer service, LOL!!!


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## AveryandAudrey (Sep 20, 2010)

Darn, they have their own butcher and prices are fair.


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

My Mum feeds 4 adults(including 2 guys who work out side and eat a TON) and 4 pets(who eat a total of 2lbs/day) out of a fridge/freeze and a freezer the size of a MINI fridge.

It can be done!:smile: Mostly she gets either sale items, or buys whole roasts, cases of quarters, etc and breaks them down before ever storing them.

She also buys all of their food ever1.5-2 weeks and always has 3-4 days worth of food in the fridge...so that she only has to have about a week's worth of food in the freeze at once if need be! :thumb:


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## schtuffy (May 17, 2010)

I use a regular freezer! But I also have only one dog who isn't all that big...and he takes up almost half of it. What I do is I just buy meat from the farm or grocery store...nothing in bulk because there would be no way for me to store it and maintain a variety at the same time. The lack of room in my freezer drives me nuts. When we decide to get another dog, a separate freezer just might be inevitable :shocked: But on the other hand, all that meat lasts quite awhile...I don't really go shopping for meat more often than every month or two.


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## Noodlesmadison (Sep 18, 2011)

I do!
I was going to get a freezer but it never really happened.

I buy a ton of meat, but it's the packing that you really need to figure out lol. I make sure the air is out of all bags before closing them, I spend 5 minutes trying to stack it all in there neatly. The neater the easier it is for me


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## liquid (Dec 28, 2011)

Noodlesmadison said:


> I do!
> I was going to get a freezer but it never really happened.
> 
> I buy a ton of meat, but it's the packing that you really need to figure out lol. I make sure the air is out of all bags before closing them, I spend 5 minutes trying to stack it all in there neatly. The neater the easier it is for me


Id love to see the inside of your freezer :biggrin1:
Chicken backs are such an odd shape, its hard to get them to kinda stack and flatten, lol.

When I have ground beef (for me!) I always put the meat in a freezer bag and flatten it out so it's just a thin, flat square. That way I can stack a bunch in the freezer at once. :thumb:


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## SpooOwner (Oct 1, 2010)

There are a few other folks on here from the Triangle (myself included). You might be able to split some cases, so you don't have to cram all 40 lbs plus other cuts into your freezer.


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## liquid (Dec 28, 2011)

SpooOwner said:


> There are a few other folks on here from the Triangle (myself included). You might be able to split some cases, so you don't have to cram all 40 lbs plus other cuts into your freezer.


I didnt realize there were so many NCers on the forum, that's great.
If you're up to splitting a case or something, I'd be more than happy to! We could exchange details via PM or something. :smile: Otherwise, I'll have to scout out the other Triangle folks and ask 'em as well. 
Its a shame the Triangle RAW group on yahoo seems so inactive.


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

liquid said:


> I didnt realize there were so many NCers on the forum, that's great.
> If you're up to splitting a case or something, I'd be more than happy to! We could exchange details via PM or something. :smile:
> Its a shame the Triangle RAW group on yahoo seems so inactive.


Have you tried posting/searching on here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/118405634857097/

I just searched "Raleigh" and found a post of some people writing on some places that they find cheap meat at!:thumb:

You might want to post encase you can find others as well!!:becky:


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## BoxerParty (Nov 9, 2011)

I live in a 450ft apartment, and I got a chest freezer. Right now it's full of "freebies", so I mostly feed my dogs out of the "human" freezer. (For the record, human food in the human freezer: one banana, frozen spinach, sage; dog food in human freezer: chicken quarters, chicken backs, turkey legs, turkey breast, turkey necks, salmon, herring...)

So, it's certainly POSSIBLE, but if you can put a small chest freezer anywhere in your place (even the bathroom), it's worth it to be able to stock up when you find a good deal!


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## swolek (Mar 31, 2011)

Yup, I do, and that means I have to buy meat every week =/. It's a pain but I have no choice. We have really limited space and even if I did have the space...there's literally nowhere to plug it in that wouldn't trip the breaker! Our house is wired weirdly and electricity doesn't even work in some parts of the house (no outdoor or garage outlets, either).

I'm moving this year, anyway, so I should wait to buy anymore appliances .


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## liquid (Dec 28, 2011)

Scarlett_O' said:


> Have you tried posting/searching on here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/118405634857097/
> 
> I just searched "Raleigh" and found a post of some people writing on some places that they find cheap meat at!:thumb:
> 
> You might want to post encase you can find others as well!!:becky:


YAY! Thats awesome! :biggrin1:



BoxerParty said:


> I live in a 450ft apartment, and I got a chest freezer. Right now it's full of "freebies", so I mostly feed my dogs out of the "human" freezer. (For the record, human food in the human freezer: one banana, frozen spinach, sage; dog food in human freezer: chicken quarters, chicken backs, turkey legs, turkey breast, turkey necks, salmon, herring...)
> 
> So, it's certainly POSSIBLE, but if you can put a small chest freezer anywhere in your place (even the bathroom), it's worth it to be able to stock up when you find a good deal!


Oh I wish I could find a place for a freezer! Both bathrooms are tiny, and the kitchen has absolutely no room or available outlet, really. Frustrating.




swolek said:


> Yup, I do, and that means I have to buy meat every week =/. It's a pain but I have no choice. We have really limited space and even if I did have the space...there's literally nowhere to plug it in that wouldn't trip the breaker! Our house is wired weirdly and electricity doesn't even work in some parts of the house (no outdoor or garage outlets, either).
> 
> I'm moving this year, anyway, so I should wait to buy anymore appliances .


