Pudding on the Cheap

For a while now, I've thought about comparing the cost of ready-made pudding versus the cost of made-from-a-box pudding. Today I finally did it. I have been saving several pudding cups for a long time for just this purpose.

Let's use the Kroger brand pudding cups as our ready-made price basis. Those are $0.91 for 4 cups at regular price. (this cost comparison is slightly off, since I'm not sure what the sale price for the ready-made pudding is.)

Cost from a mix:
1 Kroger instant chocolate pudding 5.85oz box = $0.69 on sale
+
3 cups milk = $0.47 (based on $2.50/gal)
_____________
$1.16 for 8 pudding cups

It costs $0.58 for 4 pudding cups from a mix. The ready made version costs $0.91 for 4, so with a little bit of work, you have a savings of $0.33 per 4-pack.

Not a whole lot of savings if you occasionally eat pudding cups, but if you go through one 4-pack per week, by making your own you would save approximately $17.16 per year. Think of all the things you can buy with $17.16!