5 Ways Frozen Foods Can Help You Stretch Your Grocery Budget

Everyone is feeling the squeeze at the grocery store these days. Rising prices have many reevaluating their spending habits, searching for any and all ways to stretch their grocery budget. If that's you, here's a secret: Some of the best savings you'll find on the highest-quality foods are in the frozen aisle.

Yep, frozen foods are a bargain shopper's best friend. While some still equate frozen foods with ultra-processed microwave meals and TV dinners, the frozen cases of any grocery store actually contain some of the best-quality foods you can find. Why? Because frozen produce is picked at the peak of freshness — which also translates to the peak of its nutritional value — and is frozen in that state until you're ready to prepare it at home. Of course, not all frozen foods are created equal, and while single-ingredient frozen items (think frozen fruits and vegetables) are at the top of the list in terms of both affordability and quality, other frozen food options like prepared meals can help you save both time and money. Just keep an eye on the packaging for reg flags like high sodium or a long, complicated ingredient list.

If that weren't enough, frozen foods are often less expensive than their fresh or canned alternatives living elsewhere in the store. Given all this, incorporating frozen foods in your at-home meal planning is a no-brainer. Just be sure to avoid these mistakes everyone makes with frozen food and you'll wonder why you didn't jump on the frozen food bandwagon sooner. Here are 5 ways frozen foods can help you stretch your grocery budget.

Starting from a purely cost-comparison standpoint, frozen single ingredients usually come out cheaper than their fresh counterparts. A bag of fresh green beans at Walmart, for example, rings up at $2.47 for 12 ounces, where as a 12-ounce bag of Great Value's Frozen Cut Green Beans is just 98 cents. Consider that frozen vegetables are often more nutritionally dense and many can be microwaved right in the bag, and you've got more than enough reason to make the switch to frozen.

Wondering how frozen foods compare to canned? A 14.5oz can of Great Value's Cut Green Beans is 76 cents, which would appear to be the better price, right? Not so fast. The canned green beans have 3 ½ servings of ½ cup of green beans, whereas the frozen bag has 4 servings at ⅔ cup per serving, so both varieties work out to be about the same cost per serving, but the frozen green beans are listed with a larger serving size. Are we into the weeds here? Sure. But when it comes to stretching your grocery budget, every penny counts.

What about prepared frozen foods, like pizzas? At Target, you can grab a fresh Market Pantry Take and Bake Pizza for $6.99. Compare that with the same brand's frozen pizza at $3.79. We recently found that Screamin' Sicilian is the superior frozen pizza brand according to Reddit, and Target lists the popular brand's pizzas at $7.59. Target frequently puts its frozen pizzas on sale, and you can currently get either the Market Pantry or Screamin' Sicilian brands at buy one, get one 25% off, which would bring the price down to $3.32 and $6.60 each, respectively.

Target's pizzas raise an important point — frozen foods are commonly part of a grocery store's sale cycle, and stocking up on staples while they are on sale can be a lifeboat for your budget. If you agree that Screamin' Sicilian pizzas are the GOAT, grabbing eight when they're on Target's BOGO 25% off sale adds up to a savings of $7.60, or the equivalent of a free pizza at regular price.

Admittedly, you might not want to bulk-buy to that degree (and finding the space in your freezer is a whole other story), but the point still stands that tossing in a few extra packages of frozen foods when they are on sale can really help stretch your grocery budget. Bulk-buying frozen items, especially when they're on sale, can also make high-quality foods like organic produce, grass-fed meats, and wild-caught seafood more accessible. Aldi's fresh Atlantic salmon portions, for example, are $8.99 per pound. If you walk over to their frozen cases, you can grab a 32-ounce bag of wild-caught salmon filets for just $11.39. That's 63% less per pound when you buy frozen. Keep a bag or two in your freezer and you've got a healthy dinner ready to go whenever you need it at a fraction of the cost of buying fresh.

Of course, it's possible to stock up on frozen foods when they are on sale because you don't have to worry about them spoiling. According to Foodsafety.gov, frozen foods can be kept frozen indefinitely; only quality becomes a concern over time. This is another way frozen foods are technically superior to canned, as canned goods will go bad and become unsafe to eat. However, they can last up to five years with proper storage and don't require electricity, so they are a good (and affordable) bulk-buying option. Still, when comparing frozen to fresh, there is no contest when it comes to longevity.

If you're stocking up on frozen foods, be sure to notice an item's "Best if Used By" date to judge how long it will maintain its quality in your freezer. Try to stick fairly close to this date as it assures quality, but remember it's a suggestion, not a hard-and-fast rule. Frozen foods can sit in your freezer until you're ready to use them. The hardest part will be keeping your freezer organized without all the bulk.

Even if you're only cooking for one, frozen food stockpiles are a practical way to keep more money in your wallet. According to the EPA, food waste costs the average American $728 every year. Not only will frozen foods last longer than fresh alternatives, but they are also easier to portion out to suit individual needs and avoid wasting food. Let's say you like to make the occasional smoothie. Instead of worrying about using up a whole pack of fresh strawberries before they spoil, just divvy out one cup of frozen strawberries when the craving strikes. Frozen rolls and biscuits are also perfect for portioning. They can be either frozen fully cooked for a quick-serve option, or frozen uncooked for that fresh-baked taste and texture. Instead of preparing a multi-serve recipe that is destined to go stale, grab one or two rolls from the freezer.

Once again, frozen foods win out over their canned counterparts here. If you struggle to eat through an entire can of peas, for example, portioning out a single serving from the freezer is a waste-preventing, cost-cutting alternative. Pro tip: Pour portions from the bag instead of reaching in with your hand to prevent the spread of bacteria, which can survive freezing temperatures.

You've likely experienced — or at least heard — that meal planning can significantly help stretch your grocery budget. Meal planning helps narrow your grocery list and can quench the temptation of impulse buys. Planning your meals based on what is on sale at your local grocery store is another frugal shopper's secret, and as we've mentioned, stocking up on frozen sale items can mean big savings for months to come.

Another quick step to your grocery routine that will save money is shopping your pantry — and freezer — first when you plan your meals. Put your frozen stockpile to good use by letting your on-hand ingredients guide your meal selection. What recipes call for frozen items you already have? As for the items you'll need to add to your shopping list, which can be bought frozen so you'll spend less? With your meals planned out, you can make the most of the grocery store sales and avoid deviating from your list. When it comes time to prepare the meal, you won't have to run out for something last-minute and risk paying a premium. Meal planning can take practice and discipline, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes a time optimization hack in addition to a budget-stretching strategy. Whipping up meals using recipes you already decided on and ingredients waiting for you in the freezer feels like putting money back in your pocket and a little time back on the clock.