costs, made vs. storebought

[roseofblack25]

Try it with butterscotch chipits or white chocolate merkins from Bulk Barn and use maple extract. Maple walnut is our fave too.

Another idea in the candy category...1/2 lb sugar and 1/2 lb butter makes 1 lb toffee. If you buy your ingredients at 1.99 ea, 1 lb toffee costs about $1.25.

You just need to add some extract for flavour - use Club House Star Anise extract for black licorice flavour, vanilla for plain and my fave is Rum & Butter, Club House Rum extract and I get Wilton's clear butter flavour extract from Michael's with a 50% off coupon for $1.25. You pretty well need a candy thermometer though.

ohhhh man this could get dangerous! I never thought of butterscotch chipits but you can guarantee the next time they go on sale I'm making fudge with them!

I don't own a candy thermometer...I just do the fudge until it looks a certain way and then I know it's done and can stir it up. The toffee sounds good though so maybe I should invest in one to try the toffee lol!

[RebeccaRYoung]

I think it depends upon what you're making. I prefer homemade bread because it tastes better and I get the smell of freshly made bread in my home. It's the same with chocolate chip cookies or any type of baking. It smells better and usually tastes better at home.

[abbasgirl]

I don't buy chocolate chips. I buy solid milk chocolate when it's on sale after holidays (eg Easter bunnies) and chop it up into chunks. It tastes the same as chocolate chips. You can store it in the freezer if you want to stock up on it.
You're right about decreasing the amounts of the chips in the recipe. I always do that with the added optional ingredients like nuts, raisins and chocolate chips. It always turns out fine.
Another thing I do to keep baking costs down is I buy dark brown sugar instead of golden brown sugar. They cost the same where I buy them. Then when the recipe calls for brown sugar, I add about 1/3 white sugar to the brown. (Brown sugar is just white sugar with molassis added to it and dark brown has more of it.)

[glowworm2k]

I can save money on some baking things when I make them myself, but most of the time it's about preparing the food and having the satisfaction of doing it myself. The savings are there, especially when I buy the supplies on sale at Bulk Barn, but it's really about the hobby for me

Also, a homemade birthday cake tastes 1,000 times better than one out of a box or one made at the grocery store! (This was my project last weekend for DH's birthday)

[harbie]

I just bought a roast at Costco for something like $20 and added 4 large russet potaotes (1 per person) 2 large carotts, 1 large onion, red wine(had on hand), beef broth (I paid $1.50 approx) and some garlic. I was able to feed a family of four with 10 servings after I resued the roast dinner to turn it into a stew. If I were to dine out I guarantee 10 servings of a roast and then stew would cost a lot more than what I paid for it

[lilo0003]

my kids ask me to do the homemade b-day cakes. It's really a box of cake mix and a tub of icing,typically less than 3.00 to make a cake and in the past I have paid close to 30.00 for a cake. i buy the cakes mixes on sale for a buck and will make cupcakes for lunches was well. $1.00 for 24 cupcakes is amazing compared to the store bought. I don't put icing on them anyway as it gets mashed up in the lunch.

[lecale]

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[harbie]

I agree 1000000000000000% with lecale ....except about everyone liking butter tarts I don't

[lecale]

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[toban]

Baking or making a meal from scratch can cost more at times. However I know what I'm putting into it. So many foods have additives, loads of salt etc. If a receipe has a few ingredients that are too expensive I may not bother making it ( I find pecans to be expensive unless I haven't found the right place to buy them).

I make chocolate chip cookes from scratch (except I buy the chocolate chips lol). I often buy Presidents Choice Milk Chocolate Chips in the large bag. It's around 3-4 cups and just under $7.00 At Walmart a small regular bag of Chipits Milk Chocolate Chips is $3.18 and I need two bags since the recipe calls for 2 cups of chocolate chips. Sometimes Walmart has sales on the chipits.

[jasperandchar]

homemade cookies & cakes are definately cheaper to make than by depending on ingredients of course, like others stay away from the expensive creams and such unless it's a treat or special occasion.

I buy lasagna because after all the ingredients it just is not cost effective for me, but I do prefer homemade over store bought

I also will not make pecan pies or tarts love them but too expensive in my opinion to purchases the pecans, cream etc....

Also love making homemade soups from stock when pre-boling chicken for the bbq or ribs for the bbq, etc....so much cheaper and so much more tasty. And the quantity verses the cost is so cheap vs. the store bought.

