I love to cook from scratch, and if not completely from scratch then half-scratch.
What I have never done is a costing exercise to establish how it compares to purchasing ready produced food (i.e convenience foods).
So today is Day 1 of my little experiment.
I’d considered doing the costing for all food for the week, but decided rather than to try to climb Everest to opt for the Wrekin instead.
Each day I will post the evening meal with a comparable dish shop purchased. I have no idea whether it will be more cost-effective – that’s what the experiment is for.
Saturday 25th June 2011
The inspiration behind this dish is attributed to Laura, who recently commented that she and her kids have a Pizza night in front of the TV. I loved the idea and hence have adopted it here at Chez Wright! Saturday night is now Pizza and Popcorn.
Home-made Pizza of course!
Here comes the comparison
SimplyBeingMum’s margarita pizza – Ingredients & Cost – serves 4
650g/7oz Strong White Flour – 0.46
1 sachet of dried yeast (7g) – 0.15
2 teaspoons of salt and 1 of sugar – 0.05
350ml/9floz Warm Water – 0.00
1 can of chopped tomatoes (400g/14oz) – 0.54
2 Garlic Cloves – 0.07
Dried Mixed Herbs/Oregano – 0.05
250g of Mozzarella – £1.70
£3.02 in Total – 0.76 per pizza
Cost for 4 Pizza Express pizza’s from the chiller shelf of the same supermarket
£12 Total – £3 each as on special should be £4 each
Their cheapest own-branded version – £6 for 4 as on special also.
Taking the average between highest and lowest cost – each shop bought pizza will cost £2.25 whereas home-made actually cost £0.76.
A saving of £1.49 per pizza and a total saving of £5.96 to feed a family of four.
To summarise
Shop bought average cost for 4 pizzas – £9
Home-made cost for 4 pizzas – £3.04
So far so good eh? A third of the cost…
And if you get it delivered then you are looking at a price of £8.49 per pizza – I’m not even going to go there…
With my costing done I’m off to knead some dough – I’ll just leave you in true Blue Peter style with a photo of one I made earlier…
Thanks for the comparison. You mentioned cheapest own brand, but what about basic/value? It’s 63p per pizza for a comparable size to the Pizza Express pizzas at the major supermarkets
Although some of your prices could be better by using basic ingredients as well. For example, Sainsburys basic mozzarella is 40p per 125g ball, and ASDA strong flour is 68p for 1.5kg. Yeast is much cheaper by the tin instead of the sachet, Allinson’s dried active yeast is 64p for 125g. You could also consider using a tube of tomato puree (Tesco’s Trattoria brand, 39p) instead of the tin of tomatoes, stronger flavour and cheaper too.
All of these changes would bring your total cost down to £1.69, or around 43p per pizza. So nearly a third cheaper than even a basic pizza! Hope you don’t mind me mentioning specific store/product names, but thought they could be useful for you for your next pizza night. 🙂
Hi Lauren – Lovely to see you here and thanks for highlighting the cheaper variants – it certainly is something to take into consideration. I considered doing a rationale for the pricing at the start of the post, but I knew it was going to be quite a long post and decided not to. There is no doubt that cheaper ready made pizzas and also home-made pizzas using cheaper ingredients could be made.
I shop at Sainsbury’s (having home deliveries from all 3 supermarkets – this is my preferred choice – although I know that generally their prices may be considered higher) – so have used what I actually buy to compare. I did consider using an average of the top three supermarkets (Asda, Tescos and Sainsburys) but really it was too see how my meals at home would compare. I’ve got to say though I am shocked at the price difference in the flour from Asda, and the tinned yeast is also a big eye opener. I will be checking both out – in this case I have presumed that an item such as flour would not vary greatly – I was wrong.
Regarding puree I do actually use that for the kids as they do not like chunky toms on theirs, but I based it on what I would expect should I purchase a pizza either out or as a branded product, and the Hubby and I have chopped toms on ours. I am a big fan of tomato puree (…and the health benefits that it brings), we use double concentrate – and again I am paying more using Sainsbury’s – I think it’s 59p – but I also shop at Home Bargains (which is an AMAZING shop) and I reckon theirs is comparable to Tesco – so will definitely be stocking up. Home Bargains Chopped Toms (quality ones) are also 29p and I do buy those also – but for this I went for a Sainsbury’s price.
