How our Auckland family saves $8,500 per year with gardening and cooking from scratch.
For years, I never set out to “save money.” My goal was to eat better, reduce waste, learn traditional skills and create a slower, simpler way of living.
Over time, those small changes began connecting together.
I learned to make kombucha and kefir first, next how to bake sourdough bread. Then I started making yoghurt. I grew tomatoes, then turned them into passata. Kitchen scraps became compost, compost fed the garden, herbs dried naturally, seeds were saved for the following season, surplus vegetables were preserved, and leftovers became broth instead of ending up in the bin.
None of it happened overnight. Each new skill was added gradually, spreading the cost over several years until it became a complete household food system.
When I finally sat down and calculated what these systems were replacing at supermarket prices, I was genuinely surprised.
This isn’t an exact accounting exercise. It’s a conservative estimate based on what our family actually uses and what equivalent products would cost to replace.
Our Home Food System
Bread System
A few basic dough recipes allows us to make:
- Sandwich bread
- Sourdough loaves
- Bagels
- English muffins
- Burger buns
- Hotdog buns
- Pizza bases
- Tortillas and wraps
Instead of buying a different product for every meal, these doughs cover almost everything.
Estimated annual saving: $805
Dairy & Fermented Milk
We make:
- Homemade yoghurt
- Milk kefir
Using milk and starter cultures that continually reproduce.
Estimated annual saving: $573
Drinks
Rather than buying specialty drinks, we make:
- Kombucha
- Matcha lattes
- Chai concentrate
- Ginger beer
- Homemade Milo
These have become some of the biggest savings in our kitchen.
Estimated annual saving: $1,960
Pantry System
Instead of purchasing individual products, we keep a well-stocked pantry of core ingredients.
From these basics we make:
- Pasta sauces
- Pizza sauce
- Stir-fry sauces
- Curry sauces
- Marinades
- Mayonnaise
- Salad dressings
- Burger sauces
- Spice blends
- Recipe sauces
- Passata
One pantry replaces an entire supermarket aisle.
Estimated annual saving: $330
Garden
We grow:
- Tomatoes
- Cucumbers
- Capsicums
- Chillies
- Carrots
- Baby spinach
- Lettuce
- Herbs
- Garlic
- Onions
- Spring onions
- Courgettes
- Broccoli
- Beans
- Silverbeet
- Potatoes
- Pumpkins
- Radishes
- Blueberries
- Lemons
We freeze surplus produce, make passata, preserve vegetables and save seeds for future seasons.
Annual garden costs remain very low because we compost, save seed, replant garlic cloves and grow seasonally.
Estimated annual net value replaced: $1,200
Preserving & Fermenting
We regularly make:
- Sauerkraut
- Pickles
- Jam
- Chutneys
- Fruit preserves
- Bone broth
These replace expensive supermarket equivalents while also reducing waste.
Estimated annual saving: $409
Meat Strategy
Instead of buying meat week by week, we purchase a frozen mystery meat box from Paddock to Pantry every fortnight that comes to us directly from the farmers.
Buying this way lowers the average price per kilogram while giving us a variety of cuts and since we store in the chest freezer ahead of time it’s easy to plan our meals ahead with what we have and just replace stock as we go.
If I see a really good special at the butcher or supermarket I’ll stock up on those items then freeze them which means I never pay full price for meats.
Estimated annual saving: $450
Homemade Baking
Instead of buying sweet treats I bake the following throughout the year.
- Cookies
- Slices
- Cakes
- Treats
Estimated annual saving: $100
Household
We also use reusable products where practical.
For example:
- Menstrual cup
- Plastic free safety razors (only need to replace the metal blade which is very affordable)
- Reusable washable makeup pads
- Spray concentrate refills for cleaning
Estimated annual saving: $300
Estimated Annual Home Production Value
Category
Estimated Annual Saving
Garden
$1,200
Drinks
$1,960
Bread System
$805
Dairy & Ferments
$573
Meat Strategy
$450
Pantry System
$330
Preserves & Ferments
$409
Homemade Baking
$100
Household Reusables
$140
Estimated Annual Home Production Total
Approximately $5,800 per year
Takeaways We No Longer Buy
These savings are separate because they compare complete meals prepared at home with takeaway or café equivalents.
