letsmake.cheap
DIY vs buy
Detergent, candles, bread, yogurt, cold brew — what's worth making and what's a Pinterest-fueled waste of an afternoon.
Cold brew concentrate at home
A 32 oz bottle of cold brew concentrate runs about $9 at the grocery store. The same volume from $14-a-pound beans, made overnight in a mason jar, runs about $1.80. A summer-long iced coffee habit moved home saves about $350 a year, with no equipment beyond a jar and a strainer.
Homemade laundry detergent: the math
A basic powdered laundry detergent (washing soda, borax, grated bar soap) costs about $0.05 a load versus $0.20 for a name-brand pod. Over 250 loads a year, that is about $90 saved — and the recipe takes 10 minutes to mix and lasts six months.
Bulk math: when Costco actually saves you money
A Costco membership pays for itself if you'll spend about $1,000 a year there at a 6% effective discount versus alternatives — about $360 saved net of the $65 fee. Whether you'll actually hit that number depends entirely on what you put in the cart.
Also in Groceries