when is it cheaper to make your own?

valk_scot

Justamum wrote: »

valk-scot - I've got so many intentions of making myself clothes - I've got material and patterns, it's just that I really should lose [STRIKE]some[/STRIKE] lots of weight before I make myself anything. Procrastination, procrastination!

Well I think you should make yourself at least a couple of things now, tbh! If you wait till you lose weight before you have anything nice to wear you'll just end up getting depressed and you also might find what styles you currently like change so you go off the patterns etc you have.

Anyhow, if you can sew it's easy enough to take clothes in a bit, no?

Justamum

valk_scot wrote: »

Anyhow, if you can sew it's easy enough to take clothes in a bit, no?

I think I'll have a go at a couple of relatively simple skirts to get myself back into it.

Theoretically you are right about alterations - but I hate alterations! It's years of my DH asking 'please can you take this in/up/out/down/?' :rotfl:

voiceofreason

floss2 wrote: »

"nockee" - silent G

Or "N'yockie"? Silent "g" in any case

Elliesmum

I certainly think making your own is cheaper. I bake at least twice a week and one of our favourites is this Lemon Drizzle Cake recipe from Tana Ramsey...

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/4942/lemon-drizzle-cake

It really is delicious and I've costed it out at £1.33 for 10 slices, so 13.3p a slice. The nearest shop bought one I can find is the Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Lemon Drizzle Cake at £1.99 for 6 slices, which is 33p a slice!

EM xx

katieowl_2

valk_scot wrote: »

Well I think you should make yourself at least a couple of things now, tbh! If you wait till you lose weight before you have anything nice to wear you'll just end up getting depressed and you also might find what styles you currently like change so you go off the patterns etc you have.

Anyhow, if you can sew it's easy enough to take clothes in a bit, no?

Maybe choose something to make that will be easy to take in??? Alterations are a nightmare sometimes...People think if you can sew it's easy, but alterations especially to commercial garments can be really tricky!

Kate

katieowl_2

Difficult to say what comes in cheapest these days!

Home made scores higher in taste on all food, and home grown comes in even better (and cheapest) .... I tend to stick to the better quality foods on offer/reduced and freeze it or stock up. We love the more expensive exotic pastas for example...so stock up when they have it on offer or in Lidl! Making pasta is fun, but I'd not want to do it every time we ate pasta.

I've decided to give making our bread another go - as my favorite sourdough loaf is £1.79! (It's a whopper though and lasts ages) - but does it still work out cheaper when you factor in the cost of fuel for baking. I've got an oil Rayburn that needs cranking up about two hours before using and an electric oven. Would a bread maker be cheaper to run? Anyone know?

I've got two free range chickens in the freezer both bought half price - I'll only buy free range since we got our own hens last summer....but EGGS :mad: Haven't had any since they went into moult in October...after all we spent on their nice house and electric fence!

Sewing is not a cheap pass time these days, I'm having trouble getting my head around buying fabric on the internet. I don't mind buying craft fabrics, but dress fabrics I like to have felt the quality before I buy. I need to find a source I trust...

I've been knitting socks all this year (for fun not out of necessity ) but usually at around £6-8 a pair NOT CHEAP! Best wool buy came from Lidl of all places! They had some 4 packs of plain colours I can use to pad the dearer stuff out.

Kate

Elliesmum

katieowl wrote: »

I've been knitting socks all this year (for fun not out of necessity ) but usually at around £6-8 a pair NOT CHEAP! Best wool buy came from Lidl of all places! They had some 4 packs of plain colours I can use to pad the dearer stuff out.

Kate

:T knitting your own socks - brilliant. I still have 2 pairs of thick walking socks my Mum knitted me when I was about 13/14 which was about (errr ) 30 years ago... They are still going strong, wash really well and fit lovely in my dog walking wellies for a snug foot in the coldest of weathers.

So I reckon, £ for £ your lovely hand knitted socks will if they last half the time still be better value than shop bought and far nicer too.

EM xx

Caterina

brokeinwales wrote: »

Meal planning Roman style. I like that. (Unfortunately I don't like fish much otherwise I'd try following that pattern fo a week!)

Nobody follows this in Rome anymore! But why would you want to follow something that tells you to eat tripe on a Saturday (or at any time, for the matter!) :eek:. It must be one of the most disgusting "foods" ever created.

Mind you, I have seen how tripe is eaten here in the UK (boiled, with onions YUCKYYYYYYYY at the nth potency!), at least in Rome it is served sauteed and dressed with tomato sauce and parmesan cheese! Still wouldn't eat it though....

valk_scot

katieowl wrote: »

I've been knitting socks all this year (for fun not out of necessity ) but usually at around £6-8 a pair NOT CHEAP! Best wool buy came from Lidl of all places! They had some 4 packs of plain colours I can use to pad the dearer stuff out.

Kate

You know that Lidl sock yarn isn't machine washable, don't you, even though it's labelled as such? There has been mucho discussion about this over on Ravelry and a friend of mine checked it for herself by washing a test square. It shrinks and felts if machine washed. However Lidl will take full and part used packs back.

Kemps were selling the utterly reliable Regia sock yarn for £1.20 per 50g ball, here. The main page is labelled as "Patons Design Line" but if you click through, it's Regia. £2.40 for a pair of wool socks is pretty good.

katieowl_2

valk_scot wrote: »

You know that Lidl sock yarn isn't machine washable, don't you, even though it's labelled as such? There has been mucho discussion about this over on Ravelry and a friend of mine checked it for herself by washing a test square. It shrinks and felts if machine washed. However Lidl will take full and part used packs back.

Kemps were selling the utterly reliable Regia sock yarn for £1.20 per 50g ball, here. The main page is labelled as "Patons Design Line" but if you click through, it's Regia. £2.40 for a pair of wool socks is pretty good.

No I hadn't seen that, but may explain why the cuff of the last pair I knitted is now a bit tight! :mad: Not to worry - I'll just keep the Lidl stuff seperate and hand wash!!! Thanks for the link - will check that out.

Kate