Have I told you guys that I’m so thankful that you read my blog random thoughts? I am – so very much. It’s because of you lovely readers that I started to think creatively about some of the ingredients that we buy and use often. Because of you, I went to the farmer’s market and paid much less than shelf-price for fruit. Because of you, I’m inspired to come up with creative meal ideas to make better use of the food we have at home. Because of you, I’ve given some thought about a few staple items in our budget and may be able to lower their costs. It may not be much, but every little bit counts!
I pondered the four most common liquids we use each month and really started thinking about how I can get them for less, or make them myself, or use something else instead. All while keeping a high level of nutrition and eliminating anything that isn’t really food (like plastic). Here’s what I came up with.
COCONUT WATER 
Mr. Crumbs drinks coconut water every day in his smoothie. It has numerous health benefits and he really likes the taste (and I know this because I made him try a smoothie with regular water, just to make sure it didn’t taste good… hehehe). He’d rather have this over any type of milk (cow, almond or coconut) so this will stay in our budget and diet. I’m not brand-loyal, but it does need to be 100% pure and natural without added sugar or flavors. After some research, the only brand that really lives up to this standard is Zico.
After searching in stores and looking at WAY TOO MANY sites that offer Zico, the best price I’ve found is at Trader Joe’s – $3.69 each. He goes through one liter each week so I’m looking at $14.76 per month.
I’ve decided to add this to my “exception list” for coupons and will keep an eye out when they’re on sale to see if I can get a better deal. While I haven’t seen many coupons for coconut water, I can cling to hope!
ALMOND MILK 
I drink almond milk every day in my smoothies. I’ve considered using coconut water instead, but since that’s more expensive, I’ll just stick with almond milk. The best price I’ve seen is once again at Trader Joe’s for $1.69 per quart.
I can make homemade almond milk using almonds and water. Doing the math though on the cost of almonds – even when bought in bulk – makes the homemade version cost twice as much. And this doesn’t include the time it takes to prepare and make the milk.
For the time being, I’ve decided to continue buying almond milk at Trader Joe’s, bringing me in at $6.76 for each month (one quart per week). I’m adding this to my “exception list” for coupons too. If a better deal comes along, I’m stocking up!
KEFIR 
Kefir is also a staple in my smoothies and will continue to be for the incredible health benefits. I use one quart each week and can buy it locally at Trader Joe’s for $2.99 per quart.
After a little bit of research, it turns out that I can make my own kefir! The good news is that’s it’s super easy – kefir grains and milk. The bad news is since I don’t know anyone who has kefir grains to share, I’d have to fork over $21.98 out of my budget up-front. Although, once I have the grains, I don’t have to buy them again (assuming I don’t kill them, that is).
I pulled out my calculator for this one and determined that if I bought kefir grains and made my own kefir (using organic milk), I would break even after about 3 months (compared to buying 4 quarts of kefir each month). The savings would start immediately in the fourth month and continue from there on out.
I can buy one gallon of organic milk at Trader Joe’s for $5.99 each month instead of kefir and after month #4, I’m essentially saving $5.97 each month. Over the course of 12 months, I would end up saving nearly $50.
It may sound strange to spend $22 to save $50, but by making my own, I wouldn’t have to “ration” the kefir. I could bake with it, include it in the kids oatmeal, or even replace the almond milk in my own smoothies. It would be an easy way to ferment other foods we eat.
BUTTERMILK 
Once again you lovlies have come to my rescue an provided me two easy recipes for homemade buttermilk. I want to compare homemade versions with store-bought to see which is most cost effective in the long run.
Store-Bought: The best price that I’ve found for buttermilk is $1.29 for a quart. Since one quart has four cups, that’s $.32 per cup.
Homemade #1: The first homemade recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of vinegar added to just scant one cup of milk. I buy vinegar in bulk at Coscto for $2.16 per gallon. One tablespoon costs $.008 and one cup of milk (from the $1.99 quart) costs .50. So homemade recipe #1 would cost me $.51 per cup to make.
