Last week my grandma came to take us to her house for the day. Technically I can drive with my broken elbow, but I can’t get the boys in and out of seats without help, so we haven’t gone anywhere without a chauffeur. While there, Gram and I decided to make some almond butter. And we talked about the money that she saved by making her own almond butter at home.
A few weeks ago I shared with you how incredibly easy it is to make homemade nut or seed butter. I mentioned that it was easy on the wallet, and you may have thought I was crazy.
A one pound bag of raw almonds can cost anywhere from $5.99 (Aldi’s price last time I was there) up to $10 or more if you want organic. A jar of almond butter can range from $6.99 (regular)-$14.99 (organic). These are regular store prices. If you buy your nuts from a grocery store you could probably expect to save $1 on average. The big savings come from buying nuts and seeds in bulk.
I get my nuts and seeds from a local food co-op. Being part of the co-op allows me cheaper prices on, and larger quantities of, things we use often. Like buckwheat groats, quinoa, coconut and nuts. If there isn’t a co-op near you you can always contact suppliers directly and see if they offer discounts for large orders.
I just got three pounds of organic sunflower seeds for $8.70/18¢ per ounce. Last time I bought sunflower seed butter from the store it was $3.48/.29¢ per ounce for twelve ounces on sale at Walmart. A savings of $1.32 for homemade sunflower seed butter.
The good news is, you don’t have to be part of a co-op to get the bulk food savings. I just checked Amazon for almond butter prices. For a twenty-six ounce jar of almond butter it is $16.52/.64¢ per ounce. While still on Amazon I found ten pounds of almonds for $68.87/.43¢ per ounce. If you made those twenty-six ounces of almond butter at home you would have saved $5.34 because your homemade almond butter cost you $11.18.
Homemade nut and seed butters might take a little work, but as I mentioned here, you can multi-task while you are making it and the money it saves you will keep you making it again and again.
Oh, next time you make your own nut or seed butter, add some cinnamon. It’s awesome!
Have you started making something at home because you found out how much money you could be saving? What was it?
Is there something you refuse to buy because the homemade version tastes a bazillion times better?
I made pineapple jam once and regretted it! Well not really regretted it but I ended up spending more than if I bought a jar LOL
I’ve never heard of pineapple jam…it sounds amazing! 🙂
Ice cream. I don’t refuse to buy it but, homemade is so much better! There is a lot of other things but, that sticks out in my mind.
Homemade ice cream is the best! 🙂
I am making laundry detergent now–but I still use the store stuff for the tough jobs like whites and diapers.
I make my own too! I tried a powdered dish soap as well, but that didn’t work so great. 🙂
We also make our own bread–I haven’t priced it out, but it tastes great and no preservatives.