These prices are the lowest in my neighborhood (Boston area) on a weekly
basis, mostly from Market Basket. They do not include sale prices or any marked-down goods I might find on the discount rack. Of course, I
believe in stocking up when there IS a sale, but not everyone wants to
have large amounts of butter, yeast or soy flour taking up space in the freezer. (Butter goes on sale maybe 3 times a year, where I live.)

The Tightwad Gazette chart (created by Amy Dacyczyn) had: price per
pound, weight per cup, price per cup, price per tablespoon, and price
per teaspoon. To save time, I'm only listing the price per cup or
tablespoon (sometimes rounded up or down). If it doesn't say "Tb," then
it means the price per cup. The main purpose is to allow you to compare made-from-scratch foods with each other.

If you use soy flour/powder and powdered milk in a pancake mix, you can
add water instead of milk.


Baking powder 12 cents (Tb)
Baking soda 24.5 (Tb)
Brown sugar 59
Butter $1.99
Cocoa powder 8 (Tb)
Coconut 35.5
Cornmeal 47
Cornstarch 37 (Tb)
Honey $3
Imitation vanilla 7 (Tb)
Liquid milk 16
Margarine 62.5
Molasses $1.75
Oats 38
Powdered milk 5 (Tb)
Powdered sugar 34
Raisins 90
Salt 2 (Tb)
Soy flour 11 (Tb)
Vanilla 94 (Tb)
Vegetable oil: 59
Wheat flour 33
White flour 22.5
White sugar 43.5
Yeast 19.5 (Tb)


And here are the weights per cup.

In ounces:

Baking powder 8
Baking soda 8
Brown sugar 7
Butter 8
Cocoa 4
Coconut 2
Cornmeal 6
Cornstarch 5
Cream of tartar 8
Honey 12
Imitation vanilla 8
Liquid skim milk 8
Margarine 8
Molasses 12
Oatmeal 4
Powdered milk 2.4
Powdered sugar 4
Raisins 4
Salt 10
Soy flour 4
Vanilla 6.75
Vegetable oil: 8
Wheat flour 4.5
White flour 6
White sugar 8
Yeast 5

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

And as I mentioned in another thread, one can use one Tb. of soy flour
plus one Tb. of water as an egg substitute in pancakes, muffins, and
bread. (Do NOT use it in cookies.) Right now, a dozen such "eggs" would
cost $1.32.

A slightly more expensive "egg replacer," from Red Mill, is made of
potato starch, tapioca flour, and baking soda. It costs $6.39 per pound,
which is three cents higher per Tb. than soy flour. Also, you have to
use two Tbs. of water.

(I don't know if the baking soda makes it a better egg substitute if
we're talking about, say, a recipe for cake or brownies, since at least
one brownie recipe I saw calls for real eggs but not baking soda or
baking powder.)

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 4/10/2025 4:05 PM, Lenona wrote:

These prices are the lowest in my neighborhood (Boston area) on a weekly basis, mostly from Market Basket. They do not include sale prices or any marked-down goods I might find on the discount rack. Of course, I
believe in stocking up when there IS a sale, but not everyone wants to
have large amounts of butter, yeast or soy flour taking up space in the freezer. (Butter goes on sale maybe 3 times a year, where I live.)

The Tightwad Gazette chart (created by Amy Dacyczyn) had: price per
pound, weight per cup, price per cup, price per tablespoon, and price
per teaspoon. To save time, I'm only listing the price per cup or
tablespoon (sometimes rounded up or down).

Why would I care? If I was running a bakery, maybe I would but as a
home cook/baker, never tried to cost a meal. If I want cake, I make it
and don't pay attention to price of ingredients.

In the next few days I'm going to make by favorite cake. It takes five
eggs and a cup of butter. Should I consult with my banker first?

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

Also, it seems there's some disagreement as to whether vanilla extract
weighs 6.75 oz. per cup or 8.5 oz. However, we all know that when it
comes to the LIQUID extract, that price is always based on fluid ounces.
So it's a moot point.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Thu, 10 Apr 2025 17:00:39 -0400, Ed P <esp@snet.n> wrote:

On 4/10/2025 4:05 PM, Lenona wrote:

These prices are the lowest in my neighborhood (Boston area) on a weekly
basis, mostly from Market Basket. They do not include sale prices or any
marked-down goods I might find on the discount rack. Of course, I
believe in stocking up when there IS a sale, but not everyone wants to
have large amounts of butter, yeast or soy flour taking up space in the
freezer. (Butter goes on sale maybe 3 times a year, where I live.)

