$0.04 each 79% savings save $83.20 yearly
With my husband's enormous medical school debt staring us in the face, a miniscule resident's income, three
So, I've
become more proactive about finding ways I can help
stretch our family dollars. And, I discovered something: If you want super
"stretchy" dollars, one of the best things you can do is make your own food!
Not only is eating homemade economical, you eliminate much of the additives, preservatives, and other chemical mumbo-jumbo found in processed and pre-packaged food.
Not only is eating homemade economical, you eliminate much of the additives, preservatives, and other chemical mumbo-jumbo found in processed and pre-packaged food.
Lesson: Eating homemade is good for your body and your wallet.
Case
in point: Pancakes.
Homemade
pancakes cost pennies. Literally. Want to save money? Make your own pancakes.
I have a few pancake recipes I use, and this one is the plain-jane simple one. I use it because it's quick, cost-effective, and easy to remember. As an added bonus, these homemade pancakes, though very simple, are DELICIOUS... unlike the
uniformly brown disks you'll find in the frozen food section, or the magical
"just add water" boxed powder variety.
When
I make these, I tend to triple or quadruple the recipe so that I can throw some
in the freezer for quick breakfasts and snacks later on. I think it's important
to note that when these pancakes are thawed, they do NOT resemble their rubbery
frozen food section counter-parts. These pancakes remain tasty.
(Hooray!!)
There's a lot to love about these pancakes apart from their cost-effectiveness; one being that I love, love, love that this recipe is easy to remember. Check it out, and you'll see what I mean. (p.s. try not to judge them by the photos... I'm no photographer... obviously.)
*yields
12 pancakes
(Note: When tripling this
recipe or more, I use a little less salt. Also, I buy and grind
my own bulk wheat to make these healthier and even cheaper. However, not
everyone has access to a wheat grinder, and buying bagged whole wheat flour
from the store can be a lot more expensive than the white all-purpose flour.)
INGREDIENTS
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
DIRECTIONS
In
a medium-sized bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
Add milk, oil, and beaten egg. Mix ingredients until well incorporated, and
batter is smooth (no lumps).
Preheat
and lightly grease (I didn't grease and had no problems) a griddle or skillet
on medium-low heat. Using a measuring cup, pour slightly less than 1/4 cup of batter
onto the skillet to form each pancake. When the pancakes begins to bubble and
the edges start to look dry, flip them over and cook the other side. Remove the
pancakes from the skillet and serve warm. Top as desired. (Freezes really well)
~ The Savings ~
Cost Breakdown:
1 dozen large eggs - $1.79 = $0.15/egg = $0.15
1 gallon vegetable oil – $6.78 = 256 T = $0.026/T = $0.026
25
lb all-purpose flour - $6.78 = 94.5 cups = $0.071/cup = $0.071
12 oz baking powder – $1.69 = 70.875tsp = $0.024/tsp =
$0.072
10 lb sugar - $5.58 = 378 T = $0.015/T. = $0.015
26 oz. salt – $.42 = 122.75 tsp = $0.003/tsp = $0.002
1 gallon milk - $2.99 = 16 cups = $0.187/cup = $0.187
Total recipe cost = $0.54
Per pancake = $0.04
The Contender:
Kellogg's Eggo Buttermilk Pancakes (frozen)= $2.62
Per pancake = $0.22
Savings: 79%
"Over a Year" Scenario:
make Perfect Pancakes 40 times = $21.60
buy Kellogg's Eggo Buttermilk Pancakes 40 times = $104.80
*Money saved annually: $83.20
We only do homemade pancakes, too. I like the allrecipes "Homemade Pancake Mix" recipe because I can mix all the dry ingred, put them in a bag and pull out what I need when I need it. I'll bet you could do something similar with this recipe.
ReplyDeleteYou're totally right! I'm all about pre-made dry mixes. I do that with my tortilla mix. (I'll have to post about tortillas later...)
ReplyDeleteThank you for the idea of freezing these!! I quadrupled the first batch (did 1/2 whole wheat flour) added some chocolate chips. ummm...very few made it to the freezer. Now I did this recipe x6, ready for round 2! I also usually do a homemade mix, but these my kids can heat up themselves.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you like them! I'll have to try adding the chocolate chips. :)
DeleteFor this recipe to you use all whole wheat flour or half and half? PS We made your baked oven fries today - YUM! And, you inspired me to make my own baby food, which I have been wanting/planning to do with each baby, and never did, so thanks! I even bought that silicone muffin pan! I've done peas and sweet potatoes so far. More to come soon! So, thank you, thank you!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you liked the fries! They're a favorite. :) This recipe is versatile, and I've used all white flour, half-and half, all whole wheat... I've even subbed in some ground flax or wheat germ for part of the flour from time to time when I want to throw in a healthier kick. Whatever you decide to use, they will turn out fine. I almost always use all whole wheat that I grind myself, simply because it's cheaper for me to do it that way, and healthier.
DeleteMy dad is a doctor and I remember going through this very same thing too when I was little. But I didn't really realize it until I got older ;) You will survive the next few years! But I LOVE your blog. As a college student, it's amazing. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI just made these & followed the directions exactly; only I used canola oil instead of vegetable oil. They are delicious... not as "fluffy" as Bisquick but light, airy, and very tasty. I'd definitely make this recipe again. I can't wait to make more and freeze them!
