Things you make yourself that most people buy?

[Geo]

I do so many of the things already listed because I cook from scratch...but here are a few I didn't see:

 

Chocolate Almond Coconut Granola

 

Kimchi

 

Kefir

 

Manicotti (noodles)

 

Raw Flax Crackers

 

Almond Milk

 

Hummus

 

Seedlings for Garden

 

Vegetables (just about everything- Asparagus to Yams)

 

Fruits (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, pears, *currents, *grapes)

 

Victorian Farm House (pretty much a one-time event)

 

Furniture (except the couches)

 

Dolls

 

Toys

 

Manipulatives

 

Infant & Toddler Shoes

 

....DH and I are collecting info on how to build our own *solar panels

 

 

* to be added this season

Edited February 11, 2012 by Geo

[DawnM]

I have not tried to make my own pumpkin spice latte, but this might work (although I have an actual espresso/latte machine so I would not do the microwave or Keurig)

 

http://www.recipegirl.com/2011/10/10/how-to-make-a-pumpkin-spice-latte/

 

Something about putting the pumpkin stuff in there sounds gross to me but I also know that Starbucks doesn't actually sell this particular flavoring because they have to make it fresh and refrigerate it, so they may use that too!

[MindyD]

Baby food, most breads, pizza, tutus (as in dress-up clothes), bubble solution, premade mixes like my own biscuits, pasta, brownies, etc to store in zip bags and shorten prep time. Oh, and chicken nuggets.

 

I also do a homemade version of Hamburger Helper because DH loves it. I think that's pretty odd as most people who cook meals from scratch seem to want to get away from Hamburger Helper!

 

 

I make my own version of hamburger helper too! My dh loves the stuff, but I refused to make it anymore so I made up my own version.

[Scuff]

This thread is useless without recipes.

[stripe]

Some breads, virtually all baked goods, spaghetti sauce. Most foods from regular ingredients (as opposed to lots of mixes).

 

I can buy hummus cheaper and better than I can make myself.

[Belacqua]

I can buy hummus cheaper and better than I can make myself.

 

I'm so glad you said that. I was feeling rather guilty for buying hummus, but when I factored in the time I was spending, the cost of the ingredients, and the fact that I never ended up finishing a jar of tahini, buying made sense. Especially when we had to admit that the Trader Joe's hummus tasted considerably better than anything I'd made.

 

I'll still make my own pita chips for it, though, so can I keep a little HiveCred?

[justamouse]

This thread is useless without recipes.

:lol:

[justamouse]

Some breads, virtually all baked goods, spaghetti sauce. Most foods from regular ingredients (as opposed to lots of mixes).

 

I can buy hummus cheaper and better than I can make myself.

 

You have to get the big can of garbanzos from Costco-it's a couple of bucks. I use my pressure cooker top cook them and just pop them in the blender with the tahini, garlic, evoo, lemon and cumin. Takes 5 minutes and it makes So Much.

[nukeswife]

I will make bread from time to time, but regularly I don't make to much, just

 

yogurt for me and dd (the boys prefer store bought)

pizza

 

 

Today I'm trying spaghetti sauce for the first time.

 

I also make pajamas for my kids from time to time.

[amy g.]

Lotion crafter has some ingredients for shampoo. The Chemistry shop has other ones. I usually google the ingredient I want to use, then see who has the best price. I've never been able to get everything from one supplier

[stripe]

You have to get the big can of garbanzos from Costco-it's a couple of bucks. I use my pressure cooker top cook them and just pop them in the blender with the tahini, garlic, evoo, lemon and cumin. Takes 5 minutes and it makes So Much.

 

Not a member of Costco. Don't want so much. Live near Arab shops. Find trying to get it smooth a waste of my time. My family doesn't like mine. ;) can buy a pound for $2.

[Pretty in Pink]

I make hummus without tahini. I guess maybe that doesn't count. Dry garbanzo beans are really cheap.

[I.Dup.]

Wow some of y'all are really weird. :001_huh::lol:

 

I was watching an "Extreme Coupon" show where this woman made cloth wipes for her family to use instead of toilet paper. They were folding them outside of the laundry and a couple had poop stains all over them, the little boy looked at it and said "this one is dirty" and the mom just goes "nope, it's clean"..........:huh:

[Geo]

I make hummus without tahini. I guess maybe that doesn't count. Dry garbanzo beans are really cheap.

