Does anyone make their own? I seem to be spending an increasing amount on bread/cakes and was wondering about investing in a bread maker but perhaps after buying ingredients running an oven etc .it's not worth it?? I did go through a scone making phase a few years ago, cheese ,sultana, apple but after I'd impressed the hell out of myself with my new pinny and 'home cooking' the novelty wore off and they seemed to be so cheap in the supermarkets anyway.

Yes, I sometimes make my own bread. I use a recipe from a book I have from 1989 called 'How to feed your family on £4 a day'. I'll see if I can find the recipe and post it up. Everyone I know who has bought a breadmaker used it for a maximum of 6 months and then put it in the cupboard. Part of the problem is that they make such small loaves. They're a bit useless after the novelty has worn off.

Jasmine's right about breadmakers - the novelty does wear off reasonably quickly. If you want to save money by making your own bread, and you don't really have much time - then you could leave yourself one evening a week to make a few loaves out of one batch of dough. (Get the kids to help you with the kneeding and keep them entertained for a while!) Keep one loaf out and freeze the rest! They'll keep for a while in the freezer and you can leave them overnight to defrost. All you need now is a cow and some chickens and supermarket visits will be a thing of the past!

Yeah, Good Life here I come!. I have no kids to aid me but tried (over Christmas) to make a loaf of bread which promptly went rock hard after a few days so I'm a bit discouraged. I think I'm also lazy  

Well I have used my breadmaker for years and have a friend who has used hers every day for years too.  The nice thing is waking up to the smell of fresh bread in the morning whether you make any savings or not.  Yes you can only make one loaf at a time which could be limiting for some people but if you use the dough facility you can make several batches of dough and bake them in the oven.

The other nice thing is that you know what goes into your loaf - and I personally make sure that far less salt goes into my loaves than in the shop bought ones.  You won't make any savings really (unless you know where to buy flour in bulk) - especially after the cost of the breadmaker itself, but you will be eating healthier bread

I  have had a bread machine for about five years and use it twice a week and it is fantastic and works out cheaper than bought bread.  I use Economy 7 electricity soI use the time on my machine and wake in the morning to the delicious smell of freshly baked bread. Wonderful!

But the novelty doesn't always wear off. I am on my second breadmaker ( the first one wore out) lol, but I experiment with different flous/mixes etc and it's amazing what you can make. Ok, it makes small loaves but they stay fresher that way, and anyway they are made to be eaten so you can make another one!