Simple Semi-Automatic Energy Saving Ice Maker Cost One Buck

I hate my refrigerator. It is old. It is noisy. The top shelf is held in place with a spring rod for curtains, because a part is broken. One day I overloaded the shelf, and the Britta Box and big tea pitcher came sliding my way.

The bottom plate also is broken. One side hangs sadly, resting on the floor.

And I don’t have an icemaker.

I’d like a new refrigerator with a freezer on the bottom. Even the smallest model appears too big for my tiny condominium kitchen. They also cost twice as much as a standard model and use more energy.

I also learned that an ice maker uses more energy. For the past three years, I’ve dutifully filled my lone ice cube tray. I slowly fill half-gallon plastic bags and try not to use too much ice in a drink.

Now, stackable ice cube trays have semi-automated the process. A set of three set me back a buck at the Dollar Store.

I don’t like the smaller cubes quite as well as the gigantes formed in my longtime mold. But the four ice trays fill up a half-gallon bag in one freeze. Two days after buying the molds, I have a gallon-and-a-half in the freezer, and I’m only filling the ice trays once a day, instead of three or four times a day.

A freezer full of ice is another energy saving measure. It’s also a great thing during hurricane season. The great blocks of ice in gallon water containers melt very slowly if electricity goes out in a storm. My freezer items will last for at least five days.

I am so pleased with the ease with which I now fill a half-gallon bag with ice. I cannot imagine needing an energy-sucking automatic ice maker now that I have my stackable plastic ice cube trays. Sometimes a dollar goes a long way. It is great fun to solve a problem on the cheap.