Learning the Value of Storage Space

At first, we didn’t really understand what all this space was for. After attempting to fit a car in there and failing, we mainly used the space for laundry, a few extra chairs, and the memorabilia of our single lives that didn’t find a place in our shared home. It wasn’t until we started looking at places to cut spending in our budget that we really learned what this space could afford us.

The biggest budget category we felt we had control over was food and household items. After researching ways to save on our grocery bill and getting into batch cooking, we realized that our shelves and freezer were overflowing. That was because the main ways we could really start making an impact on the budget were being able to stock up on shelf-stable or freezable items when items during a sale or buying in bulk. I could never shop at Costco when I lived in the city because where was I supposed to keep 30 rolls of toilet paper?

After having this mini epiphany about the possibilities for the garage we made the investment into three storage shelves and a chest freezer and it seems hard to imagine going back. This space and these items allow us to take advantage of sales, buying in bulk, and freezing any item to prevent spoiling and waste. All which lead to huge cost savings. We nearly cut our food and household goods bill in half.

Space is a Privilege

As our budgeting journey continues to teach us things about cost-saving and the importance of having sinking-funds and savings, it also continues to open our eyes to the privilege we have in even being able to do these things. Of course, I encourage everyone who wants to save money to take similar actions, but even from the small fact that I would have never been able to do this in an apartment, I realize that this is not possible for everyone. I don’t know enough to get too in-depth on the topic but it’s one of those frustrating ironies that those who cannot afford more space are those who could benefit the most from what storage space could afford you to save. Even the idea of stocking up on a sale or buying in bulk means that you have to have enough cash on hand to buy more now to ultimately save money. I don’t have a solution for this double-edged sword, but I write about it in hopes of larger understanding and maybe some comments that would help provide additional ideas for those in a limited situation. I also recommend this video by Two Cents that highlights how it can actually be more expensive to be poor.

The catalyst to finding a better solution was really moving to a larger place where I had more storage space, most importantly, room for a chest freezer. I’ll get into the wonders of a chest freezer at a later time, but know that freezer space is the key to batch cooking.

What is Batch Cooking?

Batch cooking is pretty much what it sounds like, you cook in batches, bigger batches than you need for a single meal. The idea is that you cook one meal for now and freeze at least one meal for later. Over time you have built up a freezer full of ready to reheat meals great for busy nights.

The Benefits of Batch Cooking

• Less Effort. With meal prepping, you usually aim to do all your cooking in one big push, usually taking up a couple of hours on the weekend. With batch cooking, you are just doubling up on recipes which usually adds a minimal amount of extra work and time.
• Variety. Since you are freezing the meals, you can eat leftovers at your own pace. With many meals lasting from a month to six months in the freezer, there is no need to trudge through the same meal for 4 days.
• Works well with bulk shopping. If you are also bulk shopping to save some cash, batch cooking matches really well with the quantities you are made to purchase. No need to portion out that extra-large package of ground beef if you simply cook it up into 4 meals at one time.
• Reduce food waste. Grocery portions of food seldom align with recipe portions of food. Batch cooking gets you comfortable with your kitchen math skills and you will find yourself expanding your meals to match your ingredients. More meals + less waste = happy wallets.
• Save Money. In addition to the two money-saving tips above, simply having ready-made meals at home curbs the urge to turn to DoorDash or a night out. After you have built your freezer stock, you’ll enjoy small grocery bills when you just shop for fresh ingredients.

Partial Batch Cooking

Batch cooking works best with meals that freeze well, but since not everything falls in that category, you could find this limiting at first. Get creative and batch cook as much as you can. For example, I cook up 4-5 portions of taco meat to be used in a variety of dishes. Preparing the fresh ingredients for taco salad can be done in the same amount of time it takes for the meat to reheat.

Batch Cooking Favorites (So Far)

Here’s a quick list of meals or components that are on rotation in our home.

• Soups and Stew. Chili, pozole, and minestrone are on constant rotation but most soups and stews are perfect candidates for batch cooking.
• Ground Meats. Most pre-packaged portions of ground meat are too much for two people so I usually cook it all at once and freeze some for later. Most times I season it, but it’s totally optional.
• Pot Pies. If I’m making pie crust, I’m only doing it once. This freezes especially well and helps make use of leftovers.
• Indian Food. We love Indian food but it requires a lot of small amounts of ingredients, so we batch cook and enjoy for months.
• Rice & Beans. Both these ingredients take a bit of time to cook up from scratch, even with the Instant Pot. Split big batches into meal-sized portions.