For me, it's hitting the sales. The stores around here tend to start having sales on baking supplies once Halloween is over. They'll do sugar then flour then an assortment of other items over the weeks leading up to the holidays. I try to take advantage of those sales. Once in awhile there are some good coupons for chocolate chips or something like that, so I'll use those as well. I'd rather get stuff on discount or on sale than opt for cheaper ingredients. If I'm taking the time to bake from scratch, I want it to be great not just okay.
I buy baking essentials like flour in bulk, it costs significantly cheaper and they can keep fairly well so long as it is kept in an airtight moisture free environment. Also, I tend to buy baking supplies a few weeks in advance before occasions like Christmas, where prices are marked up since there is an increase in demand, with everyone baking cookies, making mincemeat pies etc.
I definitely agree with you about buying all your ingredients from a sale to save money. Also, I find weekly specials and promotions that most big supermarket chains put out to have some great deals on the necessary ingredients. Obviously this may take a while to accumulate all the ingredients you need, but it may be worthwhile in order to save money, as sometimes these prices are discounted by 50%. Buying in bulk also tends to be cheaper, however it does present the issue of where to store the ingredients without them going off. One of the best ways to go is to find a friend with similar interests in baking as yourself, and buy in bulk and split the ingredients. That way, both of you save money and have plenty of baking essentials.
The only thing that go on sale around here is flour, every now and then. I wish chocolate chips were more on sale! They got so expensive, and just chunk chocolate up does simply not taste the same in cookies and all. For baking accessoires, online shopping is pretty cool, considering in supermarkets it can go very high for cookie shapes etc.
Usually just after the season is when items are the cheapest. after the holidays is really the time to get baking supplies as it all be marked down. Stores like Aldi's and other low cost retailers tend to have the bakery supplies for less. It is a way to make certain you get what you want at reduced prices.
I always assumed baking supplies would be cheap, but I didn't really start paying attention to the costs of ingredients such as flour or yeast or baking powder until I purchased a bread machine a few years ago. I figured I would be saving some money vs. buying loaves at the store, but by the time I bought all the flour and yeast and honey and other stuff, it was actually costing me more. Not to mention all the wasted loaves I made and had to toss out because the recipe was bad. I suppose you could find some deals on certain items at the dollar stores, such as paying $1 for a bottle of honey there vs. like $4 at a grocery store. Or even things such as candy sprinkles for cookies, or food dyes. But you also have to pay attention to the sizes of the product you are buying because often times the dollar stores will sell you stuff that is a lot smaller than comparable items at regular grocery stores.
There are a lot of things that you can buy in bulk when you bake a lot, including flour and dried fruit, and this opportunity is something that I like to make the most of, as I find that it makes things a lot easier for me. You will save a fair amount of money in the long term from doing this, and therefore you can bake without feeling guilty that you're spending something that you shouldn't. Buying in bulk from the right shop can be a great idea, and it is certainly something worth considering if you are trying to save money whilst still being able to do a lot of fun things at the same time.
Also, it is cheaper to make items from scratch most of the time rather than buying pre made mixes. It is also healthier of course, since the food hasn't been processed to death, with a lot of additional salt added. Right now I am making banana bread which might be costing me 40 cents to make. I am sure that the mix would be over a dollar, and not be as healthy.
Indeed. It wouldn't taste nearly as good either. Fresh banana bread is good comfort food. I wouldn't even want to bother with a mix. I have tried other "quick breads" when I find them on sale, but I always make my own banana bread or muffins. It's just good stuff. It's cheap and easy to make anyway. In fact, I usually make it when I'm trying to use up bananas to avoid wasting them, so that's an even bigger bonus. No waste.
I think one of the best ways to save is to make it from scratch. It is often time consuming but it will save a few bucks here and there as opposed to using products such as the cake in the box, etc. I also save all my coupons and compare stores that are having sales. When there is a sale and I have a coupon I tend to stock up, as these products don’t go back very quickly. Another way to save a few dollars is to substitute whole chocolate bars for chocolate chips. I notice that chocolate chips can run very high… you can easily take a chocolate bar and brake it into pieces. You should look into buying these items in bulk or at whole sale stores such as Costco.
That's a cool idea. Chocolate chunks instead of chocolate chips works just fine for me. In fact, I think I'd like it better. You can often find candy on sale too, like you said. That's a good option to keep in mind. Thanks. I tend to bake around the holidays, but other than that, I don't really need to be baking stuff too often. Homemade goodies are my downfall. I can pass up all that prepackaged junk, but home baked cookies and other baked goods... yum. I just don't need all that sugar.
I like to bake from scratch, and like you, I usually buy my baking supplies after Halloween when grocery stores start offering their baking supply sales. I also have found that Aldi has great prices on baking supplies, and their baking supplies are of good quality. Sometimes I will travel an hour to a bulk foods store which has great prices on bulk flour, sugar, cocoa, chocolate chips, etc. Although I usually bake frim scratch, last week I found Betty Crocker brownie mixes at Save-A-Lot for .79 cents each! I plan to use them to make my baking this holiday season go way faster!
Tending to buy around the holiday season is a good idea. Also, when you are measuring out your ingredients, make sure you level off with a knife. You don't need that extra baking powder in your baking dish and it can carry over into the next time you bake. If you know you like to bake a lot or have certain times of the year when you name more than usual, try buying in bulk. Places like Sam's Club will have some stuff in bulk.
We live in the country. There isn't a Sam's Club or an Aldi nearby, unfortunately. I do get to Aldi occasionally, if I need to go in that direction for other things as well. It's an hour away. The only Sam's Club is closer to two hours away. There is a local chain that's a bit closer. It isn't quite a box club but it is a huge discount grocery. I try to hit that one up when possible.
