Homemade vs Store Bought - Price Comparisons

Bread - A good quality loaf of bread from the store cost around $5 to $6 dollars depending on the        brand. Store brands run about $2 per loaf and contains very little nutritional value. Homemade white bread varies in cost depending on the flour used. 

I can make three 1.5 lb. sandwich loaves for around $2. Three-ingredient artisan bread is about .50 for a two-pound loaf. My bread ingredients do not include cellulose from trees like many cheap breads from store bakeries, nor does it contain other harmful ingredients. My home baked bread is much more nutritious than the bread pictured below and includes chicken eggs raised on the ranch for added protein upping the nutritional value substantially. Adding whole grains only increases the cost by a minimal amount. 

Muffins - Bakery muffins cost $5.99 for a 4-count package. I can make 12 homemade muffins including nuts, chocolate and or fruit for less than $3. 

Cookies - Bakery cookies cost $7.48 for an 18-count. I can make 36 cookies for $3.

Granola - Is so expensive in stores and online. Homemade is the way to go. I couldn't really find a comparison due to the gap in the quality of ingredients. Just trust me!

Chicken Pot Pie - $3.78 a pound at Sam's club is the closest to homemade that I could find, but again, the ingredients are not the greatest. So, the average price is $20.41 for an unbaked pie that takes 1.5 hours to bake. Homemade is less than $5 for the whole pie. I love chicken pot pies! A local deli makes a personal sized one for $7.99 each. It probably weighs a pound or so. They are really good, but they have an expensive price tag per pound. 

I read a headline the other day that read "Fast Food Is Considered a Luxury Item by Most" after I posted my "Unhappy Meals" post, so I was not surprised by the title of this article. Cooking from scratch is becoming a necessity these days. The eating out option is no longer a viable option anymore. Plus, it is literally making a lot of people sick. Cooking out of a box is just as bad and expensive. Avoid the inside isles at the store and shop in the outside isles. This is where the healthiest foods are displayed in most stores. 

I am always on the lookout for "Wow" meals that satisfy our taste buds. Sometimes, I'm just out of ideas, so I like to learn from others by watching YouTube or by reading other blogs.  I am not afraid to use other ingredients that I have on hand while trying new recipes. I use a lot of substitutions when using recipes other than my own, because I usually do not have all the ingredients and running to the store is not an option for me. This is why I usually add options to my recipes that I share here on the blog. Thinking outside the box and inside my pantry has always worked for me.

Mrs. Smith