Is it worth the outlay cost?

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I make loads of jams, jellies and chutneys and it would be expensive if I was buying fuit and veg to do this. Is it possible to swap something you have with gardeners or allotment holders for fruit and veg that they have a glut of? Sometimes there are jars and fruit/veg offered on Freecycle. I recycle jars from friends and family but always keep lids from jams and chutneys separate. You don't want to contaminate jam with vinegary smells after you have sealed them. A friend made chutney for the first time, for Christmas gifts, and gave us some. She had bought peaches and had tainted the whole batch by using recycled mint sauce jars! You can buy new lids for recycled jars. I inherited my jam pans from my mother/mother in law and a friend. I have seen them in charity shops and junk shops. An alternative is to make things in small quantities. You might get a book from the library, Sonia Allison's " Quick and easy one pot of jam from your microwave." It is easy to be seduced by the shiny equipment in the catalogues but I am quite sure that there are cupboards full of equipment used once and then forgotten about. Another book you might get from the library is " !!!!!! Strawbridge on Self Sufficiency" Jam recipes, cheese making etc. if you are going to make jelly you can use an old pillow case to strain the fruit.