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30 Foods That Are Far Cheaper To Make At Home, As Shared By These Frugal Internet Users
Interview
Many families around the world are feeling the squeeze. With many groceries being jaw-droppingly expensive, people are looking for ways to make every cent go further. Some cut back on eating out. Others focus on buying items only on sale. And then there are the most creative folks who embrace home cooking to an impressive new level.
Redditor u/jeron_gwendolen fired up a very interesting discussion after asking the internet about the foods that are far cheaper to make at home than to buy at stores. Many redditors shared their nuggets of wisdom, and we’ve collected the best ones to share with you. Scroll down to check them out—they might just inspire you to do something new in the kitchen.
We reached out to the author of the viral thread, u/jeron_gwendolen, and they were kind enough to share their personal tips on saving money when it comes to food. You'll find Bored Panda's full interview with them below.
Image credits: jeron_gwendolen
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Omelette. Can be whipped up in a very short amount of time for a fraction of the price that it costs at a restaurant. A restaurant charges $10-15 for what is really about $1 in ingredients since the price of eggs has fallen.
Most breakfast foods are like this.
There are some tiny glimmers of hope that grocery costs—which are already sky-high—might come down in the near future. The BBC reports that in the United Kingdom, food prices dropped by 0.1% in September 2023 compared to August. This was the first monthly drop in over two years. And it’s all because of growing competition between supermarkets.
Obviously, easing grocery inflation is good for customers because they can pay less for food and have more money to save or for other needs. There are also indications that shop price inflation, which fell to 6.2% in September, is easing up. What this means, essentially, is that prices are growing more slowly. This might be good news in the long run, but for many consumers, prices are still exorbitant here and now.
#3
Came here because I learned this year 1. How fast basil grows and 2. How expensive pesto is lol. I buy all the other ingredients then once a week when my basil plant is uncontrollably growing I get fresh pesto sauce. This is one of my favorite meals and never fails to make me smile. A very small jar of pesto can be 10-20$.
Meanwhile, the situation seems to be getting slightly better for consumers across the pond, in the United States, as well. Grocery prices rose just 0.2% in August, compared to July. And they rose 0.3% In July, compared to June. CNN noted that grocery prices are up 3% in 2023 compared to 2022; this is far better than a year ago, when they were 13.5% higher than in 2021.
The general trend seems to be that massive price spikes are out of the picture. Hopefully, prices and price growth will continue cooling. However, some food items got far more expensive than others. For instance, in August, bacon prices jumped a shocking 4% in the US. However, even with this increase, bacon prices in August 2023 are still 6.4% cheaper than a year ago.
#4
German Pancakes (Dutch Babies). They are so easy to make at home. There are only a few breakfast places that make them and I just checked, $19.59. The basic ingredients only cost $1.18.
#5
I just made bread for the first time and holy moly it’s so easy and cheap. I’m not a huge bread person or baker hence why I’m in my 40s and never made bread before lol. I was going to make the only cookies that I ever make once a year for work— pumpkin chocolate chip— but bought bread flour instead of AP flour. So I made bread instead!
Alexis Pandas 1 year ago
I have to politely disagree on this one. Good bread (sourdough based) takes a lot of patience, timing and care. I could do it during lockdown when I was working from home and could take a short break every now and then to knead, fold and let the dough rest for another 2h etc. No chance now that I’m back at the office. Good ingredients and energy aren‘t exactly cheap either. Baking your own bread is kind of satisfying but I’d go as far as to say it‘s more of a hobby and definitely not just whipping something up. There’s a great bakery nearby and I‘ve returned to leaving it to the pros.
#6
Spaghetti sauce. Instead of buying that expensive name-brand spaghetti sauce, do the following. Get a big can or jar of tomato paste. Add fried onions, garlic, oregano, olive oil, salt, pepper, sugar. If you want, add ground beef, or textured soy. Options for mushrooms, bell peppers, even seafood, basil, condensed milk, liver, sausage, wine, etc etc.
Make a huge batch and freeze the leftovers.
Much better than the Ragu or Prego c**p you find in the grocery, and a fraction of the cost.
PrettyJoyBird 1 year ago (edited)
No way all those ingredients are a fraction of the cost of a jar. Not in our stores. A jar is about 2 to 5 dollars depends on brand.
Bored Panda was very curious to learn about the inspiration behind the redditor's thread on r/Frugal. The author was happy to shed some light on this. "At that time, I was only around 2 months short of being a university student," they told us.