ReplyDeleteI suggest subbing some nut meal for part of the flour as an additional option. An inexpensive coffee grinder works well at grinding nuts fine enough. Larger pieces of nuts can be added to the batter as well for a texture difference.
ReplyDeleteHmmm... sounds good! I've never tried it with nut meal before. Thanks for the tip!
DeleteWhere did you get your wheat grinder/ wheat? I have been wanting to start but unsure where to get the supplies
ReplyDeleteMy grinder is actually a VERY old model that my wonderful mother-in-law gave to me. It has served me well, but it's about to die... I'm on the hunt for a new one, and Amazon has all the grinder models you could hope to find and the prices are as good as anywhere else, so that's where I'll be getting my new one in the future. I'm still undecided on the model... seriously considering the Wondermill Grain Mill because of it's lifetime warranty.
DeleteAs far as the wheat goes, I get mine from the LDS Bishop's Storehouse (not common everywhere), because it's the cheapest place to get it. Or, you could get it online at store.lds.org by entering "wheat" in the search catalog section at the top of the page. They have hard red wheat and hard white wheat packaged in 6 large durable cans (33 lbs), for $28 or $30 and it ships free.
If you can find it in a bulk bag in a store, that will be cheaper... I'm just not sure if any regular store carry it.
I hope this helps!
Any tips on the actual grinding process? I've been considering taking up my own wheat grinding, too. :)
DeleteI'd be happy to give tips... can you clarify what you mean by the wheat grinding process and what you want to know? With a grinder it's pretty much just pour in the wheat, flip the switch, and let the grinder do it's thing. :)
DeleteSounds yummy! Do you just heat the frozen ones up in the microwave? Just curious how to avoid the "rubbery feel" that thawed pancakes can have.
ReplyDeleteLove, Love, Love your blog!!
Hi Mindy!
DeleteTo be honest, when I'm in a rush I just microwave them and they are on the floppy side. But, when I'm not so rushed, I microwave them just a little then pop them in the toaster for a bit. Works perfectly!
These pancakes are our new go-to. We've just recently been making the switch from all purpose to whole wheat flour. If I go w/ ww,do I just need to add slightly more milk? Thanks again for sharing! LOVE your blog and recipes. Heading off to make our pizza dough for lunch now.
ReplyDeleteIt's totally up to you. :) You can follow the recipe as is with all ww flour, and you'll have a slightly thicker/more dense pancake... or you can add a little more milk or use slightly less flour than is called for if you want them to turn out more like the all-purpose flour version.
DeleteWhen making whole wheat pancakes, more baking powder is needed to help 'lift' them and make them light. Rule of thumb: can use w.w. flour up to half exchange for white flour in most recipes without adjusting the lifting agent [ baking powder/yeast/baking soda ]
DeleteMy family loves this recipe! I sometimes substitute buttermilk for the milk and it is super yummy. Very moist.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your awesome recipes! I am currently living in Finland, and everything over here cost an arm and a leg, and isn't that tasty. These recipes are delicious and cheap!!! Just finished making these pancakes. Added 3/4 tsp of cinnamon to the batter and WOW. Thank You!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE this recipe & so does my family! Anybody know how I could make this into a waffle? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWant to try these, however, our children are dairy free. Will they be the same if we switch from reg milk to coconut milk.
ReplyDeleteCoconut milk will work... but there will be some differences. The main one being that they'll taste a bit like coconut. But yes, they will turn out fine. :) Good luck!
DeleteThis has to be the best recipe I've tried so far and I've tried a lot! So easy and I have frozen a batch too.Being from the UK but living in South Africa this style of pancake has so many names; the Brits call them drop scones and the Saffers call them flap jacks, but in our house they're breakfast pancakes. Thank You for a great recipe and please keep blogging.
ReplyDeleteIf you're willing to spare a few more pennies could you do some substitutions? For example we don't really drink cows milk, we alternate between, almond, hemp, and coconut depending upon which one is on sale. Also, I buy large tubs of coconut oil, rarely vegetable oil...would that swap work do you think? And last but not least, I prefer to use anything but white sugar, so....stevia powder or maple syrup or honey or agave nectar. Could I sub that as well?
ReplyDeleteYou can use whatever milk you want, and the coconut oil should work if you melt it first. Same goes for the sugar. Use what works for you. :)
DeleteAlso, how long will these last in the freezer? I'm working on not letting things go way to long in there. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi Shannon. We generally use our frozen pancakes within a month, but they should be good for 3-4 months. :)
DeleteCan you tell me what flour you bought on Amazon for $6.78 for a 25 lb bag?? I've been looking and can't find one! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteIt was from Walmart. That was 2 years ago, and today, the price is $7.98 (Great Value), and at Sam's Club it's $7.64 (Bakers and Chefs). I looked on Amazon for you, but the prices are significantly higher. If you are wanting to ship it to your door instead of driving to a store, consider making a $50+ purchase from walmart to get their free shipping. You can just buy things you would need anyway, like garbage bags, soap, etc. Hope this helps.
Delete