Meal
Estimated Annual Saving
Homemade Pizza Night
$462
Homemade Burger Night
$444
Homemade Fish & Chips
$456
Homemade Chinese Stir Fry
$432
Homemade Café Brunches
$912
Estimated Meal Replacement Value
Approximately $2,700 per year
Estimated Total Household Value Replaced
Home Production
~$5,800/year
Takeaway & Café Replacement
~$2,700/year
Total Estimated Value
Approximately $8,500 per year
The Systems That Make It Possible
Not everything can be measured in dollars.
These habits don’t have their own savings category because they’re already built into the figures above, but they’re the reason our annual costs stay so low.
- Composting
- Seed saving
- Replanting garlic cloves
- Seasonal eating
- Freezing surplus produce
- Buying meat at special prices
- Preserving harvests
- Making broth from leftovers
- Reducing food waste
- Building a pantry over time rather than all at once
These systems support each other.
The garden feeds the kitchen.
Kitchen scraps become compost.
Compost feeds the garden.
Garden produce becomes sauces, ferments and preserves.
A well-stocked pantry turns simple ingredients into dozens of different meals.
The savings aren’t the result of one big change. They’re the result of many small habits seamlessly working together.
It’s Not About Spending Less. It’s About Spending intentionally.
When people hear “cooking from scratch” or “slow living,” they often imagine sacrificing quality to save money. Our experience has been the opposite.
The goal was never simply to reduce our grocery bill. It started with wanting to eat better, waste less and understand where our food came from and what was in it. Over time, we realised that by making more things ourselves, we could actually afford to buy better quality ingredients.
Today, many of the foods we buy are intentionally chosen. Our eggs come fresh from a local farm. We buy organic raw milk, organic pantry staples in bulk where it makes sense, and spray-free avocados through a local subscription so we’re not paying inflated supermarket prices over winter. Much of our meat is grass-fed, free-range and sourced through a bulk meat box that gives us excellent quality without paying premium supermarket prices.
We’re not a perfectly organic household, nor do we believe you have to be. Instead, we’ve become much more conscious about where our food comes from and where we choose to spend our grocery budget.
Yes, shopping this way often requires a little more planning. Making yoghurt takes longer than picking up a tub at the supermarket. Baking bread isn’t as convenient as grabbing a loaf on the way home. Growing vegetables means waiting for the seasons instead of expecting every fruit and vegetable to be available year-round.
But we’ve found that convenience almost always has a price. Sometimes it’s financial. Sometimes it’s nutritional. Sometimes it’s the amount of packaging we bring home or how disconnected we become from the food we’re eating.
By slowing down, building these skills gradually, and creating a system that flows naturally we’ve been able to eat fresher food, reduce waste, support local growers and still spend less overall than we once did relying on convenience foods and supermarket shortcuts while at the same time not feeling tied to the kitchen. You can read more about how to do this here.
For us, that’s what slow living really means. Not doing everything yourself, but becoming a little more intentional about the things that matter most.
Final Thoughts
This isn’t about trying to make everything yourself or never buying convenience foods. It’s about building practical skills over time.
We still use the supermarket for some basics, we still have the odd meal out or the odd takeaway night but it’s not part of our weekly routine.
We didn’t buy everything in our kitchen at once. We didn’t learn everything in a year. Each new skill was added slowly until it became part of everyday life.
The financial savings have been significant, but perhaps the biggest benefit is knowing we have a resilient household food system that lets us eat well, waste less and rely less on supermarket convenience.
If this inspires someone to start with just one thing whether that’s baking bread, planting tomatoes or making yoghurt then that’s a wonderful place to begin.
As always, please feel free to reach out or leave a comment below. If you want to also start your own from scratch kitchen then you can grab my free From Scratch Checklist to get you started.
Love Jas xx