What your comment has highlighted is what I have had in the back of my mind for a while and have been wrestling with, I pay extra for the convenience of a Sainsburys online delivery and could reduce my costs. I have toyed with the idea of another experiment where I do a local farm shop plus an additional Home Bargains shop and compare to my usual online grocery shop – but need a suitable week in which to do it. I have a feeling I can reduce my weekly budget further. I have dropped it to £75 from £100 a week this month – but maybe I could get it lower. Thanks Lauren – all food for thought! watch this space for a different comparison!
You’re right that most staples tend to be the same price amongst the big three, but sometimes there are items that a surprise – strong flour just happens to be one of them. Sadly I don’t have a Home Bargains near me, I keep reading wonderful things about it though. Maybe one day!
I know what you mean about convenience. My local is actually M&S which as much as I adore, I also like to keep the budget down. There is a Sainsburys nearby but it’s awkward to get to as a non-driver (and this is in London!) so I never include that one which leaves me with Tesco which is right by the next tube stop so easy to get to if not the closest. Which means I also do my online shopping (usually every 4-6 weeks for heavy/bulky non-perishables) there to get maximum points. But perhaps you could do an order from the others from time to time for items which are cheaper than Sainsburys. Discount or free delivery codes seem to pop up often enough to take advantage of if you order in bulk. Assuming you have the space to store it, that is.
Also, I’ve recently discovered Amazon is often the cheapest for branded non-perishable items. As an example, my husband and I both have really sensitive skin so have to use certain brands of washing powder. Ariel non-bio is under £15 for 4 packs of 40 tablets, less if you use their subscription services. That’s about half the standard price of similar tablets when they’re not on offer. I buy a lot of things from Amazon now, they have consistently good prices. Plus it’s delivered, so I don’t have to worry about how to lug a big box home!
Looking forward to the next comparison! 🙂
Thanks for the comparison. You mentioned cheapest own brand, but what about basic/value? It’s 63p per pizza for a comparable size to the Pizza Express pizzas at the major supermarkets
Although some of your prices could be better by using basic ingredients as well. For example, Sainsburys basic mozzarella is 40p per 125g ball, and ASDA strong flour is 68p for 1.5kg. Yeast is much cheaper by the tin instead of the sachet, Allinson’s dried active yeast is 64p for 125g. You could also consider using a tube of tomato puree (Tesco’s Trattoria brand, 39p) instead of the tin of tomatoes, stronger flavour and cheaper too.
All of these changes would bring your total cost down to £1.69, or around 43p per pizza. So nearly a third cheaper than even a basic pizza! Hope you don’t mind me mentioning specific store/product names, but thought they could be useful for you for your next pizza night. 🙂
Hi Lauren – Lovely to see you here and thanks for highlighting the cheaper variants – it certainly is something to take into consideration. I considered doing a rationale for the pricing at the start of the post, but I knew it was going to be quite a long post and decided not to. There is no doubt that cheaper ready made pizzas and also home-made pizzas using cheaper ingredients could be made.
I shop at Sainsbury’s (having home deliveries from all 3 supermarkets – this is my preferred choice – although I know that generally their prices may be considered higher) – so have used what I actually buy to compare. I did consider using an average of the top three supermarkets (Asda, Tescos and Sainsburys) but really it was too see how my meals at home would compare. I’ve got to say though I am shocked at the price difference in the flour from Asda, and the tinned yeast is also a big eye opener. I will be checking both out – in this case I have presumed that an item such as flour would not vary greatly – I was wrong.
Regarding puree I do actually use that for the kids as they do not like chunky toms on theirs, but I based it on what I would expect should I purchase a pizza either out or as a branded product, and the Hubby and I have chopped toms on ours. I am a big fan of tomato puree (…and the health benefits that it brings), we use double concentrate – and again I am paying more using Sainsbury’s – I think it’s 59p – but I also shop at Home Bargains (which is an AMAZING shop) and I reckon theirs is comparable to Tesco – so will definitely be stocking up. Home Bargains Chopped Toms (quality ones) are also 29p and I do buy those also – but for this I went for a Sainsbury’s price.
What your comment has highlighted is what I have had in the back of my mind for a while and have been wrestling with, I pay extra for the convenience of a Sainsburys online delivery and could reduce my costs. I have toyed with the idea of another experiment where I do a local farm shop plus an additional Home Bargains shop and compare to my usual online grocery shop – but need a suitable week in which to do it. I have a feeling I can reduce my weekly budget further. I have dropped it to £75 from £100 a week this month – but maybe I could get it lower. Thanks Lauren – all food for thought! watch this space for a different comparison!
