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Saving Money On Ziptop Bags

February 19, 2009

Saving Money On Ziptop Bags, Coins in Zip-Lock BagI wash and reuse freezer bags, except the ones that had chicken in them. I know some people turn the bags inside out to dry. I don't do this because I always seem to tear the ends of the "zippers". What I do is take a section of a "select-a-size" paper towel, fold it in half and put it in the bag, then press the bag flat. You can zip the bag shut if you want to, but this is not necessary.

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The towel absorbs the water. Remove the paper towel when bag and towel are dry. Save the paper towel because it can be used in another bag, or for general cleaning. You can keep using the same towel in several bags. Saves money on paper towels and freezer bags. If you use a lot of bags, the savings can really add up. Try it, you will like this method.

By Linda from Bloomington, IL

 
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6 More Solutions

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Silver Post Medal for All Time! 306 Posts
April 11, 2011

Turn those plastic bags wrong side out when you wash them. It is much easier to get them clean, especially in the corners.

 
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September 23, 2010

I wash out ziplock bags (freezer and storage) after use. I throw away any that had meat in them that thawed.

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When done, I fold a section of paper towel and put it in the bag, then flatten the bag.

 
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Questions

Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.


Bronze Post Medal for All Time! 219 Posts
August 3, 2009

I am thinking about trying to save time in the kitchen by cooking 2 or 3 meals at a time and freezing them for later in the week. What is the best thing to freeze spaghetti in? Should I invest in the expensive freezer bags or can I use the freezer bags at the Dollar store?

By Onesummer

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Bronze Feedback Medal for All Time! 147 Feedbacks
August 3, 20090 found this helpful

You can use the Dollar store brand storage bags. I do all the time, good luck.

 
August 3, 20090 found this helpful

I always buy the dollar store bags, I've only had problems twice one time none of the bags in the box were sealed on the bottom so everything fell straight through and another time 1 of the boxes all the bags had a slit down the 1 side.

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I have found that the dollar store Freezer Bags may not hold liquids that well, I put broth in them and went back in a week the dollar store freezer bags had leaks' , I learned my lesson, I freeze in and containers pop them out and then put them in the bag to eliminate that problem
good luck

 

Silver Post Medal for All Time! 255 Posts
August 4, 20090 found this helpful

If you want to save money as well as time, don't use freezer bags. Instead get the reusable freezer containers (very much like rubbermade). They last for years.

 
August 5, 20090 found this helpful

I always buy the store brand or the Family Dollar brand frezer bags, and they work just as good as Ziplock!

 

Bronze Feedback Medal for All Time! 213 Feedbacks
August 5, 20090 found this helpful

I don't use store brands because I found they don't keep food as fresh as I like especially the sandwich size. I don't use plastic containers any more because I have done research on the safety of them and I found they are really not safe.

 
August 5, 20090 found this helpful

I always buy the dollar store and store brand bags as well! A little trick I learned: after putting the food in the bag, zip it almost all the way up. Put a straw in the opening, and suck out the air.

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Then quickly pull out the straw and zip it up. No need to buy an expensive machine to get the air out, just a cheap old straw will do the trick! Try it!

 

Silver Feedback Medal for All Time! 407 Feedbacks
August 5, 20090 found this helpful

I use the dollar store bags for things that will be used within a month. For longer storage I invest in better bags. For liquids like soups and sauces, I use reusable square plastic containers that stack well in the freezer.

 

Bronze Post Medal for All Time! 205 Posts
August 5, 20090 found this helpful

I use a combination of dollar store and Ziplock Vacuum Seal bags.
For dry things I do like Dellajo said with the straw trick. But with liquids (like spaghetti) that's harder to do.

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Anyway I put one meal size serving in each dollar store bag and zip it up tight. Then I get a gallon size Ziplock Vacuum seal bag and put as many of the dollar store bags in each that I can fit. Secret to keeping them from sticking together when they freeze is to put 2 squares of paper towels between each. Then I zip of the Ziplock back and vacuum all the air out. This method keeps things for months with no problem.
I don't use the freezer containers because there's no way to prevent freezer burn on the food in them. Especially if there's even a little bit of air space in them.

 
August 5, 20090 found this helpful

The Dollar Stores are ok for cards, books, things which you don't eat, put on your skin, use for personal hygiene. I have no idea what is in the plastic bags which is in contact with your food. Also never microwave using plastic containers, plastic wrap, as the chemicals used to make these products breaks down and leaches out.

