This is a dilemma that small households face. Milk in one-gallon jugs is often cheaper per unit than quarts. But there is too much milk for one or two people to use before the expiration date. My own family is becoming sporadic with milk consumption. I never know if we'll be able to consume a full gallon in time. I have mentioned that I often freeze milk when I find a great sale. I am now freezing milk because we can't finish a full gallon in time.
So, when I open a gallon, I pour off 3/4 of the milk into quart-sized containers for the freezer. I know that we can finish off one quart in a timely manner. Then as we need milk, I thaw a quart (takes half a day on the countertop, or 24-48 hours in the fridge). I keep an eye on our current supply of milk, and plan ahead as much as I can.
But you know me, I like the presentation to be attractive. I don't want us feeling like we're eating out of old yogurt containers. So I've been using some of my collection of ceramic pitchers. I have pitchers in all sizes, from small enough just for cream or pancake syrup for one or two people to large enough for a pitcher of water for the dining table. This little pitcher, here, is the perfect size for about 3 cups of milk, which is a good amount for our family to keep at the ready. In addition, it looks nice on the table. It doesn't have a lid, so I just use a small square of plastic wrap over the top.
My point is, our family is able to still buy the larger, economical size of containers of milk even though we don't consume as much as we once did. This is a habit that I can continue well into the empty nest years, as long as someone in the house still consumes milk.
