Items made from scratch that you find cost effective

[mom2hancj]

I am wondering what items you find cost effective to make. For example, I think the dry pancake mix from Walmart is cheaper than making it. I was wondering if like chocolate syrup, bbq sauce, maple syrup etc are worth the savings. Thanks! Any items you make or choose not to make but buy.

[MC]

I used to make baking mix from scratch--now I buy it for .99 at sav-a-lot. I don't know if scratch was cheaper, but things never came out as well.

Now I've found that some things are cheaper because I grow it myself--ie, Italian seasoning, so why should I buy it? Pizza crust is cheaper if you buy your flour and yeast in bulk. But why bother if it's going to go bad before you use it?
IMO--sometimes it's cheaper to buy it. But things are good to know, like how to make choc. syrup, or what seasonings go into taco seasoning. That way, if you run out and already have the stuff on hand, you save the money.

That's where the savings come into play for me. I have the stuff to make quite a few things from scratch so I'd be wasting the money by buying them. And it's stuff I keep on hand--no "special" purchases needed lol!

"Rice-a-roni"
evaporated milk
sour cream(for cooked recipes only)
assorted cakes and cupcakes
dry onion soup mix
taco seasoning
rolls, breadsticks, pizza dough
pasta(if we're out and we have the stuff)
pie crusts
stuff "put up" from the garden, from pickles to salsa since we grow it and it's free lol!

[miss_thrifty]

cheaper to make
hm pizza sauce, and dough
hm pasta dishes , then freeze in individual containers
hm muffins but not cake mixes

[kabin63]

I find that making my own home made egg noodles is definitely cheaper than buying them. For instance, it might cost me 35 cents to make a batch of noodles, instead of $1.79 premade, and I know what goes into them.
I have also found it is easier for me to purchase things like frozen pizza (on sale of couse) frozen lasagna. It would cost $20 or more for me to make a pan of lasagna, but I can buy pre made for $11. Same thing with pizza. Costs me more to make it than to buy it.
I don't make a lot of bread type stuff, so I don't keep a lot of yeast on hand. It's cheaper for me to just buy a tube of cinnamon rools (from Aldi)
than to make it.
I have also found that with my smaller family it is sometimes cheaper to buy things premade, but I often choose to make them from scratch, unless I don't have the ingredients.
I usually buy a cake mix, less than a dollar at Aldi, but make the frosting from scratch for the cake.
I am hoping to grow all of my green beans this year in the garden. I would save a lot of money in that alone.

[PrairieRose]

Laundry soap is the first thing that comes to mind. The initial cost is about the same as buying a large container of store bought but then you can make several batches with only having to buy the soap to grate to go in and here that costs .89 and the batch that I make with mine lasts about 2 months.

[jkelstaten]

For me almost everything except bread is cheaper for me to make than to buy. But that's because of where I am. Some things depend on where you are and what's available in your area.

For me spag. sauce is always cheaper to make because when I'm in the states I can get tomatoes for $0.10/can at a scratch and dent store. Here it's not available pre-made so I make it homemade anyway.

Soups are most definitely cheaper to make than to buy. I make chili for $4.05, and soups without meat are even cheaper. For a big batch. Serves 4 people usually 3 times. chili=$0.34/serving.

Rice mixes are cheaper homemade. I haven't gotten into making pastas, but they are cheaper to make homemade.

There's a thread on here, where I mentioned making a corn syrup substitute for $0.16/4 cups

And you can mix your own brown sugar too.

I use flour and yeast pretty quickly so anything that can be made with those is cheaper. I usually make some sort of bread for our meals from scratch. Biscuits are cheap to make from scratch. Corn bread. (though Jiffy is pretty competive....I just don't have it available here)

I have an excel spreadsheet that I put together so that I can keep track of how much different items cost to make. It's really helped me.

[kabin63]

I wish I knew how to use excel. I think it would help me to see where and what is cost effective, but I don't know how to use it...LOL

[peanut]

MC - I don't know where you live, but here we buy yeast in bulk and store it in the freezer. It keeps for up to a year. Also, flour doesn't last long enough to go bad here. Maybe try freezing it as well.

The things I find more cost effective?
~ bread
~ muffins
~ tortillas (though the time involved doesn't motivate me to do it often)
~ bakery items of all kinds EXCEPT Danishes.
~ soups (I can megacook tons using leftovers that would otherwise hit the garbage)
~ lasagna (I megacook at least 2 at a time; one to eat and one for the freezer)
~ pudding
~ pies are cheaper to make than buy here.

The big thing for me isn't how much cheaper things are, it's how much healthier the homemade version is. I can substitute for the fat and cut the sugar in half sometimes. Also I can make healthier decisions; like less bakery items for snacks and desserts, and more fruit and ff yogurt.

[geckoace]

peanut, how do you store your soups and are they cooked or ready to be cooked?

[baxjul]

Definitely spag. sauce and laundry soap!.