You’re right that most staples tend to be the same price amongst the big three, but sometimes there are items that a surprise – strong flour just happens to be one of them. Sadly I don’t have a Home Bargains near me, I keep reading wonderful things about it though. Maybe one day!
I know what you mean about convenience. My local is actually M&S which as much as I adore, I also like to keep the budget down. There is a Sainsburys nearby but it’s awkward to get to as a non-driver (and this is in London!) so I never include that one which leaves me with Tesco which is right by the next tube stop so easy to get to if not the closest. Which means I also do my online shopping (usually every 4-6 weeks for heavy/bulky non-perishables) there to get maximum points. But perhaps you could do an order from the others from time to time for items which are cheaper than Sainsburys. Discount or free delivery codes seem to pop up often enough to take advantage of if you order in bulk. Assuming you have the space to store it, that is.
Also, I’ve recently discovered Amazon is often the cheapest for branded non-perishable items. As an example, my husband and I both have really sensitive skin so have to use certain brands of washing powder. Ariel non-bio is under £15 for 4 packs of 40 tablets, less if you use their subscription services. That’s about half the standard price of similar tablets when they’re not on offer. I buy a lot of things from Amazon now, they have consistently good prices. Plus it’s delivered, so I don’t have to worry about how to lug a big box home!
Looking forward to the next comparison! 🙂
Thanks for the comparison. You mentioned cheapest own brand, but what about basic/value? It’s 63p per pizza for a comparable size to the Pizza Express pizzas at the major supermarkets
Although some of your prices could be better by using basic ingredients as well. For example, Sainsburys basic mozzarella is 40p per 125g ball, and ASDA strong flour is 68p for 1.5kg. Yeast is much cheaper by the tin instead of the sachet, Allinson’s dried active yeast is 64p for 125g. You could also consider using a tube of tomato puree (Tesco’s Trattoria brand, 39p) instead of the tin of tomatoes, stronger flavour and cheaper too.
All of these changes would bring your total cost down to £1.69, or around 43p per pizza. So nearly a third cheaper than even a basic pizza! Hope you don’t mind me mentioning specific store/product names, but thought they could be useful for you for your next pizza night. 🙂
Hi Lauren – Lovely to see you here and thanks for highlighting the cheaper variants – it certainly is something to take into consideration. I considered doing a rationale for the pricing at the start of the post, but I knew it was going to be quite a long post and decided not to. There is no doubt that cheaper ready made pizzas and also home-made pizzas using cheaper ingredients could be made.
I shop at Sainsbury’s (having home deliveries from all 3 supermarkets – this is my preferred choice – although I know that generally their prices may be considered higher) – so have used what I actually buy to compare. I did consider using an average of the top three supermarkets (Asda, Tescos and Sainsburys) but really it was too see how my meals at home would compare. I’ve got to say though I am shocked at the price difference in the flour from Asda, and the tinned yeast is also a big eye opener. I will be checking both out – in this case I have presumed that an item such as flour would not vary greatly – I was wrong.
Regarding puree I do actually use that for the kids as they do not like chunky toms on theirs, but I based it on what I would expect should I purchase a pizza either out or as a branded product, and the Hubby and I have chopped toms on ours. I am a big fan of tomato puree (…and the health benefits that it brings), we use double concentrate – and again I am paying more using Sainsbury’s – I think it’s 59p – but I also shop at Home Bargains (which is an AMAZING shop) and I reckon theirs is comparable to Tesco – so will definitely be stocking up. Home Bargains Chopped Toms (quality ones) are also 29p and I do buy those also – but for this I went for a Sainsbury’s price.
What your comment has highlighted is what I have had in the back of my mind for a while and have been wrestling with, I pay extra for the convenience of a Sainsburys online delivery and could reduce my costs. I have toyed with the idea of another experiment where I do a local farm shop plus an additional Home Bargains shop and compare to my usual online grocery shop – but need a suitable week in which to do it. I have a feeling I can reduce my weekly budget further. I have dropped it to £75 from £100 a week this month – but maybe I could get it lower. Thanks Lauren – all food for thought! watch this space for a different comparison!