 

Yep, it counts in my book...especially if it's "chunky". I prefer it that way.

Edited February 11, 2012 by Geo

[NancyNellen]

hummus, granola, pizza

[justamouse]

Not a member of Costco. Don't want so much. Live near Arab shops. Find trying to get it smooth a waste of my time. My family doesn't like mine. ;) can buy a pound for $2.

 

Ahhh, well that's a horse of a different color. :D

[KungFuPanda]

Soap, laundry soap, bread, cheese, yogurt, bath bombs, perfume, household cleaners, toothpaste bath, lard(oh wait, most people don't buy that do they?) shampoo, conditioner, lotion, fudge, ice-cream caramel....I'm sure I'll think of more later.

 

I'm gonna NEED that Bath Bomb recipe. Lush is too pricey for everyday.

 

This thread reminds me of a book I'd like to read:

 

 

Has anyone?

 

The author, Jennifer Reese, gives a "how to" on making marshmallows in this NPR link.

 

I think I have to read this now. I'm wondering if you can get it in an e-book.

 

I make my own version of hamburger helper too! My dh loves the stuff, but I refused to make it anymore so I made up my own version.

 

I use the Hillbilly Housewife's old mix recipe and do a bunch at once. I don't think it's on the new site. :glare:

 

Some breads, virtually all baked goods, spaghetti sauce. Most foods from regular ingredients (as opposed to lots of mixes).

 

I can buy hummus cheaper and better than I can make myself.

:svengo:

 

NOOOOO! it's impossible! Hummus is SOOOO marked up. The jar of tahini lasts for ages and you only have to cook the amount of garbonzo's you'll use. They even freeze well, so you can cook a pound at once and freeze the rest for future hummus. You must be considering the cost of canned beans, but even then . . .

 

I am scandalized!

[blondeviolin]

... :001_huh:

 

And this is where I feel like I missed the How to Be a Real Wife course before getting married.

 

How do you all find THE TIME?! Between my four kids and getting in lessons and cleaning...well, I'm happy dinner gets made!

[Spy Car]

I never thought to put hummus. Homemade is so much better.

 

Bill

[Belacqua]

I never thought to put hummus. Homemade is so much better.

 

Bill

 

Evidently, you've not tasted mine. Tastes kind of like damp sand mixed with that stuff orthodontists use to take impressions of bites. All accented with an inexplicably fishy undertone.

 

Trader Joe's will remain my hummus connection for the foreseeable future.

[KungFuPanda]

Nks to this thread, I now own the book mentioned above. You people are a bunch of enablers.

 

Since I have a well-documented hummus fetish, I'll post those numbers from the book. The prices are recent; 2010/2011. As to the great make-it/but-it question, she comes down on the side of make it. Here's the price breakdown per cup:

 

Homemade $0.85

Saber $3.10

Athenos $4.45

 

I must insist that the previous poster simply lacks a decent recipe if the problem is flavor or a decent blender if her family insists upon super-smooth commercial style hummus.

 

I know in my heart of hearts that store bought hummus is super smooth because you need to add much more water to get it that way. This makes homemade even cheaper when you consider that the high price of store-bought includes extra water.

[littlebug42]

... :001_huh:

 

And this is where I feel like I missed the How to Be a Real Wife course before getting married.

 

How do you all find THE TIME?! Between my four kids and getting in lessons and cleaning...well, I'm happy dinner gets made!

 

:iagree:

 

I should know better than to open these threads because I always feel totally inferior after I read them. Between working 24 hours a week and homeschooling, I have nothing left. I am trying to get better control over the house and for my family to eat better but I am reliant on Trader Joe's and Earth Fare. No bread baking anytime in the near future for me. :001_smile:

[justamouse]

... :001_huh:

 

And this is where I feel like I missed the How to Be a Real Wife course before getting married.

 

How do you all find THE TIME?! Between my four kids and getting in lessons and cleaning...well, I'm happy dinner gets made!

 

Your kids are young, yet. ;)

[Catwoman]

:iagree:

 

I should know better than to open these threads because I always feel totally inferior after I read them.

