Chocolate bars vs baking chips

[bluequakeralex]

TLDR: off-brand milk/dark baking chips are at least half the price/oz vs a chocolate bar

Recently, the price of Lindt chocolate went from $1.78 -> $2.78 for a 3.5oz bar.

This price increase encouraged me to look around at chocolate alternatives. Never would I have known that the 60% baking chocolate chips would be $1.98 for 10 oz!
No wonder companies don't like to increase prices.

Monthly cost savings:
chocolate bars = 2.78 * 7 * 4 = $77.84 for 98 oz / month
60% baking chips = 1.98 * 10 = $19.80 for 100 oz / month

Monthly savings = $58.04

[Chrissy]

I know this trick!  Good hack for the chocoholics.

[Loren Ver]

I've been running similar calculations over the years.  I still get the majority of my chocolate during post holiday sales with Easter being the best in my area and Dove being my chocolate of choice.  You really have the watch the actual items size and not the packaging size vs cost though (as always).

Other than that, chips really are the best.  Since I prefer my chocolate on the melty side to be eating with a spatula (ohh YUM), the original shape really does matter.

:D

Loren

[moof]

Bulk bin chocolate by the pound, no funny melting issues.

[OtherJen]

Yep. Currently snacking on a few Ghirardelli 60% cacao chips purchased when they were on sale for less than the store-brand semi-sweet chips. Now I wish I'd bought a half-dozen bags because this one is almost empty.

[Hirondelle]

I'm just wondering how many people you are to eat 100 oz of chocolate per month??? That's an insane amount of chocolate per month!

[OtherJen]

I'm just wondering how many people you are to eat 100 oz of chocolate per month??? That's an insane amount of chocolate per month!

I don't. I might get through 16 oz during a heavy-use month (e.g., December). Usually not that much, though. I've been splitting the current 10-oz bag with husband since his birthday 3 weeks ago.

[Hirondelle]

I'm just wondering how many people you are to eat 100 oz of chocolate per month??? That's an insane amount of chocolate per month!

I don't. I might get through 16 oz during a heavy-use month (e.g., December). Usually not that much, though. I've been splitting the current 10-oz bag with husband since his birthday 3 weeks ago.

Think I may have been unclear; the question was directed at the OP who used 100oz as the quantity for his monthly savings. Hence I asked how many people he was sharing his chocolate with (if they're with 10 it would make sense).

[bluequakeralex]

@Hirondelle

Yes, the 100oz is for one person (me).

About the only sweet snack I like. No cavities over the years either.

[Hirondelle]

@Hirondelle

Yes, the 100oz is for one person (me).

About the only sweet snack I like. No cavities over the years either.

Wow, that's a lot! Don't get me wrong, I love chocolate too and certainly have had days where I finish a full bar, but regardless of cavities 100 oz/month doesn't sound healthy to me. Although if you'd otherwise eat the same amount of other candies/sweets/cakes it wouldn't matter much :p

Anyways, I'm glad you found at least a way to save on it!

[BicycleB]

LOL, just used the grocery store exception to our stay-at-home regime to pick up chips yesterday! I keep it to 10 or 12 oz to limit temptation. Feeling chococate-safe for the next week or more.

Real life: whether I buy chips or a chocalate bar in a given couple of weeks depends on what the right amount of chocolate I want / think I can handle during that period is. Sometimes I limit the chococalate by buying a 5 oz bar instead of a 10 or 12 oz bag. The bar is more per ounce but keeps my consumption down.

[partgypsy]

I try to not have as many sweets in the house, though in turn for years now my youngest got around that restriction by having little bowls of chocolate chips, or a couple marshmallows, or sometimes bowls of dried cereal if it was the sweet kind. During the stay at home, a bowl of vanilla ice cream (served with chocolate syrup) seems everyone's favorite dessert right now.