Bread Maker Break-Even Calculator

See how quickly a bread maker pays for itself against shop-bought loaves.

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Bread Maker Break-Even Calculator

Enter the machine price, ingredient cost and the price of a shop loaf.

Payback period
β€”
Enter values above
Saving per loaf
β€”
Annual saving
β€”
Saving in year one after the machine
β€”
Loaves per year
β€”
Cost per homemade loaf
β€”

Worked example

With the default inputs shown below, this calculator returns the following results:

InputValue
Bread maker price ($)120
Ingredients per loaf ($)1.2
Electricity per loaf ($)0.15
Shop loaf price ($)2.5
Loaves per week4
ResultValue
Payback period26.1 weeks
Saving per loaf$1.15
Annual saving$239
Saving in year one after the machine$119
Loaves per year208
Cost per homemade loaf$1.35

Values shown are produced by this page in your browser; change any input to update them.

How to use the Bread Maker Break-Even Calculator

  1. Bread maker price ($) β€” default 120
  2. Ingredients per loaf ($) β€” default 1.2
  3. Electricity per loaf ($) β€” default 0.15
  4. Shop loaf price ($) β€” default 2.5
  5. Loaves per week β€” default 4
  6. Press Calculate to update the results instantly.

Frequently asked questions

At four loaves a week and a $1.15 saving per loaf, a $120 machine pays back in about 26 weeks. Heavier baking pays back much faster.
Against a $2.50 supermarket loaf, usually yes. Against a $1 budget loaf the saving is thin, and specialty flours push the cost per loaf well above shop prices.
A bread maker needs about five minutes of active time per loaf, so the labour cost is negligible unless you value your time very highly.

Sources & references