What Is The Real Food Preservation Cost Of Getting Started?

If you’re interested in preserving your own food because you feel like it saves money in the long run, it’s time to answer a very important question about food preservation costs. “Is it worth it to preserve my own food?” A very “yes” or “no” sort of a question, with a very not so “yes” or “no” sort of answer. But in the end, it’s definitely helpful to weigh the initial expenses, long-term savings & the value it brings to your pantry.

Besides food preservation costs, it’s worth learning this kitchen & food-related skillset. The reasons range from reducing food waste, eating more locally & seasonally & just feeling proud & confident in the food comin’ out your kitchen.

Upfront Costs of Food Preservation

Getting started with preserving your own food does have some initial expenses.
Not surprising right? (I hope not anyway.) 
And btw, there’s a lottttt of ways you can preserve food at home. This blog post actually identifies estimated costs associated with each too. 😉

The most common upfront food preservation costs include equipment like canning jars & maybe a pressure canner. or other basic tools. Most of these things are generally reusable which is great because then you can spread out their cost over several seasons. Definitely think they’re a worthwhile investment if you plan to preserve regularly, which you’ll get to even if that’s not how you feel initially. Trust. 

Extra large mixing bowls or stainless steel ones are handy too. As are smaller things like thermometers or scales. You might even opt for a skill-specific class or at least a few books or other resources which could cost. 

In addition to these very legit tools, you’ll also need supplies like ForJars canning lids/rings, salt, sugar, vinegar or oils. Not to mention the actual food itself or fresh produce. Purchase as many of these items in bulk, particularly in-season fruits and vegetables, to significantly reduce the cost per unit. That not only decreases your food preservation costs, but in the course of time, it  makes preserving foods more affordable than store-bought alternatives. (In both the waist & the wallet, hello!) 

Just remember that once you’re set up, the ongoing supply costs are minimal & well worth the price for homemade quality.

Hidden Savings & Long-Term Cost Benefits

One of the greatest financial benefits of home preservation comes from the opportunity to buy in bulk & store seasonal produce. Now wait – because I’m talking to the girl who’s not growing her own produce atm. While you might think growing your own food is “free”, there’s costs associated with that too like supplements or seeds, gardening tools & whatnot. And you might end up having to buy what you can’t/didn’t produce too.

Either way, whenever you preserve food at its peak, you lock in lower per-unit costs. Costs that predictably rise out of season. This means you get high-quality fruits & veggies for a fraction of the price they’d cost in the off-season. 

Another financial benefit of preserving is that unwanted leftover produce (or meals) don’t have to die! They can be preserved one way or another instead of going to waste. This alone is putting dollars back into your grocery budget.

And as I alluded to already, preserving has the added benefit of being healthier. How’s that impacting your food preservation costs? Since you control the ingredients & quality of your preserved foods, you won’t be filling your body with as many preservatives or other junk you can’t pronounce or understand. Let alone want. This decrease in toxic stuff means you might be able to keep from running to the pharmacy section for _________ (insert common OTC here). Your doctor & dentist might even see you less (or have less reason to push things on you). 

Cost Comparison: Home Preservation vs. Store-Bought

What’s better for this convo than a real-life scenario yeah? 

When you compare the per-unit costs of homemade preserves to store-bought items, the savings often become clear. The caveat though is this is after the initial investment in materials. 

A jar of homemade jam or pickles, made from seasonal produce, can cost significantly less than the price of commercial options. Sometimes by dollars. Plus, you’re gaining a cleaner ingredient list, like come on!! Who doesn’t want that?!

But preserving food at home also benefits the environment since you reduce packaging waste & cut down on the carbon footprint associated with transporting food. (Lil tidbits I picked up in Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Great read, btw.)

Here’s a direct cross-analysis of something we use alot. Tomato sauce, specifically marinara sauce because I’ve been using that this year & it works great.

What you see is that to buy the sauce we really like at normal price is $7.49/jar but to buy the pre-made items to make the sauce myself is $7.80/jar. Slightly more expensive.
If I skip pre-made & buy all fresh (preferably local) ingredients in season to capitalize on bulk (which I so wanna do next year), it would cost me $7.08/jar.

Now my numbers account for buying 24 ounce jars from Azure Standard because that’s the amount I’ve been using really well. And I only have a handful of this size & those were thrifted. Buying new jars is an investment & I generally pay no more than $1/jar (even thrifting). So this price excites me because it’s not a common size jar to find thrifting.

Over time, cost of jars is negligible as they’re reused over & over again. However, single-use lids (my favorites are ForJars canning lids) aren’t recommended to be reused (though I have before) so I always factor them in.

Other things that could be a non-factor include buying bulk spices/seasonings & oils & vinegar(s). Doing so would decrease your food preservation costs too, especially as you begin preserving a lot more!

But what’s the time trade-off?

Because that’s unavoidable either way. Either you’re buying conventional with an ingredient/nutrient panel you may or may not be OK with at a price you don’t exactly like.
OR you’re making it yourself but still outsourcing some ingredients you’d rather you didn’t.
ORRRR you’re absolutely making it all from scratch but it’s adding time to your session.

In my example, it takes little to no time to buy marinara sauce from the store, bring it home & shelve it. Log it in my inventory.
Preserving it using pre-packaged items like canned tomatoes, peeled garlic & maybe chopped onions would save me quite a bit of time. Still taking the same amount once made to process in a canner.
Preserving a years’ worth of marinara sauce from total scratch would add several hours to my canning session for the prep of the tomatoes alone.

Spoiler alert: if you’re already thinking “How much time should I set aside for preserving food?” I’ve answered that question in this blogpost on the time commitment for preserving.

 What trade-off are you cool with? What priorities do you have when it comes to your food?
And btw, the marinara sauce we’ve been loving is Little Italy In The Bronx & this is a recipe I found for it online that I based these calculations off of (plus local prices in the store). Marinara recipe

Budget-Friendly Tips for Reducing Food Preservation Costs

I don’t want this to discourage you from getting started preserving your own food. So here’s a few tips to get started without such high food preservation costs:

1. Start Small: Test the waters with simple, low-cost methods like freezing berries or dehydrating herbs in the oven. Practice without the pressure is what you’re going for. You can absolutely skip the specialized equipment (using straws to remove air from freezer bags or an oven to dehydrate) at least in the beginning. Remember, the trade off is unavoidable. Freezing without a complete airtight environment risks freezer burn. Dehydrating in an oven risks burning.
2. Borrow or Buy Used Equipment: Many online communities have canning clubs or groups where you can borrow equipment. Find one in your area! Alternatively, try finding affordable second hand tools at local thrift stores or online marketplaces. Girl, it’s a come up like no other & I should know. A good bit of my specialized pieces come from thrift stores. (Cash in their holiday half-off day deals!)
3. Preserve with Friends or Family: Get together with a friend or family member to share supplies, ingredients & even equipment. Batch preserving with a group can reduce costs while adding a fun social element to the process. And in the end is there really anything better than good food & great company? Nahhhh.

Key Take-Aways

Is it worth it to preserve my own food at home? For many households, the answer is yes even if it’s not for a financial advantage in the beginning. Plan ahead, preserve seasonally & invest in reusable equipment first. That drastically reduces the food preservation costs you can expect.

And don’t forget that preserving our own food is more than just for financial benefits. It’s a valuable life skill you can pass down in your family. You can easily build up traditions around this sort of kitchen activity. So go ‘head, girl. Stock that pantry with some high-quality ingredients & meals you made yourself.

🌱 Start Small. Start Now. Start where you are with what you have. The rest will follow. 🌱