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I spent $11.47 on three items at the grocery store yesterday, including a $6.29 tub of hummus. Arg! Some foods are so expensive. I vowed to reconsider making my own hummus, which I eat a ton of. But food processors are also expensive (and I abhor cleaning all those parts) so I’m skeptical that making it myself is actually cheaper.
How does the cost break down over one year?
Store bought hummus costs $6.29 per week = $327.08 per year.
Homemade hummus = chickpeas ($1.19 bag) + olive oil (approx. $.87 worth) + lemons (approx $.35 each) + garlic (approx. $.15 worth) + sesame oil (approx. $.05 worth) + spices (approx. $.15 worth) = $2.76 for one batch = $143.52 per year + the cost of the food processor, which I’m willing to spend $60 on. (That should get me a pretty hefty processor at Macy’s, where they are on sale by 40% off today.)
That brings the total cost of homemade hummus for one year to $203.52. I’m going to get myself a food processor!!!!
As for the time it takes, I consider both options equal. I have to go to a special store to get hummus, which takes me a good 30 minutes. If I make a double batch of hummus every other week, it will take me an hour.
Here is my friend Kristin’s delicious hummus recipe that I based the costs on.
2 – 15 oz cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed (I buy them dry and follow directions on the bag)
1/2 c extra virgin olive oil, or more as needed
juice of 1/2 a lemon
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 t salt
1/2 dark Asian sesame oil
1 t ground cumin
1/4 t Cayenne pepper
12-15 grinds black pepper
How do you make hummus? I know there are a lot of variations out there.
UPDATE: Readers shared lots of tips and recipe suggestions.
Laura said:
Yes, I agree to make your own. I’d go for the Cuisinart processor, get the basic model with the bar on the bottom.Also, the sesame paste is a key ingredient–you can get it at Cambridge Farms Market on the NE corner of Whitsett and Burbank Blvd. in N. Hollywood. You can cut a bit of the oil if you want and add a spoon or two of water to get the right consistency.
BRB said:
just started making my own hummus and falafel, we had never really eaten either before, but with the food processor it is so cheap and easy it really is ridiculous what they charge for it. I add curry to mine for a really great curried hummus.
Monica said:
We only make hummus at home and LOVE IT! We do buy the canned chickpeas to save the time of cooking them. We have found a new hummus jalapeno recipe that is amazing! A food processor is a must in our kitchen, I make our kids baby food and typically drain the processor in around 12 months from purchase time. Any recommendation on a great food processor that can handle daily use?
Audry suggested I check Tuesday Morning before running out to Macy’s and Tommy said Walmart has processors for $50. Christine recommended the Healthmaster Blender, which is pricey at $200 but apparently is easy to clean and has many other functions. Many readers suggested I buy hummus from Trader Joe’s, which is cheaper than my local grocery store.
meddygarnet/Flickr
There was a cool story about doing home improvement on your own versus hiring someone in the latest Real Simple (April). The story was strangely skewed toward hiring someone to do the job, however, and missed the benefits of doing projects yourself.
First, the story says, consider three factors before making a decision.
1. Peer pressure. Whatever your family and friends do, you are more likely to do. So if everyone you know colors their hair at home, you will feel pressure to eschew the salon. Similarly, if your family has always hired contractors instead of doing it yourself (DIY), you’ll probably hire, too. Follow your gut and make the decision that is right for you, regardless.
2. Your positive attitude. People assume their DIY project will go well but often underestimate the time and skill it takes.
3. Your perspective on your free time. People believe they have more time than they really do. (What??? I don’t know anyone whose schedule isn’t jam packed.) We have a hard time measuring time and “are willing to take more risks with it” than we are with money, the story says.
Then Real Simple suggests you answer four questions. Can I realistically pull this project off? (i.e. learn the required skills?) What kind of time commitment is really involved? (Double estimates from a contractor.) How much will this task cost to complete myself? (Supplies + calculate your hourly rate.) And lastly, how much will I really enjoy the process?
I wager that doing home improvement projects yourself (which is a lot like growing your own food) has many benefits that the story missed…
1. The enjoyment of learning how to do something challenging that you didn’t think you were capable of.
2. The money saved over time from learning new skills. Snake a toilet once, and you’ll never fork over $200 to a plumber again.
3. The confidence from pulling a project off. What an accomplishment!
An important part of the DIY v. hire debate is determining how much your time is worth. See the post below to calculate your hourly rate!
My grandmother could copy a pattern from a dress she tried on in the store and she sewed many of her children’s clothes. The sewing gene skipped my mother (by forceable choice) and landed in me. At least, it tried to.
Two months ago I decided to make my own curtains as part of a project to re-decorate my bedroom. When a coupon for 50 percent off at Jo-Anns fabric store landed in my inbox, I was raring to go. I even had a few dollars on a gift card to apply.
I arrived at the store and was delighted to see nearly everything was on sale by 40 – 50 percent off. I could save my coupon for a regular-priced bolt of material and get other items at a steep discount, too.
I carefully searched the aisles of fabric for the perfect material and discovered wonderful terry cloth for towels that you can buy at a fraction of what the finished product costs at Macy’s or Target. Bath sheets for $5.99 a yard? Sign me up! I also spotted fuzzy flannel for $4.99 a yard. New sheets in no time!
Then I came upon the most steeply marked down fabrics in the store: the discount rack. Some of the material was down right fugly, other pieces were damaged. One bolt was irresistible. For $12.50 (orig. $24.99), I could buy one yard of heaven – a cream-colored piece of suede-lined, fuzzy sherpa goodness. My plan was to turn the material into two pillow coverings. (Pillow insides were 50 percent off, sealing the deal).
I purchased the sherpa material along with 11 yards of brown suede (40 percent off) to make curtains. I ran out of brown thread shortly after starting the curtains so I turned my attention to the pillows. I made as few cuts as possible (reducing my chances of error) and got to work sewing a cozy three-sided enclosure for my pillow, top. On the fourth side I sewed on three buttons, above right (simpler than a zipper, I reasoned).
The material was difficult to work with because it is very thick and the fuzz got caught in the string many times. I didn’t run out of thread, but I did run out of time so the project stretched from Friday night to Sunday afternoon. Overall I spent $25.50 (and forgot to use my gift card 
) to buy two pillows and the pillow cover material. I devoted five hours over three days to completing one pillow.
A waste of time? Me thinks not. The process was very entertaining and I renewed my appreciation for sewers, quilters, and knitters. As for making towels and sheets? I may just wait for a great sale at Target.
Sewing lessons:
- Measure thrice, cut once
- If you don’t have pins to hold material in place, needles will do
- You can undo a lot of stitches, but it’s a total pain in the a**
- Sewing straight lines is actually very difficult
- Lumps mean it was made with love
