How Low Can You Go: Cinnamon Rolls

Todd always says that he’s not a “sweets” person. He has told me this since we started talking in December of 2005.  HOWEVER, he LOVES homemade brownies  (recipe from Rachel @ FrugalandSimple.com) and can devour a batch in no time.

I recently found out that he likes cinnamon rolls!  Who woulda thunk it (I know that this is not proper English, but I say it all the time)?  Not me!  He seems pretty happy with eggs, ham, taters, grits & biscuits for breakfast.  I did not find this out until New Years Eve when I bought prepared cinnamon rolls from Aldi’s to serve when company was staying over. 

I was on a mission to find a recipe to make my own, homemade cinnamon rolls.  They were pretty darn easy, and turned out super-yummy (even without the frosting!) 

I wanted to compare pricing.  I was floored that the prepared cinnamon rolls from Aldi’s were $1.89/tube.  That tube makes 8 rolls.  This equates to: $0.24/cinnamon roll.

This is what it cost for the homemade ones:

Flour: $0.17                

Sugar: $0.05

Brown Sugar: $0.06

Powdered Sugar: $0.06

Butter: $0.22

Milk: $0.08

Cinnamon: $0.05            (pennies, really)

Baking Powder: $0.10 (again, pennies based on the amount used.)

This made exactly 16 cinnamon rolls. 

I thought they were really small, but then I baked them, and they were BIGGER than the ones I got from the store!

Oh…my….goodness.

I don’t believe it. 

$0.79 to make a batch of 16 cinnamon rolls!!!

That is a nickel a piece.

Originally, when I started to calculate the prepared, I thought, “Oh, a quarter a roll isn’t that bad.”  But heck, a nickel a roll is a WHOLE LOT BETTER!

We have another keeper!

Next time, I may make a couple of batches and freeze them for quick and easy breakfasts to take on the go if Todd wants to take a few to work in the mornings.

How Low Can You Go : Roaster Chicken!

Last week, our local store had roaster chickens on sale for $0.69/lb.  They are normally $0.89/lb at Aldi’s, so I asked Todd to pick up a couple.

They are so easy to prepare.  Todd put one in our crockpot with some water, potatoes, carrots and celery and let them simmer on low all day. 

When we got home, the chicken was so moist and falling off the bone.  And the best part…it makes more than one meal!

Let’s assume the roaster chicken was 4 lbs - $2.76

Potatoes (at $1.99/ 10 lbs: assume 2 lbs) – $0.40

Baby Carrots (at $0.99/lb: assume ½ lb) - $0.50

Celery (at $1.49 per bag: 2 stalks used out of approximately 8) - $0.37

Total for the meal: $4.03

And these roaster chickens easily provide 3 meals for us (only 2 if we are really hungry). 

2 meals = $2.02/meal (or $1.01/person)

3 meals = $1.34/meal (or $0.67/person)

Really…you cant beat it.

Or…can YOU?  If so, I want to know your least expensive recipe(s).

How Low Can You Go: Beer!

I have talked about doing homemade gifts in 2011 and less purchased items.  I was sitting at work last week, and I thought about Todd and his beer.  Todd loves beer.  He likes the dark, bock beers.  All of a sudden, a light went off in my head.  I am going to try to make Todd beer!  We make our own wine and have all of the equipment needed.  I found several websites that have instructions, and there are a few YouTube videos as well.

I saw online that there are these adorable brown plastic beer bottles that can be purchased from Amazon.com (swagbucks!) for $14.  I was so excited I found them.  They are reusable! Just wash them out and then rebottle in them with the next batch!  Then I remembered what this is really about.  It’s not about the LOOKS of the bottled beer, it is about the TASTE and showing my creativity and love to Todd.  I can get plastic bottles from people here at work.  They drink bottled water like it’s going out of style (I wish they’d invest in a Kleen Kanteen,) and the bottles are always in the recycle bin.  There is a sanitizer that is used for wine and beer making that cleans them out thoroughly.  The only thing I will need to make the beer is malt.

Another great thing from what I’ve read about the beer-making process, it doesn’t take NEARLY as long as wine does.  Todd could be drinking his homemade beer within 2-3 weeks of me starting the project. 10 gallons could be made for the price of the malt and some sugar.  It was recommended that if I want to bypass the sugar (which I do because the least amount of ingredients used, the better my chances are to making great tasting beer,) I could double-up on the malt and leave the sugar out.  SO…because we have a 6 gallon carboy instead of a 10 gallon bucket, and the malt comes in 4 lb cans, I am going to make 4 gallons of beer for Todd.  I came up with this number after doing some math.  I did some research and found that the malt I would want to buy to make a dark bock for Todd would be less than $15!  This malt would make 4 gallons (of the double-malt, no sugar mixture) which is equal to 32 – 16 oz. bottles of beer.  How much would the beer cost per bottle, you ask? $0.47!

I probably wont start the batch until February to be ready for his 40^th birthday.  I am going to try to hide it from him so that it will be a surprise.  I cant wait!  I am horrible and keeping surprises.  Can I do it?!? We will find out!

How Low Can You Go?

I like to look at what a meal costs us (versus going out).  With this post, I will compare the price of a meal out vs. making it at home.

Coffee (the Latte Factor):

A little background: Up until this Summer, I did not like coffee AT ALL!  Thanks to my mother and her Keurig machine (insert sarcasm here,) I have been hooked! I cant seem to do anything in moderation, so I started drinking about a ½ pot at work every day because Todd cant stomach the smell of coffee, so it was something I did at work and only at work.  It wasn’t plain black coffee, oh no… it was flavored coffee that I had been drinking.  I don’t (and didn’t) like the thought of being addicted to something.  OK, yes, I have an addiction to food, but it is also a necessity.  At any rate, I weaned myself off for about a month.  Now that it’s getting cold outside, I get a craving for coffee in the mornings.  So, here goes:

French Vanilla Cappuccino from Gas Station:                                                 $1.49

(“High Octane,” full fat, a lot of sugar, small cup)

Maxwell House: Swisse Mocha Café : $1.89/container of 21 cups                    $0.09/cup!

(Decaf, Sugar Free – low calorie!)

Savings Per Cup: $1.40!

Needless to say, I will continue to buy the coffee in the tins

How Low Can You Go?

I like to look at what a meal costs us (versus going out).  With this post, I will compare the price of a meal out vs. making it at home.

Egg McMuffin:

Todd and I love Egg McMuffins (and bagels with ham, egg & cheese) for breakfast.

From what I’ve seen, the price from McDonald’s is: $1.59/sandwich

Our Cost:

English Muffin (bought at a Nickles Thrift Store – 2 bags of 6 for $1.79)  $0.15

Egg Substitute (Aldi’s Brand: $1.89 for a dozen eggs worth)                    $0.16

Turkey Ham ($1.89/lb – assuming we use 1/8 lb (high estimate))              $0.24

Cheese ($1.99/lb from Gordon Food Service – assuming 1 oz.)              $0.12

Price to make it at home:                                                                        $0.67!

Savings per sandwich: $0.92

To be honest, I like ours better!  It is a little healthier for us (turkey ham & egg substitute), but it keeps us going in the mornings!