Cost Effectiveness and freshness.

We store our dry food in plastic bins with lids so it keeps it fresher. We buy the bigger cans of food and then divide it up into smaller portions and put in the freezer. Then we take out what we need when we need it. It doesn't stay in the freezer long enough to get freezer burned or anything like that.

Never thought of freezing wet food. I don't feed it enough now to even buy it really.

We do the same with dry food, I have to containers, a large rubbermaid with a square top and a smaller Sterlite container with a pop hole for pouring for the small bags for chickster. I leave a cup in the big container to dish out for the other cats. I've had no complaints and it stays smelling fresh (and they love to eat it) for quite awhile. It's hard for me to make sure the bags stay closed around here so I bought the containers.

What I do is bring a calculator with me and calculate the poundage compared to price. If a 5 pound bag of food costs 23 dollars, and a 16 pound bag of food costs 33, (Just for example) .. then you are paying 10 dollars more for 11 pounds of food. Then I try to figure how long that 11 extra pounds will last and if it will save money over the next few weeks, whichi s why I usually buy the large bags, because it gives me a few weeks of breathing room money wise. If you can afford it, I would buy a food container and the larger bags but that's just me. If it's only for one cat, .. I dunno.. It's really your call. Nowadays they usually give you the price per ounce on the pricetag on the shelf. (.47 cents per ounce, yada yada) If the larger bag is only a few pounds more, just do the math, I wouldn't pay ten dollars more than less than 10 pounds of food... I think (I'm not so good with math off the top of my head LOL)

Good Luck

That's why we freeze in portion sizes to be eaten in about 2 days. It's a pain, but it's the best way we've found not to waste the wet food.

Don't use the big storage bin for every day use though, or the freshness will be greatly compromised.

Use a smaller storage jar for scooping from daily. Food in this jar should last about a week. Then, clean the jar with scalding water and a scrub brush (soap is not needed if the water is hot enough), and let air dry, before adding more kibble. Kibble residue goes rancid pretty quickly and will build up on the container if you don't clean it frequently.

Do this for the large container also, between bags.

I have two small daily use containers for Mazy's kibble, so one can be washed and aired while the other is in use.

I use 3 oz. cans because all of my cats were on different diets. Now Jennie and Queen Eva are both eating Wellness grain free chicken, so I can buy the 5.5 oz cans for them, that will save me $1.21 a day toward my increased cat food bill on average, feeding those two.

Queen Eva does eat other flavors besides the chicken, so I will still be buying 3 oz cans of the wellness grain free turkey, and the wellness grain free beef&chicken.

I don't know about freezing canned food that has been opened. I would worry nutrients would be lost in the freezing.

A lot of cats are very picky about food that has been opened. Tolly used to be that way even with his three ounce cans, but has gotten a bit better thank goodness.

Mazy would not eat the canned c/d after it had been opened. She would eat the first serving and that was it. So she has to eat c/d kibble.

I think it is better to store the food in the original container (you can put the bag into a plastic bin.) I use a container made for pet food (Sof-Store) and I put the bag inside rather than pouring the food in.

If you do pour the food into a plastic bin for storage, make sure to scrub it out often. Plastic tends to hold fats and they can then become rancid if it's not cleaned well. Plastic also can leach chemicals in foods, especially when in contact with fats, so if you plan to dump the food into the plastic container make sure you use food grade plastic.

Here is a little manufacturing info that I was given... Keep the food in the original bag as the bags has three parts that help to keep it fresh, one of the layers is to protect the oils and fat s in the food... For airtight and additional protection place the bag with a clip on it into a bin with a lid ...

One cat will eat roughly 3.5-4 lbs of food per month if feed only dry

I use Vittle Vault Containers - I have one that holds 30lbs, and another that holds 50 lbs. They are 100% airtight and also no not let any light through, so the food remains fresh all the way thorugh the last scoop. I buy food in bulk, mostly 2 large bags at a time when on deal, or to mix it, which is always the case for lucky and Bugsy's food, since they eat a mix of origen and EVO. It works time after time.
It is definitelly an investment at first, but saves money over time.

I have the Vittle Vault Containers too - I think the 30lb one. I have two 5lb or 6lb bags (diff brand) and I can fit both bags in there with lots of room left (I didn't want to mix the two dry food together, so I'm leaving each food in its bag, before I put both into the container). Still have room to put same (unopened) canned food in there too.

I like that the cats can't open it! One of them would try if she could!

Wow - this thread is awesome!!
Even though I am a scientist, it NEVER occurred to me that kibble residue could go rancid! DOH! I always buy the big bag of the Prescription Diet that my cats are on and store it in a big plastic bin, which has NEVER been washed out! Now that the cats will be in Japan with me, I will probably not be able to get the huge bags, but I am not sure yet. Either way, I will definitely take what is written here into consideration from now on!

