Now is the time of year when a lot of baking gets done because of the upcoming holidays. While baking from scratch is usually frugal, sometimes the expenses of baking your own can rival or even exceed buying store bought already baked goods. Would you like to spend less on baking supplies this year? If so, check out the following advice.
Preparation
Avoid the prepared mixes and dough. Sure those sliced cookies with the santa face are cute, but the price of them can really add up. Unless you combine great coupons and sales, you’ll wind up spending much too much on convenience mixes and dough. Plus, from scratch really does taste better.
To make your own items more convenient, mix up dry mixes or dough ahead of time and finish preparing them later.
Value Stores
Know what you can and can’t buy at a value store, dollar store or discount store. You can usually get away with most cheap measuring spoons and measuring cups, but invest a little more in muffin tins and baking pans. Not only will your baked goods come out better (no burning on the bottoms), but you won’t have to spend more constantly replacing supplies that warp or break.
Bulk Ingredients
If you will doing a lot of baking then it pays to stock up on bulk ingredients. Flour, sugar, vanilla, yeast and more are usually much less expensive when you buy them in larger quantities. You can find bulk baking ingredients not only in warehouse stores such as Sams, BJs and Cosco, but also in health food stores and bakery supply stores. You can find the later by searching the yellow pages in print or online, or simply asking your favorite bakery where they get their supplies. While sometimes officially closed to the public, often these suppliers will allow you to come in and buy in bulk from their existing stock.