letsmake.cheap
Groceries
When generics actually win, when bulk pays off, and when the freezer earns its electricity. Shopping articles grounded in real per-unit math, not coupon culture.
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.
Store-brand vs name-brand: when generics actually win
A two-person household running mostly generics on staples — paper goods, pantry basics, dairy — saves about $480 a year over name-brand equivalents without giving anything up. Some categories are still worth the brand. Here is the line, with the math.
How much you save by making coffee at home
Two daily lattes from a coffee shop run about $1,800 a year. The same drinks at home, with decent beans and a basic espresso setup, run about $600 — a $1,200 swing. Here is the math, including how fast the gear pays itself back.
Also in Drinks
Batch cooking beans for a month
A pound of dry beans costs about $2 and yields what would cost $9 in cans at the grocery store. Cooking once a month and freezing the result in two-cup portions saves a household about $220 a year, plus you get the not-cooking-tonight insurance whenever you need it.
Also in Cooking