Baking on a Budget
One of the things that we love at our house is sweets! But, it is one area that we have drastically cut back on in the last few years. But did you know that you could have your sweets and eat them too? Here are some great ways that we have learned to save money and bake too!!
Keep these items on hand at all times and purchase them when they are on sale! My stock up price for sugar and flour is 99 cents, so when it is on sale we purchase enough to last 3 months.
Flour
Sugar
Vanilla
Cocoa Powder
Oatmeal
Nuts
Spices
Freeze your overripe banana’s and make them into banana bread. Leftover rice can be made into rice pudding, but we prefer to make it into a soup instead. I am always re-purposing leftovers to make them new again so that way we don’t throw out nearly as much as we used too. One of my favorites is Nana’s Vegetable Soup.
Skip pre-packaged items at the store and learn to bake from scratch. Brownie mix cost $1 on sale in our area, but if we make them at home it costs us less than 50 cents a batch! Even if we say we make them 6 times a year, that is a savings of $3.00! It isn’t a lot but every bit helps! (I will have the recipe up soon.) Did you know that most of us don’t get enough fiber in our diet? Check out this comparison of fibers and see which one is better for you.
If you have a recipe that calls for buttermilk, don’t run out and buy a quart. Just make your own, by pouring a tablespoon of vinegar into a regular cup of milk. After it sits for a few minutes it is the perfect consistency and tastes like buttermilk.
Shop seasonally and freeze enough to make it last all year. For example, strawberries we purchase at a local Amish store and we purchase about 12 quarts if we aren’t making jelly. We then bag them up and freeze them accordingly so we don’t have to purchase strawberries for things like smoothies, desserts and so on. Apples we pick each Fall and then use a pressure cooker to preserve them, making our own applesauce, apple pie filling, and apple butter. We even use the dehydrator to dry some out so we have them as a snack.
So when it comes time for your sweet food fix, remember to skip the pre-packaged items and bake them at home. It is much cheaper, easy to do, and your budget with thank you! Remember, that practice makes perfect and keep trying even after you fail a time or two!!
Happy Baking!
Lauryn R says
These are fantastic tips, thank you so much for sharing! I am definitely guilty of buying box mixes for things when I can just as easily (and way less expensive) make them from scratch!
Daryl says
I always shop around for mine. You never know where or when you will strike a deal.
Mary Dailey says
i’m going to do this! Thank you for the great tips!
Heather Amos says
Thanks for sharing these. It is important for me to stay on budget and I love to bake.
Adriane says
Some great tips here! Thanks! Baking ingredients can get expensive.
Brigid OHara Koshko says
Great ideas! I love to bake/cook and I am always looking for ways to save money. Thank you for all your thoughts.