With grocery prices higher than ever, you might think it’s cheaper to buy a range of budget ready-meals than it is to cook your own meals with fresh ingredients.
But a group of thrifty mums are out to prove that cooking from scratch can save you money on your grocery bills, provided you know how and what to cook.
Mothers shared how they prepare everything from chicken enchiladas to curry paste and butter from scratch – and how it saves them thousands of dollars each year.
With grocery prices higher than ever, you might think it’s cheaper to buy a range of budget ready-meals than it is to cook your own meals with fresh ingredients (pictured: the first stage of one woman’s enchiladas)
‘For me, cooking from scratch means to use basic base ingredients to create my meals and flavours,’ one woman who started the thread said (pictured: second stage of the enchiladas)
The mum said on that particular occasion, she cooked chicken enchiladas – but instead of buying ready-made tortillas, she made her own (pictured)
So what should you be making and what is cooking from scratch?
‘For me, cooking from scratch means to use basic base ingredients to create my meals and flavours,’ one woman who started the thread said.
‘I have a good stock of what I use regularly. Often my shop looks like we have no ingredients to make a meal, let alone a week’s worth.
‘I just wanted to give a glimpse about why that might be (and the answer isn’t starving my family.’
‘I don’t always make my own but I do it pretty regularly. It takes about 20 minutes to make them, a bit more if you’ve got no mixer or are a dough newbie,’ she said (pictured: her enchiladas)
The woman said that that few minutes saved her ‘$3.28 on my shopping PLUS they taste a lot better and I’m confident they would be healthier, overall’ (pictured: her enchiladas)
She said that the ‘hands on’ cooking time is around 10 minutes, and when some bits are being cooked, she will prep the others
The mum said on that particular occasion, she cooked chicken enchiladas.
But instead of buying ready-made tortillas, she made her own.
‘I don’t always make my own but I do it pretty regularly. It takes about 20 minutes to make them, a bit more if you’ve got no mixer or are a dough newbie,’ she said.
The woman said that that few minutes saved her ‘$3.28 on my shopping PLUS they taste a lot better and I’m confident they would be healthier, overall’.
She said that the ‘hands on’ cooking time is around 10 minutes, and when some bits are being cooked, she focuses on other parts – like poaching the chicken, making the sauce or chopping other ingredients.
‘Yesterday I bought three litres of cream for $3.20. Today I made butter from it and got 1.325kgs,’ another woman said – ‘Store bought butter costs from $10/kg up to $20/kg and beyond. Mine cost about $2.40/kg’ (pictured: her butter)
Others shared how they make everything for themselves, including their own curry powder (pictured)
Others made their own pho and bone broth which they said saved them money (pictured)
Others shared their items that they always prepare from scratch, including tiramisu, which costs $6 for 500g at the supermarket and $12 for three kilograms when you make your own.
‘Yesterday I bought three litres of cream for $3.20. Today I made butter from it and got 1.325kgs,’ another woman said.
‘Store bought butter costs from $10/kg up to $20/kg and beyond. Mine cost about $2.40/kg.’
Further commenters said they made their own gyozas (left) and tiramisu (right), which is much cheaper to make your own than buy in the supermarket
Further commenters said they made curry pastes, salad dressings, breadcrumbs for chicken schnitzel and bone broth – and this saved them money.
‘We make pasta sauce once a year and bottle it,’ another said. ‘Keeps good for 2-3 years thereabouts [sic].
‘Tastes much better, and saves a LOT of money rather than buying store bought sauce… plus you know exactly what’s gone in to it.’
Another said they made their own gyozas.