Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free (or close to it)

Milk!  Most of us with families go through a LOT of milk and that can add up.  Coupons for milk are rare and it normally runs around $2.50 a gallon.  Here is a great way to save!

I have found that my Kroger discounts milk early on Thursday and Friday mornings.  Generally, the half gallons get marked down the most.  Typically around .99 per half gallon but I often see them as low as .33 per half gallon.  I like half gallons because you can freeze them without having to remove any milk (you must remove some milk from gallons before freezing or they will burst). 

You can't necessarily be picky about what variety of milk you will buy.  Sometimes whole, 2%, 1%, and skim are all on sale and sometimes only one variety is on sale.  I usually take what I can get if it is as low as .33 a half gallon (which for you math challenged folk out there is .66 a gallon!!!).

Last time it went down to .33 a gallon, I bought 15 half gallons.  Still made sure to leave some for other deal finders too!  I still have it in my freezer but I'm down to about 2 1/2 gallons so I'll be on the lookout for more markdowns this week.

If you have never frozen milk before, here are some things to be aware of:

1. It will look FUNKY when you freeze it.  Don't worry, it does separate some but once it defrosts and you give it a good shake it will come back together and be as nice and white as before.

2. Keep a sharpie by the freezer and mark the date that you pulled it out so you know you have about 5 - 7 days to use it from THAT date.  I actually do this will all foods I pull out of the freezer.

3. If it ever tastes watery, shake it.  I am in the habit of shaking it whenever I pull it out.

Other dairy items can be frozen as well.  I regularly freeze yogurt, cheese, and sour cream.  Sour cream will not return to its normal state so you can not use it for toppings or dips.  It is fine in baking and cooking.  Yogurt does just fine.  Cheese does fine but it doesn't return exactly to the way it was.  It will get crumbly so you won't be able to slice it for parties but it will do fine melted or crumbled over salads.

Part of being able to save extreme amounts is being able to stock up on items when they are at the cheapest.  I highly recommend buying an extra freezer for the garage or basement.  We bought ours at a use appliance store for $100 and in a few short months it had already earned its value.