Homemade Freezer PBJs vs. Store-Bought Uncrustables

How to make homemade freezer peanut butter & jelly sandwiches – save time and money in the back to school season!

During a recent livestream video, I kept having this thought flash through – I need to do a cost comparison of making these yourself vs. buying them in the store. Yes, you have to weigh cost and convenience…but this one is one where cost wins out. (IMO.)

Because you can re-create the same convenience in very little time…especially if you get your kids to help. Here is a time and cost breakdown of making your own PBJs.

Time and Sandwiches Total

Total # sandwiches made: 34

Total time to make: 20 minutes

This could have been cut in half if I had the boys helping to bag the sandwiches. I decided to make these because I wanted to make sure the PB was spread properly to prevent the soggy bread factor.

Ingredients Used & Ingredients Cost

For this round of freezer PBJs, I used:

3 whole wheat sandwich bread loaves
1 large natural PB jar
1 small natural PB jar
2 small natural strawberry jam jars
1/4 of Grape jelly jar (for the boy who like the grape ones!)

And here is the cost breakdown (without coupons or sale prices):

3 bread loaves – $6.57 ($2.19 each)
Small PB, 18 oz. – $2.44
Large PB, 40 oz. – $5.40
2 Strawberry Jam – $3.35 x 2
1/4 Grape Jelly – $.75
Paper towels/napkins or baggies – $1

Total for Ingredients: $22.86 for 34 sandwiches

Cost per homemade freezer PBJ sandwich: $.67

A quick note on this…I wanted there to be as little sugar in these as possible (because I like my boys’ teachers and want them to have a wholesome lunch and not be sugar-hyper!). Because of that, the ingredients were a little more expensive than some of the other options. A slightly higher expense, IMO, for this case. I like that you can still get a great quality sandwich put together for way less than the store-bought versions…and that you can control the ingredients (and sugar content.)

Store-Bought “Uncrustables”

Yes, I do buy these…because it’s that much easier. It’s one less thing. But I keep the purchasing to the bare minimum. I’m hoping to not have to buy them at all this year!

My store sells the following:

4 count whole wheat grape – $4.18 or $1.04 each
4 count white strawberry – $4.18 or $1.04 each
4 count white grape – $4.18 or $1.04 each
4 count white chocolate – $4.18 or $1.04 each

When you have 4 boys, eating homemade lunches daily, THAT ADDS UP QUICKLY. The SAVINGS ROLL UP QUICKLY TOO by making my own!

Whichever option you purchase, it’s still more expensive than the homemade version…and you have less control on ingredients.

I’m super stoked to have 34 sandwiches ready for the boys to pack their own lunches…and to have one less thing to stress about as we rush 4 boys out the door every morning!