I think I buy meat every 2 weeks or so.
I'm moving in about half a year, so I guess we just gotta deal with it until we find better places!


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## bully4life (Aug 9, 2010)

I feed out of both, i have a chest in the basement that holds 240 lbs of beef/chicken/turkey, and the upstairs freezer /fridge holds 30-40 of misc food items, liver,heart,fish.


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## swolek (Mar 31, 2011)

liquid said:


> I think I buy meat every 2 weeks or so.
> I'm moving in about half a year, so I guess we just gotta deal with it until we find better places!


We have four dogs eating raw which is why I have to get meat so often, haha. Originally it was just Sophie and I could get away with shopping twice a month. Plus I have snakes that eat frozen food, too.

Yeah, hopefully we can both get big freezers someday .


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## BoxerParty (Nov 9, 2011)

liquid said:


> Oh I wish I could find a place for a freezer! Both bathrooms are tiny, and the kitchen has absolutely no room or available outlet, really. Frustrating.


Mine's in the front hall. It's the only place it would fit!


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## SpooOwner (Oct 1, 2010)

liquid said:


> I didnt realize there were so many NCers on the forum, that's great.
> If you're up to splitting a case or something, I'd be more than happy to! We could exchange details via PM or something. :smile: Otherwise, I'll have to scout out the other Triangle folks and ask 'em as well.
> Its a shame the Triangle RAW group on yahoo seems so inactive.


The Triangle Raw group migrated to google groups:
TriangleRawCoop | Google Groups

I'm PMing you...


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## monkeys23 (Dec 8, 2010)

I feed two bigger dogs and a small foster out of the freezer over the fridge. I can fit a scary amount of stuff in there. *shrug*


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## werecatrising (Oct 15, 2010)

I am going to have to find a way to get a bigger freezer. I have a small (5 cu I think) chest freezer but it's just not enough. I filled it at the beginning of the month and am already through more than half of it. Quinn i having issues with his weight and is getting about 5% of his body weight a day. Then I have to other large dogs and 7 cats.


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## JayJayisme (Aug 2, 2009)

liquid said:


> I wonder if its hazardous to put a chest freezer on carpet, (fire?) or if it'd ruin the carpet and I'd lose my deposit!


You are wise to not put a chest freezer or even a mini fridge on the carpet. But, there is a easy solution. I did this when my twins were born and we decided to put a mini fridge upstairs where all the bedrooms are so we wouldn't have to run downstairs every time we wanted to give them some formula or pureed fruit. I went to the local big box home improvement store and bought a 2-foot by 2-foot square sheet of heavy 7/8" plywood. Then I bought four stick-on 12-inch vinyl floor tiles and stuck them down on the board. I put that on the carpet and the fridge on the tiled side of the board. It's stable and allows air to flow under it just fine. No damage whatsoever to the carpet. For a small chest freezer you'd need a larger piece but as long as it's at least 3/4-inch thick, you should be fine.


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## liquid (Dec 28, 2011)

JayJayisme said:


> You are wise to not put a chest freezer or even a mini fridge on the carpet. But, there is a easy solution. I did this when my twins were born and we decided to put a mini fridge upstairs where all the bedrooms are so we wouldn't have to run downstairs every time we wanted to give them some formula or pureed fruit. I went to the local big box home improvement store and bought a 2-foot by 2-foot square sheet of heavy 7/8" plywood. Then I bought four stick-on 12-inch vinyl floor tiles and stuck them down on the board. I put that on the carpet and the fridge on the tiled side of the board. It's stable and allows air to flow under it just fine. No damage whatsoever to the carpet. For a small chest freezer you'd need a larger piece but as long as it's at least 3/4-inch thick, you should be fine.


Wow, I never wouldve thought of that. I'll have to look into getting a freezer then! :biggrin1:


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## Rodeo (Sep 11, 2011)

I have for a year or so.. just wasn't able to stock up very much. But I got a small chest freezer for christmas so I'm excited  I havent filled it up yet but I'm working on it.


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## barneysmom2510 (Oct 12, 2011)

I do but after stufffing 80 pounds of meat in it the other day I realize I really need a freezer. MY son does not like his ice cream next to a bag of frozen hearts.


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## liquid (Dec 28, 2011)

barneysmom2510 said:


> I do but after stufffing 80 pounds of meat in it the other day I realize I really need a freezer. MY son does not like his ice cream next to a bag of frozen hearts.


Wow, 80 pounds? That's talent!
Lol! Im sure my boyfriend doesnt like seeing his box of bagel bites squished in between bags of bloody chicken backs :tongue:


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## NewYorkDogue (Sep 27, 2011)

I finally decided to buy my dog (well, myself) a small chest freezer for Christmas. Just too many times of opening the fridge freezer and having rolls of tripe or bags of hearts, or whatever come raining down on my feet...

Mind you, I live in an apartment, so space was going to be tight. Fortunately, I was able to squeeze it under the ladder that goes up to my loft bed, so it's not really sticking out taking up valuable space.

This freezer is dead quiet, and works perfectly. Glad I bought it.


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