The "Make it or Buy it" Thread :)

[selina_z]

of course, if you are interest and have the talent to do DIY. You can save a lot money and also get fun from the process. I really want to do food and cloth by myself, but I am really not clever in this.

[carmanelectric]

I buy clothes, but will take in my clothes for a better fit which makes me want to keep them longer. I buy about 50% of my clothes from thrift stores, the rest I buy super cheap new (much cheaper than making them), buy designer brands, or they are work clothes.

I both bake and buy. I much prefer the taste and cost ( about 0.30 - 1.00 a loaf) of home made bread. But the convenience of not spending tones of time and shelf life is better for store bought.


Again I do both casseroles and frozen dinners. Casseroles are great and delicious and feed my whole family and have good eatings for a couple days. Frozen dinners are great for when it's just me I'm feeding. I always pick up frozen pasta entrees or meat pies when I find them at $1. It becomes a much more expensive proposition when it comes to feeding the other family members with these kinds of foods. My husband has the stature of a football player and sees something like that as a small snack.

Boxed kits aren't really in my paradigm of thinking. As far as I can recall my parents had a boxed taco kit once when I was young, and I bet it was found in a discount bin. So individual ingredients all the way. I can find 10 different ideas for any single leftover ingredient.

While I don't really consider myself a huge foodie, as I would eat some of the blandest foods without much complaint, I still have excellent culinary skills. So I find that having a good understanding of many ethnic flavours (mexican, italian, greek, lebonese, chinese, vietnamese, thai, indian, ukrainian, caribbean, southern comfort foods, english comfort foods, and even a wee bit of french cooking) gives a lot of ideas of how to have variety at low cost. I also like to experiment with trying to make things that are convetionally something you'd buy, such as; salad dressings (they are so easy and cheap to make and much better flavours), marshmallows (no cost savings, it's complicated and messy, but much better flavour) and mayonaisse (HUGE savings, so easy to make, no major decernable taste difference, only down side is the short shelf life)

Food dehydraters are pretty awesome, before mine kicked the bucket, I used to use mine in combination with a juicer. I would use the fuit pulp leftover from juicing fruits, mix it with honey and make mass amounts of fruit leathers. I tried making jerky too, it was ok.

I have also made my own wines, and a couple batches of beer. The beer I wasn't fond of, the wines were pretty decent. The price per unit can't be beat. But it was an expensive hobby for someone who hardly drinks. I typically would give away 5/6 of the wine I made.

In most cases I am a pretty hardcore DIYer to save money. Home renos is a big area that I save money on.

[sweetproserpina]

carmanelectric- I totally agree about having a basic knowledge of different ethnic flavours makes cheaper, homemade food so much yummier. Spices are cheap (from bulk, not those tiny little jars!) and with a knowledge of what goes with what cuisine, one never needs to buy flavouring packets/sauces for tacos, indian, thai, chinese etc...

Baking bread I consider more of a hobby than a money saver. It's an art form I haven't mastered yet, although it's fun to try.. I prefer to buy from local bakeries. They make the best quality bread for a reasonable price (2.50 for a large loaf, half as much if I buy day old), much better than supermarket.

Homemade cleaners I find hit and miss. I make some, but I find when I have a tough job, commercial cleaners work better. Baking soda is inexpensive, but it is cheaper to buy a can of comet on sale sometimes. Lemons are great to use too, but again more expensive than a bottle of cleaner.

For smellies- I splurge once a year or so and buy a few essential oils (usuaually lemon, peppermint, lavender, tea tree) I have a warmer I can put them in as an air freshener, or add them to homemade cleaning products. Since smellies usually go on sale for free or almost free with coupons, my way is more expensive, but there is some crazy stuff in those commercial air fresheners, so I prefer to spend the 40$ OOP instead. At christmas, it's cheap as chips to put a pot on the stove with some water, cinnamon stick, orange peels, vanilla and have the whole house smell yum!

[64couponcraze]

I have for many years made my own bread crumbs and croutons. I just save the heels of bread or buns etc (if they won't be eaten before they go stale), in a bag in the freezer. Once I have a sufficient amount say 2-3 bags I process them. For croutons I cube the bread sprinkle with seasoning of choice and toast in the oven. For bread crumbs I just toast them without seasoning, then crumb in a blender or food processor. I then store both in the freezer.

A couple of other things is tartar sauce and seafood sauce. I could never justify buying these at $3-$4 per jar when I can make them from items I already have in the fridge.

[dizzyb]

I love learning how to make things I would typically buy pre-made. I make bread on occasion, but without a bread maker, so it is quite time consuming. But SO tasty! Yeah, I usually end up buying it because of the time involved. I've also tried making tortillas, bagels, naan, crackers etc. Haven't quite learned the art of bagels, that's for sure!
I learned how to make yogurt about 2 years ago, and haven't gone back to store-bought since. Butter is fun to make, but sadly just isn't cost effective. That's one of the few things I've found is cheaper store-bought. Next dairy products on the list to try are ricotta and cream cheese!
The only cereals that I have figured out are granola and oatmeal. Need to learn more! I've also tried making mustard (AAAAAAAH! MY EYES FEEL LIKE THEY'RE BURNING! lol), jam and peanut butter. We've also recently started to make our own wines, and are really enjoying the process. Except when the bottle is dropped. (The bottle being a carboy, not just a 750ml--although both are tragic. I think my hubby might have actually cried)
I use vinegar and baking soda as cleaners, and make laundry detergent from Borax, washing soda and laundry soap. I've been looking for lye so I can try making all kinds of soap, but can't seem to find any.
Having fewer store-bought/processed items in the cupboards certainly does make for less clutter! It does take a bit more time, but so worth it.