"Before getting thrown into adulthood head-first, I deemed it important to at least equip myself with some advice from experienced frugality-soaked people," u/jeron_gwendolen opened up that they were looking for some practical advice on saving money.
Meanwhile, we were curious to get the OP's take on saving money on groceries in these economically bizarre times. "First of all, know your town. Go for a price hunt," they advised doing some proper research.
"Visit every single store in the vicinity of your home and make a list of all the groceries you cannot live without. Write down their prices and compare them," they said.
#7
We have a large vegetable garden that gives us plenty to eat for now and to can. A friend just gave us a lot of grapes and we made some jelly
Mary Kelly 1 year ago
yes, over the long term....but, you have to buy cannig supplies and have a chest freezer to take advantage of these savings...only really pays for itself if you do this long term
#8
Salad dressing. It’s so much better tasting than bottled dressing, it’s cheap, and can be made from items I already have on hand.
I will say that sometimes I buy the Italian dressing mixes. They’re cheap, quick, and tasty.
Annik Perrot 1 year ago
I always make my own salad dressing. Bottled ones are often bland and, even in France, they generally have added sugar. The basis is vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. Then you can add à bit of mustard, garlic, shallots, chives, basilic, etc... as the mood strikes. I also vary the oils and the vinegars.Takes all of two minutes.
#9
Hummus!
Duane Ringlein 1 year ago
My late wife loved Hummus, asked me to try and make it, and loved how it was. Very easy and cheap and never had to buy hummus again.
"It's not always the case that a store that's considered to be 'the cheapest' offers a better deal than 'the most expensive.' Also, avoid buying fruit and veggies at big stores that come in plastic bags and boxes. It's virtually always a ripoff. Get them in bulk instead," Reddit user u/jeron_gwendolen suggested what everyone should keep in mind if they want to save some money while shopping for food.
The author of the thread also shared their advice on starting to cook at home and gaining confidence in the kitchen. "Start with something simple. Fry an egg, throw in some bacon," they advised everyone who's completely new to making food at home.
"When you get bored of that, whip up something as simple as pancakes, no more than 3-5 ingredients. You'll warm into it, trust me. There's nothing rocket sciency about cooking. It doesn't require any talent, just a hungry stomach."
#10
I make a pretty good deli meat sandwich. Subway is so expensive these days. I shouldn't have to pay $20 for a sandwich.
PlatinumThe8-BitCat 1 year ago
Where do you have to pay $20 for a sandwich? Aren’t they usually like $8-$12?
#11
It seems like everything nowadays 😂. I’ve recently learned how to make our own bread, pickles, pickled banana peppers, mayonnaise, taco seasoning, and tortillas. We grew a ton of cherry tomatoes and are gonna make pasta sauce and then ketchup. Just small things, but I think it really makes a difference! Sure you have to buy some ingredients, but if I can use them to make multiple batches of something, it’s really worth it.
#12
Pizza
Firstname Lastname 1 year ago
Got enough ingredients to make 3 pizzas all under $10. A lot less greasy, and I can choose how thick I want my crust and how plentiful I want my toppings.
Saving money comes down to reevaluating your priorities. The first step when curbing spending is to create a proper budget. Look at your income, make a list of all of your expenses (down to the tiniest details), and search for areas where you can cut back. For example, if you’re a fan of dining out, you could reduce how often you do it, choosing to cook at home instead.
The same goes for getting take-out. There are tons of free online resources and recipes that can help you cook your favorite meals at home. This means that you end up saving cash and that you can actually eat more healthily: you’re in control of what you put into the meal. Naturally, this means that you’ll have to spend more time in the kitchen. Cooking can be an incredibly fun activity, but it means that if you have no skills to speak of, you’ll have to put in the effort to develop them slowly over time.
#13
Definitely anything related to meat. Where I live for example, a good steak is usually around $40-$80 in a restaurant. Whereas if I buy USDA choice ribeye/New York steaks and reverse sear them, I’m instantly saving a minimum of 50% of the cost and tastes very similar.
#14
Kimchi.
A small 16 oz jar at jewel costs $13. That will last me a week.
For $13 of ingredients I can make 3 60 oz jars that can last me 1-2 months each.
Plus I have my kimchi recipe down to a perfection. *chef's kiss*
Firstname Lastname 1 year ago
The problem is, if I have 180 oz of kimchi, I'll eat it all, and my bootyhole won't forgive me. It's a measure of self restraint.