You’re right that most staples tend to be the same price amongst the big three, but sometimes there are items that a surprise – strong flour just happens to be one of them. Sadly I don’t have a Home Bargains near me, I keep reading wonderful things about it though. Maybe one day!
I know what you mean about convenience. My local is actually M&S which as much as I adore, I also like to keep the budget down. There is a Sainsburys nearby but it’s awkward to get to as a non-driver (and this is in London!) so I never include that one which leaves me with Tesco which is right by the next tube stop so easy to get to if not the closest. Which means I also do my online shopping (usually every 4-6 weeks for heavy/bulky non-perishables) there to get maximum points. But perhaps you could do an order from the others from time to time for items which are cheaper than Sainsburys. Discount or free delivery codes seem to pop up often enough to take advantage of if you order in bulk. Assuming you have the space to store it, that is.
Also, I’ve recently discovered Amazon is often the cheapest for branded non-perishable items. As an example, my husband and I both have really sensitive skin so have to use certain brands of washing powder. Ariel non-bio is under £15 for 4 packs of 40 tablets, less if you use their subscription services. That’s about half the standard price of similar tablets when they’re not on offer. I buy a lot of things from Amazon now, they have consistently good prices. Plus it’s delivered, so I don’t have to worry about how to lug a big box home!
Looking forward to the next comparison! 🙂
Looks lovely, i cheat when i make my pizza i use the packet of just add water and roll out from tescos, think it’s 54p. I find pizzas perfect for using up odds and ends up out of the fridge. That lonely piece of ham or bacon, the single tomato and half a can of sweetcorn all make for yummy pizza. My younger 2 like it cold in their lunch boxes as an alternative to sandwiches.
Do your children have packed lunches? If so what kind of things do they have? I’m trying to ease away from commercial stuff (read-junk) and i’m finding it tough. The kids just will not budge on their cake bars!
Sharron x
Hi Sharron – I don’t know where I got this info (it was a few years back) and in fact I could just be making it up 🙂 but I recall hearing that Pizza is one of the few dishes that tastes better cold than hot (which it is supposed to be). I can’t remember why it was claimed that – something to do with the complementary ingredients. I love cold pizza, and it’s a great alternative to sandwiches everyday for the kids!
Dan eats at home with me at the moment, but Leah does indeed take a packed lunch and it’s a nightmare. Like you it’s so hard finding suitable items to go in the lunch bag. She did have hot dinners for a term (which I preferred) but as the majority of girls have sandwiches she got fed up sitting on a table of boys! I had to take her out of school Friday to have soup at home as she still couldn’t eat solids – too embarrassed to try taking a flask and drink through a straw.
I make myself feel a little better by making the bread/cake/cookies as much as I can so I know there are less hidden nasties. But of course this is only part of the time – life gets in the way…
This is definitely an area worth investigating further! I’ll have to give it some more thought, this has cropped up as a comment before. Particularly as some schools do not allow any chocolate/sweets/crisps etc… ours does at the moment but they may change in the future – who knows? Have a lovely Sunday 🙂 Sun’s shining in the UK – at last eh?
Yes, at last!! Beautiful here today, just too darn hot to cook a roast 🙂 !!!
Our school does allow chocolate and crisps but i tend to put one or the other in. School dinners arn’t really an option as i have four in school so i tend to give the older 2 sanwiches (senior school) then money on a friday. The younger 2 have packed lunches with the occassional hot dinner (when they have theme days) If they all stayed it would cost £38 a week so i figure i can make packed lunches for way cheaper. Hope Leah’s mouth is better soon, i think dental pain is worse than childbirth!!
Sharron x
£38 – that’s a lot of money each week! And I thought £10.50 was pushing the boat out. I will definitely investigate packed lunches – it’s something I have been thinking about, trying to inject some variety into Leah’s… Watch This Space! 🙂
Looks lovely, i cheat when i make my pizza i use the packet of just add water and roll out from tescos, think it’s 54p. I find pizzas perfect for using up odds and ends up out of the fridge. That lonely piece of ham or bacon, the single tomato and half a can of sweetcorn all make for yummy pizza. My younger 2 like it cold in their lunch boxes as an alternative to sandwiches.
Do your children have packed lunches? If so what kind of things do they have? I’m trying to ease away from commercial stuff (read-junk) and i’m finding it tough. The kids just will not budge on their cake bars!
