Stop and buy a bag of ice

[clarkfan1979]

This might not be all that interesting for many, but it was for me. I've always been frugal but I have only been on MMM for about one month. About 6 months ago I was going to my Dad's house for happy hour. He told me to stop by the gas station and buy a bag of ice before coming over. I asked him if it was ok if I brought him a bag of ice from my refrigerator. He thought about and said, "Yea, I guess that will work." My Dad doesn't have expensive taste, but he has always been a spender. I found it odd that he didn't ask me to bring over a bag of ice. He told me that I need to go "buy" a bag of ice. I'm glad that I'm not stuck in that mindset.

[marty998]

I take your point but how big is the bag of ice you needed?

Some of us have very large eskies to fill with very large amounts of beer that we need to keep cool :)

Unless you have 50+ trays of ice in your freezer, hmm yeah I feel like an idiot but I would still have to buy the ice.

[Nudelkopf]

Yeahh.. I buy ice because I can't make an esky full of ice in my freezer!

[mxer54]

I bought ice for a party I held last December, it was something like $7 a bag and I had to get 3 of them!!!  It was painful...I didnt even want to pour the water out that it had become after it melted.

[BPA]

I think it was one of the protagonists of the sitcom Mad About You who said, "Who buys ice? It's water, cold, and time."

I never buy ice either.

[tomsang]

McDonalds used to fill your cooler for free. I am not sure if they still do that, but it might be worth checking.

[senecando]

Still, Happy Hour at home seems like a pretty cash-saver.

[Louisville]

What the hell is an esky?

[chicagomeg]

What the hell is an esky?

It's a chilly bin!

[James]

http://www.colemanaustralia.com.au/products/Esky


I don't buy ice, but I do love purchased ice, so clear and pretty... :)
(yes, I know I could make clear ice at home, but I don't care that much...)

[MrCash]

What the hell is an esky?

It's a chilly bin!

What is a chilly bin?

[RMD]

Cooler.

We have an ice maker and don't go through ice all that fast, especially in the winter, so we bag it ourselves and put it in the bulk freezer and we never buy for the summer parties.  I guess part of it is just being able to plan ahead.

[rocksinmyhead]

Cooler.

We have an ice maker and don't go through ice all that fast, especially in the winter, so we bag it ourselves and put it in the bulk freezer and we never buy for the summer parties.  I guess part of it is just being able to plan ahead.

oooh that's a good idea. we will totally do this one day when we have a chest freezer! (you know you're a nerd when... you and your boyfriend seriously discuss chest freezers longingly on a regular basis?)

[MrCash]

We have an ice maker and don't go through ice all that fast, especially in the winter, so we bag it ourselves and put it in the bulk freezer and we never buy for the summer parties.  I guess part of it is just being able to plan ahead.

This also helps to create some thermal mass in your bulk freezer, which could help on energy cost and keep it cooler longer during power outages.

[RMD]

oooh that's a good idea. we will totally do this one day when we have a chest freezer! (you know you're a nerd when... you and your boyfriend seriously discuss chest freezers longingly on a regular basis?)

We used to do this, too!  You'll get there!

This also helps to create some thermal mass in your bulk freezer, which could help on energy cost and keep it cooler longer during power outages.

Yep! And we do have outages here in KS...not as often as we used to, but often enough to have to consider it.

[chicagomeg]

Cooler.

We have an ice maker and don't go through ice all that fast, especially in the winter, so we bag it ourselves and put it in the bulk freezer and we never buy for the summer parties.  I guess part of it is just being able to plan ahead.

oooh that's a good idea. we will totally do this one day when we have a chest freezer! (you know you're a nerd when... you and your boyfriend seriously discuss chest freezers longingly on a regular basis?)

Oh my god. The dreams I have of what I will do when I finally have space for a chest freezer!!! Quarter beef, buying 15 packages of $1.79/lb chicken breast, homemade sauces, premade meals for days...Glad I'm not alone!

[Left]

I took it as the dad wanting ice and not troubling you with "making your own", in case you didn't have an ice maker and he didn't want to risk hurting your feelings if you didn't
Yes... I know this probably isn't the case... but I can try to spin it another way right? :D

[Daniel]

This is only quasi-on topic, but I thought it was quite interesting when I learned it. At the Burning Man festival in Nevada, the only legal thing you can buy is ice (you can buy drugs to, according to my friend). Everything else is acquired via bartering/sharing, but ice is hard enough to source in the middle of the desert that the organizers ration and supply it through regular economic means.

