subject: Refrigerators and Freezers Have Transformed the Way We Shop [print this page] Refrigerators and Freezers Have Transformed the Way We Shop
Imagine a home without refrigerators or freezers and you would quickly realise that the food you eat every day would be very different. Tinned products would be unaffected as would bread and cereal but a whole host of products would be greatly affected if they could not be kept chilled. Milk would go off quickly and meat and fish products would have to be eaten on the day of purchase. This would place a greater pressure on the household to go shopping every day or to buy products that do not require being chilled.
The benefits brought to a family that uses a refrigerator and freezer manifests itself in saving time and money. Being able to buy foodstuffs once a week and then place them in a freezer is a great time saver for the main shopper in the family. Being able to devote an hour or two each week to the shopping process is much preferable to spending half an hour or so every day buying food for the day ahead.
Another benefit of being able to chill and freeze food comes with the fact that there can be an element of long-term planning when it comes to food. Some families' budget weeks in advance and knowing what money is available to spend on food helps people pay their bills on time. Once people have been paid, it is quite common for them to go grocery shopping and freeze a lot of products. This means that if emergencies arise, they have plenty of food that can be used, meaning they will not go hungry if the rest of their money has to be used for other purposes.
There can also be a benefit from buying in bulk with economies of scale providing discounts for buying products. A family that goes through a lot of soft drinks or convenience food may find that buying large multi-packs or multiple products lowers the individual cost of each item. Without a refrigerator or freezer these additional products would go to waste quite quickly but storing them for later provides a good financial saving.
The cost of buying these white goods can be made back many times over through buying products at a cheaper price and the freezing them to be used at a later date. Whether you have your refrigerator and freezer in the kitchen, the garage or the storage room, they are essential additions to any household and can really help a family make their money go further.