 

The trick to success is to make sure you're feeling inferior way before you open the thread. Then it doesn't bother you so much when you find out what a loser you are. It's like you already knew.

 

Works for me! :D

[Ailaena]

I'm still... Cloth whatnow? Really? I thought I'd heard it all... Isn't that... Idk, :ack2::ack2: not so sanitary? The amount of bleach I would use would render them severely unhealthy. What about company? I have only recently begun to accept reusable feminine products as at least an option for some, and now poop stains?? Someone ELSE'S poop stains? :svengo:

 

I was adamant that I would use cloth diapers when dd was born. I even signed up for a service so I wouldn't get overwhelmed at first. That lasted precisely two months, at which point I decided that being covered in baby output from both ends was no longer the route I wanted to take.

 

So... Much... Leakage...

[littlebug42]

The trick to success is to make sure you're feeling inferior way before you open the thread. Then it doesn't bother you so much when you find out what a loser you are. It's like you already knew.

 

Works for me! :D

 

This works. I guess I'll read the threads about rigor and curriculum first so I feel inferior as a homeschooler and then I can come and feel inferior as a Mom too. It will be a banner day for me. :lol:

[ThelmaLou]

Wow, I'm thrilled with all the responses! I have a running list now of new things I plan to try!

[justamouse]

I'm still... Cloth whatnow? Really? I thought I'd heard it all... Isn't that... Idk, :ack2::ack2: not so sanitary? .

 

See, that's my Green/frugal line. And I'm proud to not cross it. ;)

[justamouse]

This thread reminds me of a book I'd like to read:

 

 

Has anyone?

 

The author, Jennifer Reese, gives a "how to" on making marshmallows in this NPR link.

 

MAAAN I'm reading the excerpt and it's like crack. I mean, that is SO it--the line between Radical Homemakers and Survival of the Fittest Mom.

 

 

 

 

I think I need a food processor so I can make peanut butter....

[KungFuPanda]

MAAAN I'm reading the excerpt and it's like crack. I mean, that is SO it--the line between Radical Homemakers and Survival of the Fittest Mom.

 

 

 

 

I think I need a food processor so I can make peanut butter....

 

The food processor comes in handy for homemade laundry soap and hummus too. In fact, they come with dough hooks so you can knead bread. :D

 

I can only be really green if I own ALL of the appliances!

[Geo]

computers

 

 

Ok, now that wins my admiration. :drool:

[Catwoman]

This works. I guess I'll read the threads about rigor and curriculum first so I feel inferior as a homeschooler and then I can come and feel inferior as a Mom too. It will be a banner day for me. :lol:

 

Sounds like a good plan to me!

 

And then go visit one of those online fitness forums where everyone works out for 6 hours a day and they all eat right, all the time. It will be the perfect ending to the Perfect Loser Day. :tongue_smilie:

[Catwoman]

MAAAN I'm reading the excerpt and it's like crack. I mean, that is SO it--the line between Radical Homemakers and Survival of the Fittest Mom.

 

I think I need a food processor so I can make peanut butter....

 

I think I'll just drop by your house at mealtime once you figure out how to do all this stuff.

 

All the benefit. None of the effort. Which, as you know, is kind of a personal motto of mine. (And just try getting all that sticky peanut butter out of the food processor... you'll be back to Skippy in no time at all...)

 

But if you've got homemade tp in the bathroom, I expect advance warning. :D

[I.Dup.]

The trick to success is to make sure you're feeling inferior way before you open the thread. Then it doesn't bother you so much when you find out what a loser you are. It's like you already knew.

 

Works for me! :D

 

LOL! I like the way you think. I am slowly accepting that there are some things I just cannot or will not do. In that respect, it's nice to get a bit older.

[DawnM]

Ok, I am just going to go out on a limb here and say that I have no idea what they are talking about....I have never heard of these ingredients and need links as to where to buy them and what amounts to put in.

 

I am speaking specifically about the shampoo.

 

Is it thick like most shampoos? If it is too thin I am afraid my kids will waste it. Also, I have one son with dandruff, I have very dry hair and my other kids and DH have normal to oily hair, so I assume I am looking at creating three shampoos.

