when is it cheaper to make your own?

purpleivy

brokeinwales wrote: »

(But I do live with two flatmates who live off expensive takeaways most of the time, so that makes me feel like I'm saving a lot by cooking!). I think my main doubt is about "ingredient" foods - would it be worth making my own tomato ketchup or baked beans or mayonaise for example? And what about growing your own veg/herbs?
QUOTE]

I asked my dd if she got food 'borrowed' in the flat she is living in on the uni campus. She said on the whole not, as most of the stuff she has is 'ingredients' rather than something that you can pick up and eat!

SailorSam

[QUOTE=brokeinwales;28990353

In terms of moneysaving when it comes to bread, I actually find the cheapest thing to do is just not eat bread at all!
[/QUOTE]

That seems like a good idea, and if i can expand it a bit to not eating ice cream and chocolate i'll save some money on gym fees.

brokeinwales

asked my dd if she got food 'borrowed' in the flat she is living in on the uni campus. She said on the whole not, as most of the stuff she has is 'ingredients' rather than something that you can pick up and eat!

LOL That's actually the pecise reason I decided to learn to cook in the first place. People still nicked my milk when I was at uni, but I don't believe at any time in the history of man has anyone stolen a swede...

[Deleted User]

purpleivy wrote: »

brokeinwales wrote: »

(But I do live with two flatmates who live off expensive takeaways most of the time, so that makes me feel like I'm saving a lot by cooking!). I think my main doubt is about "ingredient" foods - would it be worth making my own tomato ketchup or baked beans or mayonaise for example? And what about growing your own veg/herbs?
QUOTE]

I asked my dd if she got food 'borrowed' in the flat she is living in on the uni campus. She said on the whole not, as most of the stuff she has is 'ingredients' rather than something that you can pick up and eat!

I personally don't think it's worth making baked beans or Ketchup. I try to buy the healthiest ketchup I can and tins of organic baked beans - which are quite cheap nowadays. I'd focus on the main meals and puddings, cakes etc. - making full use of batch cooking/baking and freezing.

Growing your own tomatoes is quite easy and cost efficient. If your grow cherry tomatoes you can freeze them whole in little bags, for using in your cooking. The green ones can be used to make green tomato chutney. They can be given as gifts, so nothing is wasted. I had a packet of seeds which have sufficed for two years and I'm hoping to get some more from the packet this time round too.

floss2

Churchmouse wrote: »

... Won't order it in a restaurant because I don't know how to pronounce it ...

"nockee" - silent G

brokeinwales

floss2 wrote: »

"nockee" - silent G

I usually just point....

Newbird

If you saw the programme on on BBC1 last night on cheap processed food, meat products, you will DEFINATELY want to be making your own, or go Veggie!

On iPlayer - well worth watching. http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00ntk57/Britains_Really_Disgusting_Food_Meat/

The footage of the poor chickens upset me, I really want to get my own chooks and rescue some battery hens.

I bought some Mr.T duck pate at Xmas, and it tasted OK, but looking at the ingredients list put me right off. I tried to imagine getting the ingredients together and making it with what Mr.T does!
Piles of chicken skin and pork fat


Yuk, you wouldn't dream of including some of the ingredients it is made with if you were making your own at home.

cooking-mama

Ive also recently been wondering if OS cooking is cheaper,it definately is healthier and tastier,but not necessarily cheaper..dunno about baking,but main meals tend to be more expensive.
I work till 10pm 2 or 3 days a week,on these day OH "provides" dinner(cant use the cook word here:rolleyes:),on these days its normaly something like frozen breaded fish fillets,or Malcolm Allen lean steakburgers,with oven chips and tinned sweetcorn/peas etc,-not expensive meals at all and luckily my girls have healthy packed lunches and theres always a fresh homemade loaf on the go and home made soup in the fridge(plus a full fruit bowl,)
But for instance today we are having a roast gammon joint,with baby potatoes and red cabbage..Gammon-£5.25(special offer)cabbage 1/2=56p,and £1 for baby pots=£6.81(still reasonable for family of 4)But tomorrows will be Birdseye seaside special fish £2,(£1 a pack special at Asda)can of sweetcorn 35p oven chips roughly 50p=£2.85...same yesterday,we had stuffed chicken breasts...it was £6 alone for the chicken,but i did use Asda own make soft cheese rather than philly and wrapped them in bacon that was to be used by that day anyway,I enjoy cooking and i think i can manage budget wise to make homemade healthy meals most days if the occassional day is supplemented by frozen fish/chicken portions etc.
I think possibly the main savings can be with soup,mince, and casserole type meals,and im saving a fortune by making my own bread,but fish and chicken breast based meals are more expensive to make.
PS/Ive a lovely 4.5l pot of soup on the go just now with a £1.25 chicken leg portion as its base,only added rice,grated carrot,onion and a very low salt Kallo stock cube...much better than canned anyday.;)

