Home-made Cheaper than Store-bought

[Toliver]

This discussion is wandering off the original topic:

what can you make in your own kitchen for less than it costs at the supermarket?

There have been oodles of previous discussions here on eGullet concerning "why buy it when you can make it?". That's not the issue here.

Regarding the original question, I think besides the cost of ingredients you also have to factor in the cost of your time spent making the item. Minor issues would be amortizing the cost of utilities/energy, equipment used, and so on. But cost of personal time seems to be a major factor in this case.

[ChickenStu]

Mayonnaise

Puff Pastry (still buy in store though)

Ice cream...texture isnt the same if you dont have commercial machine though

Stocks

[Dakki]

Oh yeah. Beef jerky.

I don't use good cuts. The stuff sold as "milanesa de pulpa negra" tastes perfectly fine and is already sliced to the right thickness.

[Shalmanese]

I've never been able to make any kind of juice that's anywhere near as economical as store bought, not-from-concentrate.

[Peter the eater]

I've never been able to make any kind of juice that's anywhere near as economical as store bought, not-from-concentrate.

That's a good point. If I lived in Florida with a backyard full of citrus plants, I could justify a fancy power juicer. Buying oranges for juice isn't a frugal idea where I live -- frozen concentrate is the way to go. I'm not sure what ingredients I'd need to make a citrus "punch" or "drink".

[Peter the eater]

This discussion is wandering off the original topic:

what can you make in your own kitchen for less than it costs at the supermarket?

There have been oodles of previous discussions here on eGullet concerning "why buy it when you can make it?". That's not the issue here.

Regarding the original question, I think besides the cost of ingredients you also have to factor in the cost of your time spent making the item. Minor issues would be amortizing the cost of utilities/energy, equipment used, and so on. But cost of personal time seems to be a major factor in this case.

That's it! I'll invoice my family.

Toliver is right. I'm proud to know I've made mayo, mustard, ketchup, bagels, cheese, yogurt, etc. from scratch, often with eGullet guidance.

The point here is: where can I save money?

[Kouign Aman]

This discussion is wandering off the original topic:

what can you make in your own kitchen for less than it costs at the supermarket?

There have been oodles of previous discussions here on eGullet concerning "why buy it when you can make it?". That's not the issue here.

Regarding the original question, I think besides the cost of ingredients you also have to factor in the cost of your time spent making the item. Minor issues would be amortizing the cost of utilities/energy, equipment used, and so on. But cost of personal time seems to be a major factor in this case.

That's it! I'll invoice my family.

Toliver is right. I'm proud to know I've made mayo, mustard, ketchup, bagels, cheese, yogurt, etc. from scratch, often with eGullet guidance.

The point here is: where can I save money?

Sometimes we can afford the time but not the money. So even if it takes 10 hours, its affordable.

Other than cake and cookies, I dont think I make anything cheaper than I can buy it. In fact the last home-roast chicken (while markedly better) cost me 2x more to make than to buy ready-cooked.

Edited April 29, 2010 by Kouign Aman (log)

[helenjp]

Pickles, definitely, especially when you can re-use the pickling medium, as in Japanese bran or miso pickles...and I imagine a brine barrel (well, a container in the fridge, lessay) that will produce several batches of brined meat is similarly economical. Apart from the cost, I find that almost no pickles on sale have actually been fermented rather than simply salted, so have to agree with those who say it's not really an apples=apples comparison.

Granola, definitely cheaper to make at home, and has been since I was a student and we switched from bread to granola after calculating that home-made bread was more expensive than store-bought.

If you bake casseroles etc in your oven, then using the same oven to make family-style butter or oil cakes and cookies (rather than fine baking) is quite economical.

Yogurt - we have been making our own for well over a decade, and it costs about half of store-bought yogurt.

Garden produce - this is rarely cheap unless you have plenty of land, but herb teas are surely cheaper than coffee and tea! Sage tea is a favorite, and a peppermint that is way too strong too eat makes great tea.

By extension, a little hyssop, marjoram, parsley, chervil, and garlic chives make salad dressing something you will never feel inclined to buy ready-made again.

[dhyasama]

. . . . make my own pizza--I know that is cheaper (and better tasting) than store bought.

I try, but I can't make a 750g pepperoni/pepper/mushroom/mozza/tomato pizza for less than McCain's $5 frozen version. The meat and cheese are big ticket items. In fact, I'd make more fresh cheese if milk wasn't so pricey.

But can you make it better?

[Peter the eater]

. . . . make my own pizza--I know that is cheaper (and better tasting) than store bought.

I try, but I can't make a 750g pepperoni/pepper/mushroom/mozza/tomato pizza for less than McCain's $5 frozen version. The meat and cheese are big ticket items. In fact, I'd make more fresh cheese if milk wasn't so pricey.

But can you make it better?

Absolutely. Not all store-bought pizzas are the same, but I can't find one that beats home-made or a good delivery place. There's a recognizable processed factory taste to every frozen pizza I've tried. Some are good, none are great.