 

Is it really that much cheaper?

 

Dawn

 

I'm posting some links to some recipes.

 

http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/2010/05/shampoo-formulating-regular-shampoo.html

 

http://www.teachsoap.com/bombs.html

 

For the toothpaste, I make a 100% olive oil soap, and add xylitol, coQ10(for gum health) and a food grade essential oil. Right now, I'm using a custom blend of lemon, rosemary, cinnamon, and clove.

 

I pour the raw soap in a silicone ice cube tray, and keep it in a covered tin when it is finished.

 

Miss Good grinds hers up, and adds baking soda and uses it as a tooth powder. Ugh. I can't stand it that way.

[melissel]

I make my own version of hamburger helper too! My dh loves the stuff, but I refused to make it anymore so I made up my own version.

 

Oooh, could you share? Or someone? Please?! Or a "tuna helper" recipe! That would be awesome too.

 

The trick to success is to make sure you're feeling inferior way before you open the thread. Then it doesn't bother you so much when you find out what a loser you are. It's like you already knew.

 

The minute I arrive here most days, I feel like my inferiority meter goes sky high. I was feeling so good about getting a 76% on that civics test--after all, my score was so much higher than the average! Then it turned out I had one of the lowest scores of the WTMers. Blargh! So I'm very much enjoying this thread and patting myself on the back for just breaking my old Tuna Helper habit in the first place. Go me! :party:

 

I'm still... Cloth whatnow? Really? I thought I'd heard it all... Isn't that... Idk, :ack2::ack2: not so sanitary? The amount of bleach I would use would render them severely unhealthy. What about company? I have only recently begun to accept reusable feminine products as at least an option for some, and now poop stains?? Someone ELSE'S poop stains? :svengo:

 

I was adamant that I would use cloth diapers when dd was born. I even signed up for a service so I wouldn't get overwhelmed at first. That lasted precisely two months, at which point I decided that being covered in baby output from both ends was no longer the route I wanted to take.

 

So... Much... Leakage...

 

:lol::lol::lol: See, washing poopy diapers did not bother me in the least (though I may draw the line at my husband's poopy wipes--we just had a financial setback, so we'll see!). But I get most of my TP super cheap or free with coupons, so for now, we're all set, thanks!

 

Sounds like a good plan to me!

 

And then go visit one of those online fitness forums where everyone works out for 6 hours a day and they all eat right, all the time. It will be the perfect ending to the Perfect Loser Day. :tongue_smilie:

 

No, I draw the line there. I have no desire to work out that much or eat that healthfully. See? No problem!

[joannqn]

I should know better than to open these threads because I always feel totally inferior after I read them. Between working 24 hours a week and homeschooling, I have nothing left. I am trying to get better control over the house and for my family to eat better but I am reliant on Trader Joe's and Earth Fare. No bread baking anytime in the near future for me. :001_smile:

 

Everyone's life is so different. You can't compare yourself...really. I mean, I cook three meals a day, bake bread, make my own refried beans, etc. BUT I do not work. I don't know how you manage it. I certainly couldn't.

 

And some of these things take only a few minutes here and there. I happen to be home all day so I have plenty of few minute chunks of time throughout the day.

[Catwoman]

Or a "tuna helper" recipe! That would be awesome too.

 

Not a problem. I've got this one covered.

 

First, you go to the supermarket and look for a box marked, Tuna Helper... :D

 

I'm telling you, I'm on top of the world tonight. I answered a recipe question.

 

Now if only someone would ask about a recipe for Hamburger Helper; then I could be 2 for 2, all in one night.

 

A girl can dream. :tongue_smilie:

[LittleIzumi]

Wow! Um...are these for both "duties" in the bathroom? How do you manage that???? And the laundry?

 

Uh, pick up pretty wipe out of drawer/off stack, wipe, toss in bin instead of in toilet, flush, wash hands. ;) It goes in the same laundry bin as the cloth diapers. I have cloth pads for AF but I haven't had that in about two years due to pregnancy and nursing. It's not messy or anything. I mean, unless you have some sort of food issue that gives you the runs all the time or anything, there's not much to wipe.... (There is if you're wiping babies in diapers, but I'm a bit cleaner than that. :tongue_smilie:) I actually feel grosser using TP. It gets all wet, esp the thin kinds. Two layers of cloth means I don't have ANYTHING touching my fingers except cloth. It all gets washed together in hot water on my best cleaning cycle (whites on this machine). No worries.

