"I Was Shocked At How Easy It Is": People Are Sharing Foods That Are Way Cheaper To Make At Home Than Buy In A Store
Recently, u/jeron_gwendolen asked people on the r/Frugal subreddit to share the foods that are cheaper (and even tastier) when they make them at home. In the replies, people shared lots of great ideas that had me taking notes. Here's what they had to say:
1."My partner and I just started making homemade pan pizzas in a cast iron skillet 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 with premade dough."
"Pizza is so easy, sauce and all, and it gives you complete control over ingredients and taste. I make one just about every Saturday and rotate through the different types — thin crust, deep dish pan, NY style, etc."
2."Cold brew concentrate. I bought one of those Amazon cold brew 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 $1,000 this summer not buying bottles of Grady’s cold brew every week."
3."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 all-purpose flour. So I made bread instead!"
"Congratulations! Now you can make cinnamon rolls, fry bread, pretzels, hamburger buns, doughnuts, and so many other things. Learning to make yeast dough will make your life better forever.
Also? You can use bread flour in some cookie recipes, and they actually come out better. Google can give you a better breakdown than I can."
4."Oat milk. It's, like, $5 at the store, and I can make it for pennies. Just water, oats, blend, and strain! I like to add sweetener like maple syrup and some vanilla, but it's up to the maker."
5."The only problem with homemade hummus is that I can’t seem to find a recipe that only makes a very little bit. Even a recipe that calls for a single can of chickpeas makes what seems like a gallon of hummus. I like it, but not that much."
"If you go with dried chickpeas, you can definitely bring the quantity down. I like to cook 1 cup dried, use what I want, and freeze the rest of the chickpeas on a baking sheet in a single layer. Container them up and use for hummus. Bonus points 'cause you usually need to add less ice water to smooth it."
6."Air fryer chicken wings. OMG, these things are bomb! You have to do some experimenting at first with temperatures and such, but once you nail it down how you want, it’s the best!"
"My recommendation is get the frozen Tyson chicken wings from Sam’s club (it’s a 20-pound bag for $25). Totally worth it."
7."Greek yogurt."
"Google Crock Pot, Instant Pot, or stovetop yogurt. I've found Stonyfield yogurt makes a great starter.
Once you've made your yogurt, line a colander with paper towels. Place the colander on a clean sink or in a bigger bowl. Dump the yogurt in the paper towel lined colander, let strain for an hour or so, and the whey will drip out the sides and bottom.
You may want to stir it occasionally as the center will be more liquid, and the sides will get thicker. Leave it straining until you get the consistency you want. You can get it to the consistency of a soft goat cheese of you strain it long enough. If you strain it in a bowl in the fridge, the flavor will stay the same. If you strain it unrefrigerated, the flavor will get a bit tarter.
True Greek yogurt is just yogurt that has been strained so that some of the whey is removed, giving it a thicker texture and higher protein content."
8."Espresso, if you ignore the sunk cost of the espresso machine."
9."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 minutes to make for $3."
"I've noticed a lot of Chinese restaurants charging $5 for plain white rice around me. You can make five times the quantity of that for $5."
10."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 between $10 and $20."
11."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 crap you find in the grocery, and a fraction of the cost."
"I’ve been making this recipe for 10+ years!
12."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."
"We stopped ordering steaks when we go out to eat because we make them better at home, and it's cheaper! Although, that took some time to learn. I usually order something that is not easy to make or takes a long time, like salmon burgers (they are easy to make but take lots of steps)."
13."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, they charge $19.59. The basic ingredients only cost $1.18."
14."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."
I, too, love making my own salad dressing, and to think, it all started for me after a fellow BuzzFeeder tried making Olivia Wilde's special salad dressing way back in the days of the Don't Worry Darling drama. I miss the drama, but I still make the dressing.
15."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."
16."Flavored water kefir. It's a hobby I got into during the pandemic, and I've been at it for about three years now. I see bottles sold at the local farmer's market for an arm and a leg, and I love that I can make it at home in the flavors I love for a fraction of the cost."
"This reminds me to reach out and seek new water kefir grains. I loved it when I was making it all the time."
17."Kimchi. A small 16-ounce jar at Jewel costs $13. That will last me a week. For $13 of ingredients, I can make three 60-ounce jars that can last me one to two months each. Plus, I have my kimchi recipe down to a perfection. *chef's kiss*"
18."Martinis and gin and tonics."
"Any drinks really. We got into making cocktails at home during lockdowns, and I can hardly stand going to a bar anymore. Why pay $15 for a 'margarita' that’s bottom-shelf tequila and some canned high fructose corn syrup mix, when you can make a delicious one from scratch for, like, $3."
19."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."
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."
21."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."
22."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."
"I was shocked at how easy it is to make mayonnaise with an immersion blender (aka a 'stick' blender)."
23."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."
24."Soda pop. I was gifted a SodaStream. I just use the syrup and make my pop. It's 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."