About my cats' diet... they are free-feed kibble now, with a small can of wet food each evening (I fed them Fancy Feast in the US, as that is what my vet recommended, but that doesn't exist here, so I will try several brands that the Japanese vet recommended) to help keep them hydrated and because they deserve it! I have been told that kibble shouldn't be left out all day in Tokyo, though, due to the humid climate (and no central air). I am planning on transitioning the cats to twice daily kibble feedings... Any thoughts/recommendations?

To figure out which is cheaper divide the cost of the bag by the number of pounds. Bigger bag is always cheaper. Store it in an air tight bin in a dry, cool place and it should last a while. Between bags I wash the container out thoroughly and let it air dry.
The bigger "dog size" cans of food are cheaper, but actually finding them is a chore. I haven't been able to find them in any local store. You'd have to order them online from a place like http://www.petfooddirect.com
Canned food keeps for a while. When I was using big cans I'd store the unused portion in the fridge with a lid on it. They always preferred it cold for some reason, so I never heated it up.

Bigger bags are NORMALLY cheaper... manufactures are on to us in the buy the big size it is cheaper and many have raised the big bag price so it is = or just slightly less per lb than the others

That's why you have to take advantage of sales, coupons, store discounts and promotion offers... And you may still only save a couple dollars.

I buy in larger bags and usually more than one at a time because I order online or pick it up in the city when we are able to go. That's $25 or so in shipping or $60-70 in gas (we do other things in the city, too, so it's not just a trip for pet food).

Because I don't want to wrestle with large bags I'll dump a small amount into food grade storage containers that I keep in the kitchen and scoop out of those for a few days. The bags get rolled up after opening and kept together in a large storage container. I don't like dumping all of the food out of the bag because then you either need to keep the bag(s) or write down the codes off of it in case there's a problem.

As for food going rancid, as long as it's reasonably sealed up it should be ok. The stuff sits in unheated and non air conditioned warehouses, sometimes for months. They do make the dry to tolerate that sort of storage. Humidity is the problem.

Nekoha: A feeding schedule is easy enough. Most people can manage at least twice a day - before and after work. It's even possible to get another, third, meal in before bedtime. Generally during the daytime cats will nap anyways, as is natural for them.

Thanks! You are definitely right that they sleep during the daytime!! I am just worried a bit about transitioning them to so many new things with this move... but it can't be helped. I will just do the best I can to make it comfortable for them!!

It depends on the food. The "natural" cat foods have a shorter shelf-life, so it is important to read the info on the bag.
The other issue is not the food itself going rancid, but the fat residue left on storage containers. If the food is poured out of the original bags into storage containers, there is a fat residue left over and that can go rancid and/or grow bacteria. Also some plastic chemicals can leach into the food, and some of them may be leached more when fat is present.

All but the cheapest foods tend to be fat and mixed tocopherols now. Even a lot of your grocery store foods are on this. The local plant has a lot of foods preserved this way and they still have a shelf life of a year. The thing is when you buy it in the store it's usually already been sitting in a warehouse for a few months (which is good).

If you're not washing out containers, you're stupid. (If one is so adverse to basic cleaning, a bag isn't going to protect their cat - the house is probably dirty, too)
If you're not using a food grade plastic to store food, again you're stupid. Simply put.

This is what I do, too. And then, I cut off and save the numbers of the bag for a while afterward too. And I save one can out of each new batch of canned food for a time, too.

I also save the pertinent info on the packaging of Tolly's Denosyl and Mazy's cosequin for a time.

Even some "food grade" plastics may leach chemicals, take BPA for example.

That's a good point. I keep kicking around the idea of going to glass containers for the weekly supply of kibble, but....I am a dropper. My hands just don't always do what I want them to do, and I don't want to be sweeping up glass and kibble all the time.

I wonder....maybe stainless steel containers? They are expensive though.

I've thought about the glass containers used for floor, sugar, etc, too. But alas, like otto, I drop things. Though I suppose it wouldn't be so bad as long as you handle it as little as possible. The plus side is that the containers would very neatly fit inside of a dishwasher and a wax/oil pencil could be used to write on them.

My dry serving bowls are stainless steel, and wet serving are clear glass.

For food storage, the stuff comes in bags made for that purpose, so I don't understand the point of emptying it into a different container.

I just roll the bag up, pushing out all the air, and then use my clip to hold it closed. To get food out of it, I use a stainless steel scoop, washed when I wash the bowls.

Easy peasy.

I'd like to see you find a convenient place in the kitchen for ~50lbs of food, plus all of the canned foo. (small '60s style kitchen at that)

I actually remembered I had a bunch of quart sized pickle and sourkaurt jars. I wish the mouths were a little larger but the weight isn't too heavy for me at that size. Maybe a jar that size would work for those who can't lift much or have weakness in their hands? (plus general clumsiness)

Our food needs to be in the kitchen, because thats where we prepare our food for consumption. Canned and dry food is already prepared, and probably more sanitary not to have it by your own food anyway. I keep mine in a hallway closet, and I put it out for them in the great room.