As a result, I spend a lot of time in the kitchen baking, measuring, mixing and chopping. Sometimes it’s satisfying to see — and smell! — my tasty homemade dishes as they come out of the oven.
Preparing food at home can be enjoyable, especially when my kids get involved. But other times, I question whether the effort is worth it. Could my time be better spent doing something else and simply buying packaged items? How much am I truly saving?
I decided to run the numbers — not exactly a natural fit for this English major! My takeaway: These six foods are worth making at home because they’re both quick and inexpensive to prepare.
A Note on Prices
To estimate costs, I used prices from my local grocery store in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and Walmart.com. Prices will vary by region, but the likelihood that you’ll save by making these items yourself remains high.
1. Pizza Crust
Store-bought crust runs about $4 for two crusts. If you make crust from scratch, you’ll need:
- 58 cents of flour.
- 6 cents of canola oil.
- 4 cents of sugar.
- 30 cents of yeast.
- 4 cents of salt.
My grand total is $1.02; my recipe yields two thin crusts or one thick crust.
If you have pizza once a week (we do!), you’d spend $208 a year on pre-made crust. If you make your own, it’s only $53.04. That’s an annual savings of $154.96.
If you want convenience, try using tortillas instead of store-bought crust. Two tortillas stacked make a perfect thin crust. You’d need four to make two thin-crust pizzas, costing about 80 cents each time you have pizza — even less than homemade! By switching to tortillas in place of premade crust, you could save $166.40 per year.
2. Hummus
Hummus is a flavorful protein-packed spread that’s simple to make with a food processor at home.
Store-bought hummus costs around $3 for 10 ounces. That’s 30 cents per ounce. If you make your own, you’ll spend:
- $1 for a can of chickpeas.
- 30 cents for juice from a large lemon.
- 54 cents for tahini.
- 25 cents for a garlic clove.
- 32 cents’ worth of extra-virgin olive oil.
Your grand total is $2.41 for 15 ounces, which equals 16 cents per ounce. That’s nearly half the price of the store-bought option!
If you bought store hummus every other week, you’d spend $78 for 260 ounces. The same volume of homemade hummus would cost $41.77, saving you $36.23 per year.
3. Lunchables
Lots of parents rely on Lunchables for their kids’ lunches, and those convenience packs can take a toll on your grocery budget.
There are several Lunchables varieties. The ham and cheddar with crackers option is relatively inexpensive at $1.66. But let’s compare the cost if you assemble it yourself. Here’s what you’d spend:
- $2 for a box of 100 crackers, or 2 cents a cracker; Lunchables include about eight crackers, so that’s 16 cents for crackers in the homemade version.
- 24 cents for a slice of ham.
- 18 cents for a slice of cheese.
- About 10 cents for a Keebler Vienna Fingers cookie.
Your homemade total is 68 cents. If you bought three Lunchables each week for a year, you would spend $258.96. If you made them yourself, it would only cost you $104.53, saving $154.43 annually.
4. Granola
Call me a hippie, but I enjoy eating granola for breakfast. It’s wholesome and keeps me full until lunch.
Store-bought granola costs roughly $8 for 6 cups. There are many recipes online; the one I use calls for:
- 63 cents of rolled oats.
- 36 cents of whole wheat flour.
- 3 cents of baking soda.
- 1 cent of sea salt.
- 21 cents of cinnamon.
- 55 cents of cloves.
- 97 cents of raisins.
- $2.24 of maple syrup.
- 24 cents of canola oil.
- 43 cents of homemade vanilla extract.
My grand total is $5.67 for 6 cups. Maple syrup is by far the priciest ingredient I use, but you could choose a recipe without it to lower the cost.
I eat granola every morning, so I use about 6 cups per week. Over a year, I spend $294.84 on homemade granola. My store-bought cost would be $448, so I’m saving $153.16 annually.
To save time, pre-mix the dry ingredients into gallon-size bags. Then add the wet ingredients when you’re ready to bake a batch.
5. Broth
Do you like free food? Then you should probably start making your own broth. Our great-grandmothers wouldn’t have considered buying boxed broth when they made soup, mashed potatoes or countless other dishes. Broth is one of the simplest ways to repurpose food scraps.
Store-bought chicken or vegetable broth typically costs $2.09 for a 32-ounce (4-cup) carton. Making your own from leftover chicken or beef bones and vegetable scraps can cost you nothing.
However, if you don’t have scraps handy, here’s the cost breakdown for vegetable broth:
- 50 cents for one large onion.
- 25 cents for two celery stalks.
- 23 cents for two carrots.
- 25 cents for garlic.
- 50 cents for parsley.
- 30 cents for two bay leaves.
- 2 cents of salt.
- 84 cents of dried thyme.
Grand total: $2.89 for 12 cups.
If you want beef broth, you can purchase broth bones at the store; that will add about $4, bringing the cost to $6.89 for 12 cups.
For chicken, buy the cheapest bone-in bird you can find. I spotted some for 69 cents a pound. If I used 3 pounds of chicken to make broth, the cost would be $4.96 for 12 cups of broth.
Store-bought broth runs about 52 cents per cup; homemade vegetable broth costs less than half that at 24 cents per cup. Homemade chicken broth is about 41 cents per cup. While that’s not drastically cheaper than store-bought, you can use the cooked chicken meat in another meal. Beef broth comes in around 57 cents per cup, making it slightly more expensive than the store option. If beef broth is what you need, buying it might be the smarter choice.
If you buy broth every three weeks, you’d spend $36.23 per year. You could save that amount by making your own from scraps. If you purchase vegetables to make broth, it would cost $16.70 yearly, for savings of $19.53. Chicken broth would cost $28.65 per year to make, which still saves you $7.57 annually.
6. Rice Krispies Treats
Everyone needs a sweet treat now and then. Rice Krispies Treats are so simple to make, it’s surprising anyone buys them ready-made.
Store-bought Rice Krispies Treats cost $3.68 for 16 bars, or 23 cents per bar. To make your own, you’ll need:
- $1.56 worth of Rice Krispies cereal (or a generic brand to save more).
- 28 cents of margarine.
- $1 of marshmallows.
Your homemade total is $2.84 for 16 bars, or 18 cents per bar.
If you bought a package every week for a year, you’d spend $191.36 on store-bought Rice Krispies Treats. Homemade will cost $147.68, for an annual savings of $43.68.