The Tightwad Gazette chart (created by Amy Dacyczyn) had: price per
pound, weight per cup, price per cup, price per tablespoon, and price
per teaspoon. To save time, I'm only listing the price per cup or
tablespoon (sometimes rounded up or down).

Why would I care? If I was running a bakery, maybe I would but as a
home cook/baker, never tried to cost a meal. If I want cake, I make it
and don't pay attention to price of ingredients.

In the next few days I'm going to make by favorite cake. It takes five
eggs and a cup of butter. Should I consult with my banker first?

Only if you consider adding Beluga caviar.

--
Bruce
<https://i.postimg.cc/5NvHwfF0/trumpputin.jpg>

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

Well, I figured that what with the tariffs - even though they're getting delayed - many people would, in fact, start looking for ways to eat
frugally without giving up their favorite foods entirely.

After all, how many other things are there that we do several times
EVERY single day, that can cost anywhere from $1 to $50? (I realize, of
course, that most people don't eat at restaurants every day, even when
it's "just" McDonald's.)

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

I'm not sure I've ever SEEN Hershey's baking chocolate.

Fancier brands, yes. All the time.

In the meantime, I found there's disagreement regarding the weight of
powdered milk as well.

That is, Saco Mix 'n Drink comes in a 1.6 lb. bag, calls for 1 cup of
mix for every quart you want, and says there's enough for 2 gallons.
That should mean each cup should weigh...3.2 ounces.

However, when I googled, it said that the powder should weigh about 4.4
oz instead.

Verrry interesting.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

And when I looked again, the 1.6 lb. bag of powdered milk (that's 25.6
ounces), really didn't look as though it held more than 6 cups. If that.

So, it makes more sense that a cupful of powder weighs 4.4 ounces. That
would mean that the information on the bag was incorrect - and that
there isn't quite enough to make one and a half gallons of milk.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Thu, 10 Apr 2025 21:18:55 +0000, Lenona wrote:

Well, I figured that what with the tariffs - even though they're getting delayed - many people would, in fact, start looking for ways to eat
frugally without giving up their favorite foods entirely.

After all, how many other things are there that we do several times
EVERY single day, that can cost anywhere from $1 to $50? (I realize, of course, that most people don't eat at restaurants every day, even when
it's "just" McDonald's.)

And, here's another list.

The following is from a 1992 issue of the "Tightwad Gazette" - Amy
Dacyczyn was comparing the costs of different breakfasts. I left out the outdated prices, but the ranking probably hasn't changed much. I'm
guessing the toast is not from homemade bread, offhand, since she used
to buy half-price-off bread; the cold cereals were almost certainly
bought with coupons.

From the cheapest to the most expensive:

2 oz. uncooked cornmeal
2 oz. bulk uncooked oatmeal
2 4-inch scratch pancakes
2 scratch muffins
2 4-inch scratch waffles
2 pieces of French toast
2 oatmeal raisin scones
2 2-inch squares cornbread
2 oz. store-brand oatmeal
2 4-inch Bisquick pancakes
1 egg and 1 slice of toast
2 oz. Quaker oatmeal
2 store-brand English muffins
2 oz. store-brand toasted oat cereal
2 oz. Cream of Wheat
2 Eggo waffles
2 oz. Captain Crunch
2 oz. Froot Loops
2 store-brand doughnuts
Carnation Instant Breakfast
2 4-inch pancakes from store batter
2 bakery-made cinnamon rolls
2 Pop Tarts
Great Starts microwaveable breakfast

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

BryanGSimmons wrote on 5/21/2025 4:49 PM:

On 4/10/2025 3:05 PM, Lenona wrote:

These prices are the lowest in my neighborhood (Boston area) on a weekly
basis, mostly from Market Basket. They do not include sale prices or any
marked-down goods I might find on the discount rack. Of course, I
believe in stocking up when there IS a sale, but not everyone wants to
have large amounts of butter, yeast or soy flour taking up space in the
freezer. (Butter goes on sale maybe 3 times a year, where I live.)

The Tightwad Gazette chart (created by Amy Dacyczyn) had: price per
pound, weight per cup, price per cup, price per tablespoon, and price
per teaspoon. To save time, I'm only listing the price per cup or
tablespoon (sometimes rounded up or down). If it doesn't say "Tb," then
it means the price per cup. The main purpose is to allow you to compare
made-from-scratch foods with each other.

If you use soy flour/powder and powdered milk in a pancake mix, you can
add water instead of milk.

You are a piece of trash who consumes soy flour and margarine.

And she probably has never seen a bottle of special sunflower oil!

Ignorant heathens!

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)