[sweetproserpina]

dizzyb- lye is tricky to find! You might try a home hardware, since they seem to be smaller and independent- or a really good place to try is TSC, if you have one near by. Farmers use all kinds of stuff!

I really would like to try making my own soap, but I'm kind of frightened of the lye!

[mimi-]

i buy my clothes because i can find them for mostly $5-$10, max. $20.
i prefer to cook from scratch and buy ingredients separately if they are items i frequently use.
part of the money spent on kits is for convenience.

[CouponClippingMama]

sweetproserpina

What a great idea for a thread!

Some pantry supplies are much cheaper if you make them. I make my own vanilla extract, chocolate syrup, ketchup (from canned tomato paste), yogurt... Cost-wise they are a huge savings, especially the chocolate syrup, which is 2-3 dollars in the store, and homemade just a few pennies.

I was wondering if you would share your ketchup recipie I hat buying it because we go through so little of it it usually ends up in the garbage becasue I get frusturated with it in my fridge...If I could make it myself I could make it in small batches and make it as I need it...

[sweetproserpina]

Here's my ketchup recipe..

• 6 ounce can tomato paste
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup tap water (depending on desired consistency, I like it with 1/3 cup)
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch cloves
• 1 pinch allspice
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup brown sugar

In a medium bowl combine all of the ingredients with a wire whisk or fork. Blend well. Scrape the mixture into a resealable container. We use an old ketchup bottle. Chill overnight, to blend the flavors. Use wherever ketchup is desired.

So easy!

[lucy16076]

MAKE YOUR OWN DRYER SHEETS RECIPE
Take a dampened washcloth with 10 drops of lavender, lemon, melaleuca (Tea Tree), bergamot, or other essential oil. While the oils will not reduce static cling, they will impart a lovely fragrance to the clothes.

[lucy16076]

I love learning how to make things I would typically buy pre-made. I make bread on occasion, but without a bread maker, so it is quite time consuming. But SO tasty! Yeah, I usually end up buying it because of the time involved. I've also tried making tortillas, bagels, naan, crackers etc. Haven't quite learned the art of bagels, that's for sure!
I learned how to make yogurt about 2 years ago, and haven't gone back to store-bought since. Butter is fun to make, but sadly just isn't cost effective. That's one of the few things I've found is cheaper store-bought. Next dairy products on the list to try are ricotta and cream cheese!
The only cereals that I have figured out are granola and oatmeal. Need to learn more! I've also tried making mustard (AAAAAAAH! MY EYES FEEL LIKE THEY'RE BURNING! lol), jam and peanut butter. We've also recently started to make our own wines, and are really enjoying the process. Except when the bottle is dropped. (The bottle being a carboy, not just a 750ml--although both are tragic. I think my hubby might have actually cried)
I use vinegar and baking soda as cleaners, and make laundry detergent from Borax, washing soda and laundry soap. I've been looking for lye so I can try making all kinds of soap, but can't seem to find any.
Having fewer store-bought/processed items in the cupboards certainly does make for less clutter! It does take a bit more time, but so worth it.

I've researched Yogurt recipes & you have to buy yogurt to make yogurt? How is that saving money? If you have the recipe you use, I would love to see it
There is a great recipe on the Clubhouse envelopes for making frozen strawberry jam. Yummy & very easy! Keeps well & tastes like a spoonful of strawberries! No sterilizing or fuss needed.

[winston]

I have made all my own pickles ,relishes, ketchup and jams for years.We have our own gooseberry and current bushes as well as apple trees and a veggie garden. We also spend some great afternoons in the fall picking pails of wild grapes for the best grape jelly ever.Because I grow my own fruit and veggies I think it is cheaper and certainly greener. After you build up all your canning supplies that gets cheaper too and I can simmer my ketchup on the wood stove while it thickens. so plant your own food or make friends with a gardener and I think it is cheaper.

[bmpsmommy]

I LOVE baking so I do alot of it!

I pick strawberries & blueberries in summer and freeze them. I make my own jam and purees. I also use them for baking pies, etc. I make cakes for all the kids birthdays and for special occasions.

My husband bakes the breads and buns. We do it once a month, and, although it doesn't last very long, it is definitely a nice treat in our house

[abbasgirl]

I've researched Yogurt recipes & you have to buy yogurt to make yogurt? How is that saving money?

You need a couple of tablespoons for your first batch of yogurt. After that you can just save a little of the yogurt you've made to make more.
Making yogurt is a lot cheaper than buying it. You get the same amount as the milk you use. So instead of 650g of yogurt/cornstarch/gelatin for $2 on sale, you can buy milk for around a dollar a liter and get a liter of plain yogurt.

[abbasgirl]

I haven't tried it yet, but I've been looking up recipes for almond, soy and rice milk. It looks like it would be a lot cheaper to make instead of buy. So homemade almond milk will be my next project, as soon as I use up the carton that's in my fridge.