#15
most food is much cheaper at home. I can cook a lot of basic asian foods and its easily 1/4 to 1/3 the cost for some dishes. I wouldn't bother with something that takes hours to make like ramen broth (and I doubt it'd be as good). But something like japanese oyakodon costs $15 in a restaurant, and might take 15 min to make for $3.
I've noticed a lot of chinese restaurants charging $5 for ... plain white rice around me. Rice that you can make 5x the quantity of for $5. Just have to be smart about stuff like that.
Spocks's Mom 1 year ago
Fried rice is really easy to make and I usually have most of the ingredients.
Other things to cut back on include red meat which is very expensive. You can find cheaper protein alternatives if money is tight. It also helps to buy food items on sale, so you can freeze them for future use.
If you cooperate with your family, friends, and neighbors, you can save even more by buying some groceries in bulk. And if you decide to start baking your own bread, then more power to you! As evidenced in this list, it’s definitely worth giving a go.
#16
Cake is stupid cheap and easy to make homemade, and lived ones will appreciate the effort that went into it.
RaroaRaroa 1 year ago
Ahh, but if I buy it I can pretend it doesn't have ridiculous amounts of butter and sugar in it.
#17
Have you read the book Make the Bread, Buy the Butter by Jennifer Reese? It answers this question extensively with a price breakdown on many different foods and even factors find and lack rubric the equation. It’s a great resource.
Binky Melnik 1 year ago
“even factors find and lack rubric the equation.” Uh, what? It appears autocorrect had a stroke, as this can’t be turned into ANYTHING that relates to food and makes sense. Any guesses as to what she TRIED to type? I got nothing, so I hope someone smarter than I am can help!
#18
Oatmilk. Like $5 at the store and can make it for pennies. Just water, oats, blend and strain! I like to add sweetener like maple syrup and some vanilla, but up to the maker.
Ample Aardvark 1 year ago
Commercial oatmilk have vitamins and calcium added so you have to balance home made plant milk by taking supplements or loading up on the greens if you rely on a lot of plant milk in your diet. Also if you're using it for baking you need to add more thickeners to the recipe
#19
Creme Fraiche. They want $6 for a tiny jar in the store. Take a cup of cream or half and half, stir in a tablespoon of buttermilk and let it sit on the counter overnight. Delicious magic.
#20
Corn bread and tater tots.
When I was younger I always thought these were delicacies because they charged so much for them when eating out. As an adult I was gobsmacked when I saw how cheap and easy to prepare they actually are. It pretty much started my habit of eating out as little as possible after I realized how overpriced everything is and how much healthier it is to cook at home.
Mary Kelly 1 year ago
and, if you don't want to make it from scratch, a jiffy mix is super cheap and actually good
#21
My partner and I just started making homemade pan pizzas in cast iron and calzones. So insanely good. And anywhere from 1/8 to 1/2 of the cost, even buying from Trader Joe's (expensive dairy there) and premade dough
#22
Nearly everything. But I’d say pasta, soup and salads are way cheaper to make yourself at home. Pasta is like $2.00 a box and it makes a lot, making homemade sauce might be $10 for a pot full. If you go out for it, you’ll pay maybe $15-20 for a plate. Same with soup, make it at home for a couple dollars a serving or pay $8-10 a bowl. Salad? No doubt it’s way cheaper at home. $10 and up for someone to chop up a couple veggies and add a couple ingredients.
Spocks's Mom 1 year ago
Salad IS NOT cheaper at home. I buy the ingredients and they go bad three seconds after I bring them home.
#23
Cold brew concentrate. Bought one of those amazon coldbrew makers (basically a pitcher with a fine mesh sieve inside) and a bag of lavazza beans. Makes about a quart. Must have saved myself almost $1000 this summer not buying bottles of Grady’s coldbrew every week.
Also, ESPRESSO. I was gifted an espresso maker. Not a super expensive one (I think I saw it on amazon for $300) I can’t even fathom how much money it’s saved me on espresso shots over the last couple of years.
sturmwesen 1 year ago
You don't need a cold brew maker. a french press or a jar and a fine strainer do it just as well (approved by a coffee roaster)
#25
Tallow and bone broth are almost free to make at home, but so expensive at the store! Very simple to make, very little effort or processing time, and you're using what you might normally throw away!
If you eat beef or chicken, save the bones in the freezer. Once you have enough to fill up a crock pot, toss them in with some vinegar and a little salt. Let it go between 12-24 hours and then strain through cheese cloth. Now you've got bone broth.
Put that in the fridge and let the fat solidify. Use a butter knife to pull the fat off the top. That's the tallow. You'll want to add water, heat, strain again, cool again, discard the water and gently scrape anything discolored(I usually immediately put that stuff on toast, lol). Now you've got clean tallow to cook with, and it is incredible.