 

I also make laundry detergent, but not often enough so I have Tide here for the meantimes.

[Ruby Rose]

Very inspiring thread. Here's mine.

 

Household:

 

Laundry detergent

Pillows, curtains, and home decor

Gifts

 

Food:

 

Cakes

Icing

Fondant

Bread

Cornbread

Dumplings

Cheesecake

Pies

Cookies

Brownies

Cupcakes

 

Kids:

 

Cloth diapers (when we were using diapers)

Cloth flannel wipes

Kids clothing: dresses, capris, shorts, rompers, Jon Jon's, etc.

 

Wanting to branch out more and do more from scratch, whole foods.

[Catwoman]

Uh, pick up pretty wipe out of drawer/off stack, wipe, toss in bin instead of in toilet, flush, wash hands. ;) It goes in the same laundry bin as the cloth diapers. I have cloth pads for AF but I haven't had that in about two years due to pregnancy and nursing. It's not messy or anything. I mean, unless you have some sort of food issue that gives you the runs all the time or anything, there's not much to wipe.... (There is if you're wiping babies in diapers, but I'm a bit cleaner than that. :tongue_smilie:) I actually feel grosser using TP. It gets all wet, esp the thin kinds. Two layers of cloth means I don't have ANYTHING touching my fingers except cloth. It all gets washed together in hot water on my best cleaning cycle (whites on this machine). No worries.

 

Thanks for the explanation. I was kind of wondering how it worked.

 

I'm also curious as to why you do it. Is it because it's better for the environment, or as a cost-saving thing, or is there another reason? (Because I would think it would be more expensive to keep running the washer and dryer than it would be to buy tp.)

 

I hope I'm not coming across as snarky -- I am genuinely interested. (I still won't try it, but this is pretty educational for me, because I've never known anyone who used washable tp.)

 

Thanks again! :001_smile:

[LittleIzumi]

Thanks for the explanation. I was kind of wondering how it worked.

 

I'm also curious as to why you do it. Is it because it's better for the environment, or as a cost-saving thing, or is there another reason? (Because I would think it would be more expensive to keep running the washer and dryer than it would be to buy tp.)

 

I hope I'm not coming across as snarky -- I am genuinely interested. (I still won't try it, but this is pretty educational for me, because I've never known anyone who used washable tp.)

 

Thanks again! :001_smile:

 

As we use cloth diapers, it made perfect sense to use cloth wipes as well, and then it just branched out from there. (Plus, we lost so. many. rolls. of TP to children dumping them in the toilet or pulling out long sections and using them to flood the toilet, etc. It was a huge relief to move to mostly cloth wipes instead.) There's no extra laundry as it goes in the cloth diaper laundry that must be done regardless. I'm not sure exactly how I'll wash them when we're done with cloth diapers, but as we're not done having children that won't be for a while.

 

Hubby keeps TP for himself to use behind the gate in the master bath, and he uses the cloth only when his runs out. He admits it's nice and works well, but it just weirds him out. :lol: With his TP use the only in the house, one pack of TP lasts six months at least, I'd say.

[emzhengjiu]

We use cloth wipes, but only for #1. We're a household of 3 females. Using wipes saves a lot of money. I was amazed at how much TP we were using. The wipes get washed with the towels, no extra work or ongoing cost.

 

Ann

[Colleen in NS]

This thread is totally re-inspiring me. I'm an Amy Dacyzyn fan, and yet I haven't really tried anything new in awhile.

 

 

I was going to try making marshmallows a few weeks ago!

And, I just put myself as 40th in line at the library for this book. Never heard of it before, but apparently it's popular right now.
 

Fondant

Fun! I made fondant for the first time ever last year! I made it for filling for homemade chocolates, and then I made some last fall for dd's birthday cake. It was so fun to colour it, flavour it, roll it out, and cut it into shapes. It was also just plain satisfying to see water, sugar, and 1/16 t. cream of tartar become such a fun and edible decorative item.