Smart shoppers know that it makes sense to stock up when needed items are available at a good sale price. With the high prices of food, you can save a considerable amount of money over the course of a year. But if all you have is the small freezer at the top of your refrigerator, you simply don't have room to take the best advantage of sales.

A chest freezer can pay for itself by allowing you that freedom. It can also simplify your life, which we all look for in these busy times. If you have a chest freezer for storage, it's easy to make double or triple recipes of such things as casseroles, spaghetti sauce, chili, stews and other entrees and freeze some to have at another time. Baked goods freeze well, too.

Chest freezers for home use vary widely in size, from around five cubic feet up to around 25 cubic feet. Buy the largest size you can keep filled. Keeping your freezer filled means the food is less likely to suffer from freezer burn (though it should always be carefully wrapped.) A large, full freezer will also keep your food frozen longer in the event of a power outage.

It's also important that you be able to get at your food conveniently. Label everything you freeze, put a date on it, and try to use up the oldest food first. Large chest freezers will have baskets that lift out or slide to one side to allow you access to the lower levels. A smaller, portable freezer may even be divided into two compartments, with a door on top and a drawer on the bottom.