Make more, spend less: Homemade alternatives for everyday groceries
Batch-making everyday kitchen staples at home can unlock surprising savings without requiring expensive equipment or culinary training.
When Vanderbijlpark resident Mandi Eloff married her best friend, she was excited about building a home together. There was just one little problem: They both loved food, but their grocery budget wasn’t quite as enthusiastic.
“In our first few months of marriage, we basically made the same three meals on repeat!” she laughs.
Wanting to learn how to cook proper meals, Eloff turned to cookbooks, only to discover that many of the ingredients were surprisingly expensive at her local supermarket.
She found herself asking a question many South African households can relate to: ‘How do you cook interesting meals without spending a fortune on groceries?’
Rather than giving up on her culinary ambitions, Eloff started looking for alternatives. A little research on Google and social media opened up a whole new world of possibilities, and she was pleasantly surprised by just how easy many homemade alternatives could be.
Her first attempt was cottage cheese, although she soon discovered that what she’d actually made was cream cheese.
A little less shopping, a little more making
From tortilla wraps and cream cheese to granola, mayonnaise, basil pesto, chicken stock, rusks, puddings and even peanut butter, Eloff has discovered that there’s very little you can’t make yourself.
And it’s not just about the satisfaction of creating something from scratch.
Making certain staples at home can be more affordable, particularly when you prepare them in bulk. You also have more control over the ingredients going into your food.
Some of her biggest savings have come from everyday essentials such as homemade granola, yoghurt, cottage cheese and sauces.
“Most things work out cheaper because you usually make them in bulk, which means you get more for your money and they last longer,” she says.
The savings might not seem huge when looking at one item at a time, but they can add up over weeks and months.
For Eloff and her husband, that means a little more breathing room in the budget for the things they enjoy, whether it’s going on dates, having extra petrol money for trips or experimenting with recipes that require a few more ingredients.
3 easy places to start
For anyone feeling inspired to try their hand at homemade groceries, Eloff recommends starting with three everyday favourites: Cottage cheese, yoghurt and granola.
Her homemade granola is particularly easy to prepare in an air fryer, making it a great starting point for anyone who doesn’t want to spend hours in the kitchen.
She’s also sharing her recipes through a social media series called From Scratch, For Less, where she takes everyday grocery staples back to basics and shows people how to make them at home for less.
Don’t worry if your kitchen isn’t stocked with fancy gadgets. “As long as you have a pot, a stove (or air fryer) and something to mix with, you’re basically set,” she says.
Make it work for your household
While Eloff is enthusiastic about homemade alternatives, she is also realistic about the demands of everyday life.
Her advice is to do your research, compare the costs and consider how much time a recipe will take. Many homemade staples can be prepared in under an hour and make enough to last several meals.
The trick is to decide whether making something yourself will genuinely make life easier and save money. If it doesn’t, buy it when it’s on special and move on! Her philosophy is simple: A little creativity, a few homemade staples and a whole lot of enthusiasm. “We eat lekker in the Eloff house!”
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