Will cooking from scratch save you money. I have been cooking form scratch with some stuff, but l have been wondering will it save me money if I would cook all from scratch.
I think that it would depend how you go about it. I buy things in bulk and then separate when I get home. I also grow alot of my own vegetables. Also I stock up on all my nonperishables when they are on sale. All of these combined makes cooking from scratch alot cheaper than if I was to buy premade. You just have to shop around and see what is worth it or not in your area. For example, I can get whole grain all natural bread on sale for $1.00 a loaf. I can't bake it for that, so I will buy a bunch when it is on sale and freeze it. Good luck to you!
Sometimes it is actually more expensive - using fresh fruits and veggies. But way more healthy. (did you see Oprah on Diabetes? Ouch!). I find though, if you cook in large quantities the cost savings is better. $6 gets me ~ 5 or 6 "jars" of thick meaty spaghetti sauce with real veggies. If I bought 6 jars that would be $8, and it wouldn't have noticeable meat or veggies (even if the label said it did). Bread in a bread maker is super cheap. Soups made from left overs are basically free, and basically the only ones you can get with low salt and no MSG. It's hard at first, but once you get used to it, it's awesome. If you need help try to find some older cook books. Like "Five Roses - A guide to good cooking". They have more information about the basics of good, from scratch cooking. Newer books seem to be more based on pre-prepared ingredients. Have fun with it! MKR
I see cooking from scratch more as a healthy choice then it saves me money. Alot of times I still save money though. You just have to figure out where the best deals in your area are. Order from a co-op or a CSA.
I've found it to be true. Especially with making cookies and other baked goods. Pancake mixes, cornbread mix,muffins, biscuits, etc. are all super cheap to make from scratch. Homemade icing is cheaper and tastier than those cans from the store. I also like the fact that I can have the ingredients on hand for dozens of meals without having lots of different boxes. However, I have never been able to bake a decent cake or brownies from scratch. I use mixes for those. Learning to make gravy from bullion can eliminate the need for buying those sodium/fat packed cream of...soups. I use canned veggies or frozen alot of times, so I don't necessarily start from complete scratch though. (Be careful of learning to make bread that is too tasty! It's added about 5 lbs. to my behind!
Sometimes I save money cooking from scratch, and other times I spend more, but for us it's about being healthier. I'd prefer to make my boys chocolate chip cookies, than for them to eat store bought ones with preservatives and more sugar than necessary. Also I buy things when they are on sale only, if I want to make something and the ingredients aren't on sale I don't buy them and I make something else. That saves me money.