Mary Kelly 1 year ago
sometimes cheaper is not worth your time to do at home...this strikes as one of those things
#26
Martinis and gin & tonics.
Jane No Dough 1 year ago
Any cocktail is far less expensive at home AND no designated driver or uber necessary!
#27
Espresso, if you ignore the sunk cost of the espresso machine.
Ace 1 year ago (edited)
Even if you don't ignore the sunk costs it's going to work out a lot cheaper in the long run. Where I live a decent fully automatic bean-to-cup machine starts at around chf300 and should last at least five years, at say 4 cups a day that's less than 10 cents a cup. Coffee beans around chf10 per kilo, makes around 50 cups, so around 20 cents per cup.
#28
Perhaps I misunderstand your question, but there are so many things - in fact, I believe that *almost* everything you could buy premade from a store would be cheaper than buying it at a store. Examples include:
* Tuna salad from the deli - this is so easy to make yourself. I use an immersion blender to get it as finely textured as the deli
* Just about any "frozen entree" (but some are so much easier to buy premade. For me, I like breaded fish filets, and I can get them pretty cheap and prefer to do so versus making them myself
* Frozen vegetables
* Baked goods
* Pies
Some exceptions include:
* Yogurt - I tried making my own. It cost more.
* Ice cream - It is so cheap to buy, and I didn't much like what I made (adapter fora kitchenaid mixer - a waste of money)
WindySwede 1 year ago
If they didn't like homemade ice cream they made it wrong! I still can dream about a batch of ice cream I made years ago.. thou quite occasional, but was the 👌
#29
Soda pop. I was gifted a soda stream but discovered, since I don't care for the fizzies anyway, I just use the syrup and make my pop. What else is nice, made with real sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup (which causes additional sweet cravings) and is less calories overall, even with using the amount they claim in directions.
#30
pretty much most foods, honestly tho there are some things by the time I buy all the stuff it is way more practical to just go eat out. Like one time I was determined to make my own pho and all the time and effort it was cheaper just to go to the restraunt and buy it. Brisket is kinda the same way like unless I wanna have a lot of it, its better to just go buy it at my local rundown bbq joint. Other than those specific cases I cook everything at home now tho.
What do you think ?
David Phillips 1 year ago
This seems rather dumb. EVERY food is cheaper made at home, with the possible exception of items where economy of scale kicks in, like if you just want ONE sandwich. Generally though, in a supermarket or restaurant, you're paying for convenience, not product.
--- 1 year ago
"It costs more to have someone make your food than it costs to do it yourself" - most of this article.
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Bec 1 year ago
It's all about a cost benefit analysis. I have to plan, shop, and then prepare the meal, and clean up too.
Trillian 1 year ago (edited)
Exactly. You pay with money or you pay with time. Also, I hate cooking/meal prep.
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Sergio Bicerra 1 year ago
Before going into a restaurant, fast food joint etc I imagine doing grocery shooping, then preparing it myself, then cleaning and washing dishes and ask myself if the $15 I saved are worth my effort... and then I get into the restaurant.
Pa4040 1 year ago (edited)
I think its worth the effort. Washing a few pans and a couple plates, knowing how to choose your groceries , researching a recipe, and the whole cooking process (ideally with a loved one) makes cooking fun and a bonding experience.
Load More Replies...
David Phillips 1 year ago
This seems rather dumb. EVERY food is cheaper made at home, with the possible exception of items where economy of scale kicks in, like if you just want ONE sandwich. Generally though, in a supermarket or restaurant, you're paying for convenience, not product.
--- 1 year ago
"It costs more to have someone make your food than it costs to do it yourself" - most of this article.
Load More Replies... Bec 1 year ago
It's all about a cost benefit analysis. I have to plan, shop, and then prepare the meal, and clean up too.
Trillian 1 year ago (edited)
Exactly. You pay with money or you pay with time. Also, I hate cooking/meal prep.
Load More Replies... Sergio Bicerra 1 year ago
Before going into a restaurant, fast food joint etc I imagine doing grocery shooping, then preparing it myself, then cleaning and washing dishes and ask myself if the $15 I saved are worth my effort... and then I get into the restaurant.
Pa4040 1 year ago (edited)
I think its worth the effort. Washing a few pans and a couple plates, knowing how to choose your groceries , researching a recipe, and the whole cooking process (ideally with a loved one) makes cooking fun and a bonding experience.
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