I enjoy processing food and baking. It’s one of my favorite ways to save money, reduce waste, and know exactly what’s going into the food my family eats.
I love figuring out how to make something myself. I might not make it from scratch every time, because as my mama always said, life isn’t black and white. Sometimes convenience wins, and that's okay!
But when you have the time and ingredients, homemade food can be a great alternative to store-bought products.
Take hummus, for example. It's something that's surprisingly easy to make at home, and it's a great way to illustrate why I love making food from scratch.
Know Exactly What’s in Your Food
I can use all organic ingredients—dried chickpeas that I purchased from a bulk store, extra virgin olive oil, tahini, and garlic. I get to experiment with different flavors, like sweet potato hummus or even chocolate hummus (recipes coming soon!). I’m in control of how much sodium and how much spice goes into it. There are no additives!
Reduce Packaging and Food Waste
If I’m in a big hummus phase (does anyone else go through different food phases??) I might go through about a cup of hummus once a week. It’s so creamy, garlicky, flavorful, and it is pretty good for you! If I buy it at the store, a ten ounce container (equivalent to 1 ¼ cups) of hummus makes for a lot of plastic. On the other hand:
Chickpeas from the bulk store—zero plastic! I’m going to bring them home in a cloth, drawstring bag and store them in a mason jar.
Olive Oil—I’m going to use two tablespoons of olive oil from a large container, leaving much more oil leftover for other recipes.
Tahini—I need ¼ cup of tahini, from a 16 oz jar.
Garlic—bought loose.
Save Money by Making Food From Scratch
Depending on the brand and whether or not it is organic, a brief survey of different types of hummus revealed that a 10 oz container can go anywhere from $2.99–$10.99. Most of the organic brands cost around $5.50. Let’s break it down by ingredients, on average.
Chickpeas—to make the equivalent of a 10 oz container of hummus, I need ½ cup of dried chickpeas. There are many brands with varying prices, but I can get a 16 oz bag of organic chickpeas for $2.49. The ½ cup costs approximately 62 cents.
Olive Oil—25.4 fluid oz of organic olive oil will cost me $12.97, or 52 cents for my two tablespoons.
Tahini—I can buy a 16 oz jar of tahini for $6.49. The ¼ cup therefore costs $1.60.
Garlic—Organic garlic costs $6.99/pound, however, I only need about three cloves, which is approximately .06 pounds and costs about four pennies.
The approximate total cost for my hummus using organic ingredients is $2.78.
A note about prices: The prices listed above reflect what ingredients and store-bought hummus cost when I originally wrote this post. Grocery prices change over time and vary by location, so your savings may look different. The comparison is meant to illustrate how making food from scratch can save money, rather than provide exact grocery prices.
Enjoy the Process of Making Homemade Food
Plain and simple. I enjoy spending time in the kitchen. Maybe with an audiobook on or with some music. Maybe with a glass of wine or just some water. One day, I look forward to working in the kitchen with my daughter. But for now, I’ll enjoy making homemade goods.
Homemade tastes better than store-bought!
Thanks for reading!
💜
Laura
