My children beg and plead for uncrustables (they hate the crusts!) but honestly I cannot justify the price. $7.99 regular price for 10 sandwiches works out to .79 each. Even on sale with a coupon it would still cost over 25 cents each.
Instead I make a DIY version for just a fraction of that!
I was given a Pampered Chef Cut & Seal however there are a LOT of options out there you can get!
Costs *averaged from last year*
Bread: .99 special at Harris Teeter = about .09 per sandwich
Jelly: .25 on sale with a coupon= about .02 per serving
So for a total of .11 per sandwich I can make homemade uncrustables! Here is how I did it.
Step 1: Start out with sandwich bread and jelly (add peanut butter if you want – the peanut butter in my pantry cost me less then 50 cents a jar so add about 5 cents a sandwich if you use peanut butter)
Step 2: Jelly the sandwich ! You won’t have to go all the way to the edges because it will be cut off.
Step 3: Cut & Seal!
Step 4: Remove the crust. Use it as compost or if it is jelly free- use to make breadcrumbs or bread pudding!!!
Step 5: I placed mine in sandwich bags, press out the excess air and put into a freezer bag. Sandwich bags are cheaper than freezer bags usually per bag so this way I sent the inexpensive ones to school and keep the freezer one replenished each week- or you can go disposable free like we are this year and put them in the reusable sandwich box instead of a bag each morning!
If you don’t have a sealer you could use a large round cookie cutter to cut it out and use a fork to crimp the edges. What expensive favorites have you re-made at home at a fraction of the cost?
OMG…my senior in hs…yes, senior…keeps begging me to buy Uncrustables. I won’t spend the $ so I’m going to go find these gadgets and surprise him. I’ve thought about getting out my cookie cutters and doing different shapes to put in his lunch bag as a joke…lol. Thanks for sharing!
I like the dollar tree one but the pampered chef is also great to make filled pastas and other baked goods- worth the $10 investment to me 🙂 Well, it was a gift so thanks to whoever gave it to me YEARS ago and I just started using it!
I love my pamper chef press and seal. It has definitely been worth the money. They also have an ice cream sandwich maker that I love too.
Aha! We have the press, too, and love it… but now I know how to salvage that half a loaf of bread that occasionally goes uneaten. You know how sale cycles don’t always match appetites… my family will go on a sandwich binge and kill a loaf in two days and then not touch the next loaf for three weeks. Freezing pre-made sandwiches would solve that problem!
I just ordered me one of these cut and seals i never knew the even made or sold them i so love pbj’s and now i can have fun making them…..thanks
I Have One Of Those Round Ones,Works Great.
where can you get the pampered chef seal?
Nicole- try Chris Hanks on FB (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000579811997). She posted on FB that she is a consultant 🙂
Love it! I do this too, it tastes better than the frozen ones also. I also make my own “Lunchables”. I use block cheese and either pepperoni, sliced summer sausage, sliced turkey or ham, and add in ritz crackers. I found sectioned containers at dollar tree. Saves a lot of money. Packing lunches can save so much money, our school lunches will go up to $2.15 for my elementary child and 2.50 for my middle schooler next year. Just think how much you could buy couponing for 4.65 a day..ha ha!
so true! Meridith I LOVE your lunchable idea! Want to take pictures for me to post? I’d love to have a guest writer- let me know if you are interested!
I’ve been making these for awhile and change up using grape or strawberry jelly or marshmellow fluff – a hint so they don’t turn soggy and gross as they thaw out is to put peanut butter on both pieces then jelly so the peanut butter seals the jelly!
Thanks for the tip! Only 1 of my kids eat PB so they have to deal with the soggieness!
Love this idea and have been meaning to do it for a long time-no where is my cut and sealer?