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Bad enough we don't know what's in a lot of our food. Why add more?

 

Bronze Feedback Medal for All Time! 135 Feedbacks
August 5, 20090 found this helpful

I've used the Dollar Store baggies for sandwich size only--no problem with them for brown bagging, but not thrilled with the freezer size. They're thinner and don't hold up ( saw freezer burn creep in).

For me, you get what you pay for in freezer bags. I plunk down the extra couple of cents for Ziplok freezer bags because the food quality stays the same. I'm not saving anything if the bags are cheaper but the food isn't protected right--that kills not only the taste but the nutritional value and overall, you're losing money.

 
August 5, 20090 found this helpful

I have used both brand and dollar brands. None work as well as I would like. I am asking the family for a 'seal a meal' type device for Christmas. A friend has one, and it has saved her a lot of food, much more than the cost of the machine and the bags that go with it.

 
August 5, 20090 found this helpful

I personally think that Dollar Store freezer bags are thinner than name brand such as ziplock. But I have found that Walmart's Great Value brand storage and freezer bags work just as well as name brands.

 
August 5, 20090 found this helpful

Don't use freezer bags from the dollar store. I recommend the Great Value bags or if you have extra $ purchase the Ziploc freezer bags. Also, freeze the bag when its lying flat so you'll have more room for storage. It also helps it thaw faster.

 
August 5, 20090 found this helpful

I use dollar store freezer bags for the same purpose all the time. They work just fine. I agree that they're not as thick as name brand, but if you're only freezing stuff for a short period (such as later in the week) they're great. I also use them for storage of dried fruits and veggies from my gardens and orchard. I just plain don't see paying more for something that less expensive works just fine for.

 

Diamond Feedback Medal for All Time! 1,394 Feedbacks
August 5, 20090 found this helpful

I tend to just forget the bags, and reuse plastic bowls that came with things like margarine, whipped topping, potato salad, etc. That's just me, though; I rarely have so much in my freezer that I have space problems.

 

Bronze Feedback Medal for All Time! 111 Feedbacks
January 20, 20120 found this helpful

Regarding food safety, I don't know that there's any assurance that plastic bags are safer than plastic containers or vice versa; that's why I'm trying to switch to glass. But the plastic is just so darned convenient, and inexpensive too!

I use square freezer containers for liquids and bags for other things, and I lay the bags on a flat surface like a cookie sheet until they're frozen solid. I find that no matter what I do, the bags plump up with air in storage - I don't know if air is leaking in, or escaping from the food. So for extra protection, I may wrap the food in Press & Seal wrap for long term storage or just plastic wrap or sandwich baggies for short term storage, and then slip them into a larger, freezer-quality bag.

 
January 20, 20120 found this helpful

For long term freezer storage the heavy duty freezer bags are definitely worth the additional money. I buy bulk meats when they are on sale and divide them into 1 meal portions and freeze them. A trick for avoiding freezer burn is to fill a stock pot with warm water. Once your freezer bag is full zip the top closed except for about 1 inch.

Slowly lower the bag into the pot of warm water and all the air is pushed out. When it is submerged to the top of the bag, but not allowing any water into the bag, finish zipping the bag tightly closed and lay it on a towel to dry it. Freeze it flat on cookie sheets with at least 1" airspace around each bag. You bags will be vacuum packed without the vacuum machine.

 
October 29, 20210 found this helpful

When I refrigerate/freeze leftovers, I use an airtight glass container.
If I have just 2-3 bags to freeze, I use the straw method with a ziploc freezer bag, always a ziploc brand.
If I hit a warehouse store and stock the freezer, after I split items up, I might have 10-15 bags to freeze.
I fill the sink with water. I close the zip loc about halfway and dip it down in the water. Removes all the air qiuckly with no equipment or sucking . . I find this way not only the best, it's also the easiest!

 
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Photos

Check out these photos.

October 1, 2010

Washing those snack, sandwich, quart, and gallon plastic zippy freezer bags in the sink can make you wonder if the effort is really worth saving that money, but I have stumbled upon an easy way to continue being economical and "Green!"

 
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July 17, 2014

This is a page about using zip top bags. These baggies can be useful for storing all kinds of foods and things. The ziplock can help keep lunch, refrigerated or frozen foods fresh.

Zip Top Bag With Strawberries

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ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.

September 23, 2010

Ideas for saving money on ziplock bags. Post your ideas.

 
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