I make atleast 1 big pot of soup per week and freeze whatever we won't use.

Pizza is so much cheaper at times to buy the frozen however I still prefere the kits to make your own, for 2 crust & sauce at WM is $4.00 + your ingredients still better than a McCain Pizza and way less that actual delivery or take out. Plus you get to clean out your fridge and use whatever needs to be used up before it goes bad.

I make my own jam, jellies, relishes & pickles as well alot more cost effective and way better tasting than the store bought + I know what I actually put into them.

My next coupon exchange is also hosting a dessert exchange next month, so that's another way to save $, do cookie exchanges with co-workers etc especially around the holidays. So I will be making 7 of the same batch, keeping 1 for me and trading 6 of my extras for new cookies or squares.

Good Luck & I love reading the posts!

[Craiger]

That is such a good idea, never thought of that...would be good for making chocolate covered strawberries or chocolate drizzle. Thanks!

I don't buy chocolate chips. I buy solid milk chocolate when it's on sale after holidays (eg Easter bunnies) and chop it up into chunks. It tastes the same as chocolate chips. You can store it in the freezer if you want to stock up on it.
You're right about decreasing the amounts of the chips in the recipe. I always do that with the added optional ingredients like nuts, raisins and chocolate chips. It always turns out fine.
Another thing I do to keep baking costs down is I buy dark brown sugar instead of golden brown sugar. They cost the same where I buy them. Then when the recipe calls for brown sugar, I add about 1/3 white sugar to the brown. (Brown sugar is just white sugar with molassis added to it and dark brown has more of it.)

[flyingdutch]

I'm a big fan of making anything I can from scratch. I think it tastes better and most of the time it works out to be cheaper. Especially if you buy things on sale.

I love fruit based desserts. During the summer all the desserts I make are almost exclusively using fruit that's in season- either getting it at pick your own places or farmers markets. In the winter it's about using fruit that I've canned myself (jam thumb print cookies, canned pear or apple bread pudding, canned peach upside down cake) or that I've gotten on sale (either fresh of canned).

Utilising what you have on hand also helps to cut costs (i.e. stale bread is PERFECT for bread pudding- just add some eggs, milk or evap milk mixed with milk if you want it richer, spices and you're ready to go).

In terms of making meals, its the same principle as some others have mentioned. For example- a whole chicken on sale makes dinner for one night, hot sandwiches or cold clubhouse sandwiches for lunch, and then use the bones to make stock/soup with leftover chicken and some veggies. I toss in rice and it's a complete meal Then I usually freeze the leftover soup for those nights that you just feel too tired to make anything from scratch. If you want to cut corners even more, Metro ON has a whole broiler chicken deal (on Tues I think) so you can just use that rather than roasting your own.

I also like to buy whole chickens and butcher them myself. Cutting up your own chicken means that you get fresher chicken (chicken left whole as long as possible IMO tastes better and realistically has less chance of coming into contact with contagious agents), you are sure you won't get flecks of bone in it- like I'd experienced at times in store butchered chicken I mean with those giant clevers and the speed they want to operate under. I try to do this with larger cuts of meat as well- like beef & pork.

I just like the feeling of having made something myself and serving it to people I care about. I know however that not everyone likes cooking like me. So I guess it comes down to if you consider cooking to be a pasttime/hobby as well as a task you have to do it means the cost is even less (entertainment as well as food budget )

Okay I'll stop rambling now....

[anisa]

i cook pretty much everything from scratch. i don't really think about the cost too much, although obviously most of the ingredients must be on sale

once in a while i will look at a packaged prepared item, read the ingredients, shudder and just put it back. at least i know what goes into my food when i cook it myself.

i still splurge on seafood and we eat meat a few times a week. we have hearty meals which might not be cheap, but i think they are just better overall healthwise. in fact, even if the cost ends up being pretty much the same in the long run, homemade is still tastier!

i think it's really fun trying to make things that are usually restaurant treats. the great part is that you can find all sorts of recipes online, read through them and then come up with a version that suits your taste.

[hollyquaiscer]

Most of us prefer to cook from scratch. When I'm home, I like to purchase my meat from Costco. They have excellent quality, although I NEVER purchase ground beef anymore, haven't for years unless I'm in a real pinch. It's so much easier to purchase several chuck or round steaks and make my own. Thank goodness for my Kitchenaid mixer, it gets so much use.

It's probably not cheaper to make my own ground beef, but it's a hell of a lot safer these days!