My favourite hobby is becoming a luxury I can’t afford
The reality of baking as a student living in Canada
By Kendra Mendrisky
Baking has always been one of my favourite hobbies. It’s calming, it’s creative, it’s experimental, and maybe the best part is the treat you get at the end.
In high school, I baked something new every three-to-four weeks, on top of making goods for special occasions, like Christmas cookies and Thanksgiving pies.
Now, I almost exclusively bake something from scratch for certain holidays or for close friends and family. Not because I don’t have time, or don’t enjoy sweets as much, but because the cost is too high.
Along with baking less, I swap name brand products for generic ones, fresh fruit for frozen, or just opt for box mixes altogether.
Maia Knowlton, a first-year University of Ottawa student, has also changed her baking habits over the past few years.
“I still live with my parents, so I have the luxury of not really paying for (groceries), but I’m still very aware of how much everything costs,” said Knowlton. “If there’s a recipe that uses a lot of eggs or an excess amount of butter, maybe I will not use that one and I’ll look for a different recipe that uses cheaper ingredients.”
For parties and potlucks, Knowlton uses cake and brownie mixes because they are cheaper. Often, people don’t notice the difference, or if they do, they don’t mind.
“If I’m giving it to somebody that I love, I care about, this is a gift, I’ll use the good, expensive ingredients,” said Knowlton.
After our conversation, I went to my local grocery store, a FreshCo in Ottawa, to compare prices.
The following are my observations from Feb. 1. A brownie mix costs $3.99. Plus, you’d need oil ($5.99), a couple eggs ($3.99) and some water.
Now, if you were to make brownies from scratch, the typical recipe requires eggs, butter ($5.99), sugar ($3.39), cocoa powder ($7.49), baking powder ($7.99) and flour ($4.19), plus a bit of vanilla extract and salt. Common add-ins include chocolate chips ($4.99) and walnuts ($3.49), if you’re feeling fancy.
There are ways to get more bang for your buck, like buying in bulk. But not everyone can afford to do so, especially not students.
Kendra Wong is a student in her final year of studies at the University of Ottawa. She shares an apartment with her sister and boyfriend, and enjoys cooking and baking.
Unfortunately, she can’t do it as much as she would like.
“As a student, you have to always be budgeting,” said Wong. “I currently have no income, so we can’t bake. There’s no way I can afford to bake.”
She remembers around 15 years ago, making things from scratch would have been cheaper than buying pre-made treats from the store.
Now, you can get ultra-processed, preservative-filled, two-bite brownies ($5) for a lower price than butter.
“Right now, the cheapest option is not to bake it,” said Wong. “That’s really sad because (baking) can be the healthiest way. You can choose how much butter is in it. You can choose how much sugar is in it. But if you buy it from the store, it’s not going to be as healthy.”