[dragoncar]

McDonalds used to fill your cooler for free. I am not sure if they still do that, but it might be worth checking.

It might be on the "frugal jerk" side, but you can absolutely get away with bringing a garbage can to the nearest hotel/motel and using their ice machine.

Personally, if I'm throwing a party with lots of beer, the cost of ice is the least of my worries.

[MrCash]

McDonalds used to fill your cooler for free. I am not sure if they still do that, but it might be worth checking.

It might be on the "frugal jerk" side, but you can absolutely get away with bringing a garbage can to the nearest hotel/motel and using their ice machine.

Personally, if I'm throwing a party with lots of beer, the cost of ice is the least of my worries.

That starts to make me think of Extreme Cheapskates

[puglogic]

oooh that's a good idea. we will totally do this one day when we have a chest freezer! (you know you're a nerd when... you and your boyfriend seriously discuss chest freezers longingly on a regular basis?)

(laughing)  Yeah, we used to.   One of the best purchases we have ever made.....we have a huge garden and also know a number of hunters, fishermen, and goat keepers. 

[ABC123]

I hate refrigerators with ice makers -- they just seem to always smell strange.  And we so rarely need ice that it isn't worth storing it.  So on the rare occasions when we have a bunch of people over, I do shell out the cash to buy a bag of ice.  The $3 or so I spend a couple times a year is worth it for me.

[MrCash]

I hate refrigerators with ice makers -- they just seem to always smell strange.  And we so rarely need ice that it isn't worth storing it.  So on the rare occasions when we have a bunch of people over, I do shell out the cash to buy a bag of ice.  The $3 or so I spend a couple times a year is worth it for me.

I know what you mean.  Kind of like a funky plastic smell?

[zachd]

I hate refrigerators with ice makers -- they just seem to always smell strange.  And we so rarely need ice that it isn't worth storing it.  So on the rare occasions when we have a bunch of people over, I do shell out the cash to buy a bag of ice.  The $3 or so I spend a couple times a year is worth it for me.

I know what you mean.  Kind of like a funky plastic smell?

Everyone I know who has an ice maker on fridge has said they had to shut off the freezer and clean it out because it became moldy at some point in time.  I've always avoided them, it seems it's going to break early or get molded up.  Also when I'm at someone's house to use one it seems like it always spits out ice chips and misses the glass and goes on the floor.

BTW, if you are serious about partying or drinking, getting a bag of ice is the way to go. It's of better quality than the ice you make with tap watter in your fridge.  I only know this from a friend who is kind of snobby and even has a particular place he goes to buy ice. 

[senecando]

The only option: http://www.amazon.com/Tovolo-King-Cube-Ice-Tray/dp/B00395FHRO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394643258&sr=8-1&keywords=tovolo+ice+cube+trays

[dragoncar]

I hate refrigerators with ice makers -- they just seem to always smell strange.  And we so rarely need ice that it isn't worth storing it.  So on the rare occasions when we have a bunch of people over, I do shell out the cash to buy a bag of ice.  The $3 or so I spend a couple times a year is worth it for me.

I know what you mean.  Kind of like a funky plastic smell?

Everyone I know who has an ice maker on fridge has said they had to shut off the freezer and clean it out because it became moldy at some point in time.  I've always avoided them, it seems it's going to break early or get molded up.  Also when I'm at someone's house to use one it seems like it always spits out ice chips and misses the glass and goes on the floor.

BTW, if you are serious about partying or drinking, getting a bag of ice is the way to go. It's of better quality than the ice you make with tap watter in your fridge.  I only know this from a friend who is kind of snobby and even has a particular place he goes to buy ice.

IMO you should be shutting off and cleaning your fridge+freezer annually anyways.  When people complain about smells, I usually ask when they last did a full cleaning.  They stare at me blankly.

[RMD]

IMO you should be shutting off and cleaning your fridge+freezer annually anyways.  When people complain about smells, I usually ask when they last did a full cleaning.  They stare at me blankly.

Every year the week before Thanksgiving...right before we load it back up with Thanksgiving fixings and leftovers.  :)

[Milspecstache]

To make ice to make icecream a friend of mine taught me long ago to freeze up a milk jug ahead of time and then bust it in a burlap bag with a hammer.  Can't get any cheaper than that!

[MrCash]

To make ice to make icecream a friend of mine taught me long ago to freeze up a milk jug ahead of time and then bust it in a burlap bag with a hammer.  Can't get any cheaper than that!

Make sure you rinse the milk jug out well!  Interesting idea.