#WorldBakingDay - is it cheaper?

Former_MSE_Nick_T · 17 May 2018 at 11:00AM

Hey guys, MSE Nick here. So i've got all my bits to whip up some mean brownies tonight. I mean, on #WorldBakingDay what a better excuse to indulge in some sugary treats.

But I had a nice MoneySaving thought. Is it cheaper to actually bake at home using raw ingredients than it is to buy a whole pudding ready made?

Share your thoughts and any examples you may have. :beer:

Racxie · 17 May 2018 at 12:58PM

Guessing this will depend a lot on the price you pay for the ingredients, the quality of the ingredients, and the recipe you're using.

Of course the outcome would likely depend on your cooking skills too, and as someone who's not very good at cooking in general I'd definitely prefer to just buy! (Until I can muster up the motivation to get good that is at least).

chockydavid1983 · 17 May 2018 at 2:09PM

Like all scratch cooking, it can be super cheap if you want it to be by buying ingredients in bulk. Most importantly from my POV, you can control exactly what goes into it and can make stuff that's just as nice but healthier.

buildersdaughter · 17 May 2018 at 2:25PM

I mostly reckon that you get much better quality for the same sort of outlay. I haven't priced brownies specifically, but for most baking, you would spend as much as on some cheap version, but get the kind of quality that you'd pay at least double for.
I think you save money on most vegetable & pulse based things (although probably not on a can of mushy peas)
Fuel is a huge factor. Most of us who do a lot of home cooking tend to use our ovens wisely and use slow cookers, but microwaving a ready meal may be cheaper.
Portion size is also an issue. Ready made stuff is often in small portions, so anyone feeding growing kids or those doing physical work will find it very expensive. Alongside that go 'left-overs' - OSers are fantastic at using up left-overs and also making 'building block' and batch cooking meals. I rarely cook a meal that just does the 2 of us that evening.Stir-fry is of course,a meal that often uses up left-overs, fridge remnants and doesnt' take much fuel.
And regarding puddings, this time of year I always have some meringues that I batch cook and keep in a tin, to eat with summer fruit.

System · 17 May 2018 at 10:04PM

For the quantity i would be making then probably not.

[Deleted User] · 18 May 2018 at 7:15AM

I enjoy cooking and have always made from scratch, so I couldn't really comment about ready-made stuff.

The main reason I do it is not only to make my money go further but also I like to know what I'm eating and ready made stuff to me seems to be full of stuff with numbers and additives.

When the Christmas mince pies start landing in our shops (usually just after the children return to school in September ) the use by date is usually around three months I don't want to eat something with that long a shelf life !!!

I can knock up a plate of melting moments biscuits for my grandsons in half an hour, probably the only biscuits I would buy from a shop would be ginger nuts (I have an addiction to them

so they never last long in my house

but virtually everything else I make myself.

Flour can be bought reasonably cheaply Value at around 45p for a big bag and I use block Stork for baking, again cheap as chips. I am not a bad pastry maker so pastry is cheap to knock up as well.For those with restricted cooking facilities, or mobility then obviously its a different story
its really horses for courses

JackieO xx .

tori.k · 18 May 2018 at 7:39AM

I guess it depends on a like for like equivalent, most can do a carrot cake or banana cake for the same price as shop purchased, I can't do anything containing chocolate cheaper than ready made. but I think those that cook/bake from scratch do so more for the pleasure and knowledge of what they are eating and feeding their families.
And for every more expensive item made there is also something cheaper so you find it usually balances out over the months.

PollyWollyDoodle · 18 May 2018 at 7:48AM

I've never priced it up, but the quality of home-made far, far exceeds shop bought in my opinion, unless you are buying hand-made premium stuff. It does depend what you make - Nigella's chocolate brownies, while absolutely delicious, take a vast amount of butter, chocolate and eggs. A Victoria sponge made with Stork is cheap as chips. If you can make bread, then it's much much cheaper than shop-bought. For me it's the pleasure of baking, it's one of my stress-busters.

JackieO I am intrigued by your comment above, 'cos ginger nuts are one of my easiest makes and people usually comment that they look just like the bought ones!

System · 18 May 2018 at 10:00AM

I can knock up a plate of melting moments biscuits for my grandsons in half an hour, probably the only biscuits I would buy from a shop would be ginger nuts (I have an addiction to them so they never last long in my house but virtually everything else I make myself.

But thats the difference between your house and mine. Theres only 3 of us and one of us doesnt eat cakes and biscuits. One of us has to be 'in the mood'.

Ive lost count at the amount of times ive been asked to make a fruit crumble. Ive made it and it hasnt been eaten or ive eaten it for breakfast for two days running which doesnt do my waistline any good and freezing it isnt an option as i use the dish i make them in throughout the week.

We just go shopping on a Saturday, buy what we fancy for Saturday and Sunday and dont eat puddings/sweet stuff in the week. Neither of us need the extra calories.

klew356 · 23 May 2018 at 8:50AM

I think it is cheaper to buy readymade, if you don!!!8217;t already have the ingredients in, certain sugar, flour, vanilla extract all that jazz can mount up and unless you!!!8217;re going to carry on baking i don!!!8217;t think it is going to be cheaper if the left over ingredients are going to be sat gathering dust in the cupboard, i could be wrong though!

suki1964 · 23 May 2018 at 9:40AM

Its a lot cheaper to buy ready made when you are baking anything fancy

Im making a dessert for a restaurant today. Its very similar in flavours to one they buy in ready made but so much more yummy ( and calorific )

Ive priced up the ingredients and once I add electric and time its going to work out at around £2 a portion, compared to the 90p they buy in at

Yes its going to be so much nicer and won't be full of preservatives and E numbers but I cant see that they will be ordering it too often as the profit margin isn't there And of course without the preservatives and E numbers, they are going to have to shift it in 48 hours or dump it

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#WorldBakingDay - is it cheaper?

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