Stuff that is better homemade / homemade equivalents of expensive items!

[Newstrawberries]

Following on from / inspired by another thread about things that are ridiculously expensive … such as dishwasher tablets.

So I googled how to make them. Looks pretty simple. I’m going to give it a whirl and feel very smug about my frugality (if it works!).

Does anyone else DIY anything like this at home? Or general frugal tips? Or stuff that is generally just always better homemade. Would love to hear about it.

White vinegar/salt/washing up liquid is better than bought weed killer IMO, and a lot cheaper.

I don't find dishwasher tablets expensive. There are expensive ones but I don't buy them when the cheap ones (Aldi or Lidl all in one) are perfectly decent at about a quarter of the price.

A lot of food is a lot better home made, especially cake, pies, pasta dishes etc but might not be cheaper unless you compare like with like quality, eg Charlie Bighams level, when it probably is cheaper to make your own.

I make my own gyoza using ready made skins and a little press which is really for mini pasties, but does a good enough job.

On another thread I suggested a DIY alternative to Oats so Simple (use an egg cup or other small measure for one of oats and two of milk using normal quick cook oats that are exactly the same as unflavoured Oats so Simple but about a fifth of the price) but was ridiculed by several posters.

Pretty much all food although I don’t fancy making Lindor chocolates.

Hummus, I can get tins of chickpeas for 40p, cup of Greek yogurt, lemon juice and salt and pepper. I do not use oil or sesame paste. Same for homemade coleslaw, it is ridiculously cheap, also small flatbreads just flour, greek yogurt and salt.

I have my mum's recipe for home made Baileys if anyone wants it...

Jam,
Lemon drizzle cake - in fact, most cakes
Home grown fruit & veg - I'm still picking ripe figs and assorted veg.

Imo, homemade quiche is in a different league to shop bought!

I make loaf cakes like banana bread, ginger cake, fruit cakes, etc - because they contain a handful of ingredients and taste better! Shop bought cakes seem to contain about 20 ingredients, and I can’t see why! (Trying to cut down on UPFs)

At Christmas, I buy about 6 packs of fresh cranberries and freeze most of them to make my own cranberry sauce all year. Another thing that’s in a different league to shop bought imo!

Lemon curd and mayonnaise

@CharlotteStreetW1 ohh yes please

Hobnobs - from this recipe. so good and you can add melted choc on top or raisins. I use butter not marg though so can’t say they’re hugely cheaper! It does make loads though.

i also use natural deodorant so make my own rather than buying. Much cheaper! I use coconut oil, bicarbonate of soda, arrowroot powder, essential oils.

I also make kefir, very easy if you just get some grains on eBay (or sometimes people will give away - I’ve done this via my local fb page).

pizza - I make the dough in my bread maker, reduce passata down with garlic for the sauce and top with grated mozzarella.

Elderberry syrup. It's £10+ for a tiny commercial bottle and I've made enough to use as cordial thru the winter and to take in larger amounts if we need its antiviral properties.

You could just buy liquid detergent for the dishwasher? You don't need to use tablets if you don't want to. Making DW tabs sounds like a lot of faff for little gain (the end result will still be clean dishes). Not like making a cake where there is a significant pay off for the effort (a much nicer cake!)

I've made salted caramel chocolates before - they were the best chocolates I've ever tasted

I did it twice, the first time a massive faff - the second much easier

Genuinely considered setting up as a chocolatier and selling them as they were better than all the posh chocs I've eaten (and I mean posh, Fortnums/bettys/paul/bchoc/russellatwell/ I've tried them all)

Home made apple pie and mince pies are always better than bought, probably most pastry items are.
Home made Christmas pudding is far superior to commercially made pudding, and a fraction of the price too.

Most things you eat, shop bought filled with all-sorts to prolong it's life ( not yours)

Food, as a general category.

As a specific example, garlic bread. It's very easy to make garlic butter at home from normal butter and then just put it on some fresh bread.

Cakes in particular, but that's also because I can't stand butter icing and generally find most cakes sold here too sugary.

Cosmetics/toiletries. I make my own cleansing balm/lip balm/moisturiser bars. Super easy and cheap compared to shop bought and you can tailor ingredients to your skin type/preference.

I follow Nancy Birtwhistle on Insta and she has really good homemade cleaning concoctions, cheap and environmentally friendly.

Pretty much everything you can eat, but especially tomato based sauces for pasta or pizza.

Will do it in the morning 😊

@YorkieTheRabbit

Here you go:

BAILEYS

Half pint water
Half pint whisky or brandy
Large can condensed milk
Large can evaporated milk
Heaped teaspoon gelatine
Dessertspoon instant coffee
Teaspoon vanilla essence

Boil water
Leave to cool awhile (5-10 mins)
Add gelatine, dissolve thoroughly
Add everything else
Stir well and bottle

(This was from my late mum's handwritten recipe book and I now plan to reintroduce "awhile" into common usage!)