Homemade #2: The second homemade recipe calls for adding 3 3/4 cup of milk (again from the $1.99 quart) to 1/4 cup of existing buttermilk ($1.29 per quart). The milk would cost $1.88 and the buttermilk .08 with a final cost of $1.96 for four cups, or $.49 for one cup.
As it turns out, buying buttermilk from Trader Joe’s is actually cheaper than making my own. If I continue to bake the potato buttermilk bread, I’ll buy the buttermilk. However, if I’m ever wanting to make something I hadn’t planned for (homemade ranch dressing, buttermilk pancakes, buttermilk scones, etc.) then I could easily do homemade recipe #1 since I always have vinegar on hand.
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So there you have it folks. This is a perfect example of trying to lower your budget, one baby step (and one dollar) at a time. It’s very difficult (and time-consuming) to sit down and evaluate every single food you eat at one time. It’s MUCH easier to choose two or three (or even just one) of the foods you eat most often and attempt to locate them for cheaper, find a substitutes, or even make them yourself!
You tell me – what item do you currently have in your kitchen that you know you could probably find cheaper, or make yourself?
I just don’t bother buying any of this stuff. I buy whole milk and cream. Occasionally buttermilk, but rarely. If I need buttermilk I use sour milk (vinegar). I make my own yogurt, half and half, ice cream, etc. For me rice milk, coconut milk, almond milk, soy milk and all those types of things are just budget busters. Yogurt used to be until I started making my own and it is so much better than store bought.
Doesn’t the cost of cream make it hard though? We make homemade ice cream, but we don’t do it more because the cost of cream in our area is so high. I usually substitute whole milk in recipes that call for heavy cream or half and half, because both are so pricey, but that doesn’t always work. I do like making homemade yogurt, but my daughter doesn’t eat through it fast enough and I haven’t been able to figure out how to make good tasting flavored Greek Yogurt. My husband is hooked on Dannon Oikos. My husband purchases soy milk for his cereal, but I’m trying to get him to eat oatmeal instead to avoid the cost.
The cost of cream is what makes it hard for me to continuously make our own ice cream. It’s certainly a treat, but I haven’t decided yet if it will be a long-term change.
I appreciate your honesty Thrifty Mom. My family and I try to limit our dairy intake, which is why you see milk substitutes on my grocery list. In my region, the price comparison of almond milk ($1.69/qt @ TJ’s) isn’t too much more than organic milk ($5.99/gal @ TJ’s), so it’s worth the cost for us. If milk we substantially cheaper for us, I may reconsider.
Regarding buttermilk, I used to have it go bad before I could use it up, which I hated. So now I freeze whatever I don’t use in a couple of days. Then whenever I come across a recipe that needs it, I just defrost a container that is the size I need.
For a long time, I did all my own bread baking for my husband’s lunches. He has since given up lunch meat and takes leftovers or yogurt for lunch, so it isn’t worth the effort on a weekly basis. Our store has a good brand of whole wheat bread without a lot of additives that isn’t too pricey. Making 100% whole wheat bread is a lot more work than white bread and the flour is much more expensive too. So I compromise on that, since I prefer my daughter to have whole grain bread and with a new baby in the house it is easier to have some bread on hand. I could probably do homemade peanut butter too, but I’m not sure if it would be that much cheaper and it would definitely be more work, given how much peanut butter my daughter eats in a week, I’d be making it almost daily.
I have a 7 yr old who has a strange allergy to milk but can have yogurt and other things that are dairy. That being said we buy rice milk for him. We have tried to make it but even when he helps he won’t drink the stuff we make. We have tried to switch him to regular milk but then we end up at the emergancy room or the urgent care. So while rice milk is more than dairy milk we buy it to keep him on track. If anyone knows of a great reciepe I would love to try again.
We do make homemade applesauce once a year. There is a apple farm not far from our area and at the end of the season they sell them at a deep discount so we go pick apples and then can for a whole weekend.