Mrs_Thrify

cooking-mama wrote: »

Ive also recently been wondering if OS cooking is cheaper,it definately is healthier and tastier,but not necessarily cheaper..dunno about baking,but main meals tend to be more expensive.
I work till 10pm 2 or 3 days a week,on these day OH "provides" dinner(cant use the cook word here:rolleyes:),on these days its normaly something like frozen breaded fish fillets,or Malcolm Allen lean steakburgers,with oven chips and tinned sweetcorn/peas etc,-not expensive meals at all and luckily my girls have healthy packed lunches and theres always a fresh homemade loaf on the go and home made soup in the fridge(plus a full fruit bowl,)
But for instance today we are having a roast gammon joint,with baby potatoes and red cabbage..Gammon-£5.25(special offer)cabbage 1/2=56p,and £1 for baby pots=£6.81(still reasonable for family of 4)But tomorrows will be Birdseye seaside special fish £2,(£1 a pack special at Asda)can of sweetcorn 35p oven chips roughly 50p=£2.85...same yesterday,we had stuffed chicken breasts...it was £6 alone for the chicken,but i did use Asda own make soft cheese rather than philly and wrapped them in bacon that was to be used by that day anyway,I enjoy cooking and i think i can manage budget wise to make homemade healthy meals most days if the occassional day is supplemented by frozen fish/chicken portions etc.
I think possibly the main savings can be with soup,mince, and casserole type meals,and im saving a fortune by making my own bread,but fish and chicken breast based meals are more expensive to make.
PS/Ive a lovely 4.5l pot of soup on the go just now with a £1.25 chicken leg portion as its base,only added rice,grated carrot,onion and a very low salt Kallo stock cube...much better than canned anyday.;)

Ohhhh...you sound just like me. On the days I work I have the fridge prestocked with a cooked dinner so it just has to be heated up. Oh is good at jacket potatoe with cold meat. Other days I will cook something quick like egg and chips.

Same - just had homemade SC veggi soup for lunch. Breadmaker is on. Cake in oven and tonights dinner.

[Deleted User]

cooking-mama wrote: »

Ive also recently been wondering if OS cooking is cheaper,it definately is healthier and tastier,but not necessarily cheaper..dunno about baking,but main meals tend to be more expensive.
I work till 10pm 2 or 3 days a week,on these day OH "provides" dinner(cant use the cook word here:rolleyes:),on these days its normaly something like frozen breaded fish fillets,or Malcolm Allen lean steakburgers,with oven chips and tinned sweetcorn/peas etc,-not expensive meals at all and luckily my girls have healthy packed lunches and theres always a fresh homemade loaf on the go and home made soup in the fridge(plus a full fruit bowl,)
But for instance today we are having a roast gammon joint,with baby potatoes and red cabbage..Gammon-£5.25(special offer)cabbage 1/2=56p,and £1 for baby pots=£6.81(still reasonable for family of 4)But tomorrows will be Birdseye seaside special fish £2,(£1 a pack special at Asda)can of sweetcorn 35p oven chips roughly 50p=£2.85...same yesterday,we had stuffed chicken breasts...it was £6 alone for the chicken,but i did use Asda own make soft cheese rather than philly and wrapped them in bacon that was to be used by that day anyway,I enjoy cooking and i think i can manage budget wise to make homemade healthy meals most days if the occassional day is supplemented by frozen fish/chicken portions etc.
I think possibly the main savings can be with soup,mince, and casserole type meals,and im saving a fortune by making my own bread,but fish and chicken breast based meals are more expensive to make.
PS/Ive a lovely 4.5l pot of soup on the go just now with a £1.25 chicken leg portion as its base,only added rice,grated carrot,onion and a very low salt Kallo stock cube...much better than canned anyday.;)

Those main meals are very expensive! There are plenty of main meals you can make much cheaper than shop-bought if you find inspiration from the recipes and ideas on here. For instance, you can buy and chicken and use the breast for your recipes, then use the meat left-over for curries, Chicken supreme etc . Then boil your carcase to make broth and have a tasty chicken broth/stew with potatoes or hunks of whole-meal bread. (If you buy the more expensive Free-range chicken it has so much more flavour and so can s-t-r-e-t-c-h further.)
When it comes to fish, you can buy fresh at Mr M, choose the cheaper fish like pouting fish - a mild white fish for example,or ask the fishmonger. You can freeze their fish as it is fresh not frozen.

...and your soup sounds delicious