The Costco coupon for boneless pork chops expires tomorrow (6-25-06) in the US. Get ‘em while you can!

Also, don’t forget to mark your calendar the week of July 31-August 6. The coupon for boneless chicken thighs is “buy one, get one free.” Early August is a great time to stock up the freezer with familiar, kid friendly meals, like our Honey Glazed Chicken Thighs. It’s amazing how a calm dinner hour can help everyone adjust to their new routine, while also giving you time to focus on all that’s new with the kids.

Happy cooking!

As I was driving through a residential neighborhood this morning, I spotted a chest freezer marked “free” by the road. Over the years I have seen many freezers advertised for free or very reasonable prices in the paper under the Thrifties section. I understand there are also appliance stores that resell used appliances.

Picking up a used freezer can save you hundreds of dollars. Here are some tips:

1) Inspect all seals. Any seals that are falling away from the door, compressed (and not completely sealing), or stiff and cracking, can cause problems in the long run.

2) Consider the year the freezer was made. Newer models can be more energy efficient and have better design.

3) Take temperature readings on various shelves and racks to make sure the freezer is able to maintain a reading of 0 degrees or lower. Continue to check these temperatures regularly, as changes in readings from one time to the next, can signal your freezer may fail. And as Lindsay can attest, it’s no fun to throw everything out when the freezer dies*.

4) Check the return policy and/or warranty. Some appliance stores that refurbish used freezers offer warranties. This is valuable information to consider while making your purchasing decisions.

5) Finally, if you are purchasing a freezer from a newspaper ad or garage sale, ask the owner the reason for letting it go. When was the last time he checked internal temperatures? Does she know if there are any problems with it? Or any warm areas? How old is it? Where did she purchase it? Before you write the check, consider the costs of disposal. Your local waste hauler can give you an estimate. The seller may grant a partial discount based on this disposal fee–especially on older models.

Spring and summer are good seasons to be on the lookout for a used freezer. More people are moving, cleaning out the garage, and making decisions to upgrade, or downsize, depending on how the household is growing and changing.

*Linsday mentions 34-40 degrees as the “safety zone” in her blog. This is for regularly refrigerated food, not food in the freezer. If you know you’ve been in your freezer within the past couple of days but now it’s reading a temperature within this range, you can still use the food within a day or so if those temperatures are maintained. If it is over 40 degrees though, consider it spoiled and throw it out. Better to be safe than sick!