What Do You Make That Saves You The Most Money? (restaurants, frozen)

[arleigh]

I make a great many things beyond food items ,given the materials I can make and have made lots of equipment and tools as well as clothing and covers for my bikes and doing construction from the ground up doing demolition to the ground as well.
In manufacturing I made special tools working on the carotid artery stents .
I helped my parents build an air compressor business , my brother has run successfully for many years and is now retiring .
I created many tools for that trade, and took my welding skills to new heights.
Working on boats and making repairs in many different areas , one has to be creative in certain cases, where manufacturers fail to address. working on air compressors I created better controls still in use today.
living off the grid with solar and batteries I could use standard light fixtures and take old burned out incandescent bulbs an restore them for DC lighting.
I've worked on amateur radios and made alterations and a fair number of battery configurations to fit special needs .even done radio repairs in the woods on a search.

I taught my wife and kids to cook and they are the greatest, that coming from their employers.
Right now my challenge is learning gardening which I wish I had gotten into long ago.
I'm doing aquaponics and it's fun .
I don't see in the world how any one can actually be board with life , there is way too much to do, and to learn .
Oh yes, and I might add, I was a C and D student in school and never went to college .
Learning does not take going to school, it takes applying ones self to learning, regardless of school.
I like teas of all sorts but recently I found that a table spoon of tang an a table spoon of honey in Hot water at night is the best for a lot of good reasons.

[MissSoBelle]

I love rice and beans. I make the 15 bean (ham beans) from the dried beans and add a little ham. It comes with ham flavoring too. Then put it over rice...so delish, simple, and nutritious!

[CCc girl]

We hardly ever go out to eat. Everything homemade.

The only things I don't make from scratch are bread and rolls, canned tomatoes, and pasta. Our elecricity rates are so exhorbitant and my stove is electric. I did do homemade bread years ago, it was pretty good.

[Threestep]

Home cooking, little junk food but coffee and wine I will not give up.

[oh-eve]

Bread, pies, pizza, most of the time I cook in bulk, eat it for the next 2 days and also freeze part of it. The good part about being single is that nobody complains about eating the same food for 2-3 days.

Also, when I have something from my garden where I have too much of (avocado's), I take them to work for coworkers. In turn, they bring lemons and other stuff, too.

[CCc girl]

Oh-Eve, I love the food trade co-op idea!

[Delahanty]

I agree about the pizza. We love it here, and I make it often. Also, I make soups and freeze them. It's a huge money saver!

[Berthamay]

I paint wine glasses or beer mugs for gifts. I can usually give a set of glasses that are personalized or decorated for almost no cost at all. To buy the same thing in the store would be very expensive.

[Woof]

coffee, tea, salads and dressing, sauces and gravy. Rice and bean dishes. Stir fry. Steaks. pork and beef roasts (I can get roasted chicken cheaply enough at the store, and it tastes better than mine).

There really aren't many foods that are significantly cheaper made at home, most of the stuff I see above isn't much cheaper but is tastier and better because of the lack of chemicals. Even garden veggies are likely to be more expensive if you consider all the costs.

[mainebrokerman]

Originally Posted by MissSoBelle

I have a friend Up North who does this too. They even eat bear. I grew up in the North, so I've had all these meats, but I'm not a big meat eater. Although...I can't resist venison sausage!

have i got a sausage for you!! - been making venison sausage for 30 years, one of my favorites..

and bambi balls- venison meatballs- mmmmmmm



being frugal on many levels- i picked up some reduced fruit cheap today at the grocery store- will eat a few, but also ,,slice and put in my dehydrator ,,overnight for fruit slices...makes for a good snack..


i buy the thanksgiving turkeys they sell below cost,,,, i bought 8 birds,,,49lb
i make turkey pie, turkey soup, turkey sandwiches, pulled turkey ,
and turkey and gravy,,,sometimes i can gnaw on a turkey for a week,,,, like a crow on a deer carcass