Sharron x
Hi Sharron – I don’t know where I got this info (it was a few years back) and in fact I could just be making it up 🙂 but I recall hearing that Pizza is one of the few dishes that tastes better cold than hot (which it is supposed to be). I can’t remember why it was claimed that – something to do with the complementary ingredients. I love cold pizza, and it’s a great alternative to sandwiches everyday for the kids!
Dan eats at home with me at the moment, but Leah does indeed take a packed lunch and it’s a nightmare. Like you it’s so hard finding suitable items to go in the lunch bag. She did have hot dinners for a term (which I preferred) but as the majority of girls have sandwiches she got fed up sitting on a table of boys! I had to take her out of school Friday to have soup at home as she still couldn’t eat solids – too embarrassed to try taking a flask and drink through a straw.
I make myself feel a little better by making the bread/cake/cookies as much as I can so I know there are less hidden nasties. But of course this is only part of the time – life gets in the way…
This is definitely an area worth investigating further! I’ll have to give it some more thought, this has cropped up as a comment before. Particularly as some schools do not allow any chocolate/sweets/crisps etc… ours does at the moment but they may change in the future – who knows? Have a lovely Sunday 🙂 Sun’s shining in the UK – at last eh?
Yes, at last!! Beautiful here today, just too darn hot to cook a roast 🙂 !!!
Our school does allow chocolate and crisps but i tend to put one or the other in. School dinners arn’t really an option as i have four in school so i tend to give the older 2 sanwiches (senior school) then money on a friday. The younger 2 have packed lunches with the occassional hot dinner (when they have theme days) If they all stayed it would cost £38 a week so i figure i can make packed lunches for way cheaper. Hope Leah’s mouth is better soon, i think dental pain is worse than childbirth!!
Sharron x
£38 – that’s a lot of money each week! And I thought £10.50 was pushing the boat out. I will definitely investigate packed lunches – it’s something I have been thinking about, trying to inject some variety into Leah’s… Watch This Space! 🙂
Looks lovely, i cheat when i make my pizza i use the packet of just add water and roll out from tescos, think it’s 54p. I find pizzas perfect for using up odds and ends up out of the fridge. That lonely piece of ham or bacon, the single tomato and half a can of sweetcorn all make for yummy pizza. My younger 2 like it cold in their lunch boxes as an alternative to sandwiches.
Do your children have packed lunches? If so what kind of things do they have? I’m trying to ease away from commercial stuff (read-junk) and i’m finding it tough. The kids just will not budge on their cake bars!
Sharron x
Hi Sharron – I don’t know where I got this info (it was a few years back) and in fact I could just be making it up 🙂 but I recall hearing that Pizza is one of the few dishes that tastes better cold than hot (which it is supposed to be). I can’t remember why it was claimed that – something to do with the complementary ingredients. I love cold pizza, and it’s a great alternative to sandwiches everyday for the kids!
Dan eats at home with me at the moment, but Leah does indeed take a packed lunch and it’s a nightmare. Like you it’s so hard finding suitable items to go in the lunch bag. She did have hot dinners for a term (which I preferred) but as the majority of girls have sandwiches she got fed up sitting on a table of boys! I had to take her out of school Friday to have soup at home as she still couldn’t eat solids – too embarrassed to try taking a flask and drink through a straw.
I make myself feel a little better by making the bread/cake/cookies as much as I can so I know there are less hidden nasties. But of course this is only part of the time – life gets in the way…
This is definitely an area worth investigating further! I’ll have to give it some more thought, this has cropped up as a comment before. Particularly as some schools do not allow any chocolate/sweets/crisps etc… ours does at the moment but they may change in the future – who knows? Have a lovely Sunday 🙂 Sun’s shining in the UK – at last eh?
Yes, at last!! Beautiful here today, just too darn hot to cook a roast 🙂 !!!
Our school does allow chocolate and crisps but i tend to put one or the other in. School dinners arn’t really an option as i have four in school so i tend to give the older 2 sanwiches (senior school) then money on a friday. The younger 2 have packed lunches with the occassional hot dinner (when they have theme days) If they all stayed it would cost £38 a week so i figure i can make packed lunches for way cheaper. Hope Leah’s mouth is better soon, i think dental pain is worse than childbirth!!
Sharron x
£38 – that’s a lot of money each week! And I thought £10.50 was pushing the boat out. I will definitely investigate packed lunches – it’s something I have been thinking about, trying to inject some variety into Leah’s… Watch This Space! 🙂