I was thinking about math. Not the subject that many of us dreaded in eleventh grade, but simple addition type of math and how doing simple math can be a powerful motivator in becoming more frugal.
Case in point, I advocate for making a lot of food items from scratch. A LOT. But it is a fair question to ask if the savings really worth it?
So, let’s take five of the top ten things I normally make from scratch and see if the savings start to add up.
- Chicken broth. I normally use, on average, one box (24 ounces) of chicken stock every single week. The cost for a box of chicken stock is between $2.50 and $5.50 so let’s call it at $3.50 since I would likely buy a more frugal brand or version. Since my homemade broth costs me absolutely nothing and there are 52 weeks in a year, that is a simple savings of $182 annually.
2. I use a lot of Greek yogurt. At least s quart a week. Turns out, the savings here are substantial. Store bought costs $8 or more a quart. The cost of a gallon of milk is roughly $4 and that yields me two quarts of yogurt so basically half the price. Since I am saving at least $4 a week by making my own, the cost savings over a year is actually $208.
3. Coffee. Everyone who knows me is highly aware that because of my frugal nature, I am deeply offended by the $6 cup of coffee from a lot of coffee spots. Even when I use my pods and the cost is a pricy $1.40 a cup versus the Plain Jane $4 a cup from a popular coffee spot, I am still saving at least $2.6 a day. And because I am a two cup-a-day coffee consumer, the savings are literally double or $5.20 a day. Annual savings? At least $1898.00 a year. It is actually much more when I brew my own from beans I grind and brew myself but let’s go with the most expensive option I use at home for now although I cannot fathom spending $10 a day in coffee, can you?
- Bread is something we use sparingly. Usually, half a loaf a week. Even so, it costs me just $0.70 to bake a loaf versus $6 to buy a loaf. The savings is therefore $5.30 every two weeks or $127.20. Any leftovers are used for breadcrumbs and croutons which results in roughly $6 a month additional savings or another $72 a year.
5. Spice mixes. I always make my own. The cost is generally upwards of 90% over store bought and while I don’t need to make them very often, I estimate I save at least $80 a year, including using dried and fresh herbs from my garden.
So, halfway through the top ten? The savings are already sizable, easily adding up to $2567.20. If we were a bigger family than just us three (my beloved Pitt Bull is of course our fur baby and she totally counts), the savings would be even more.
Stay tuned for Part 2 and even more savings.
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the house behind 