How Much Does Homemade Ice Cream Cost?

I'm mixing up more batches of ice cream for a family event on Saturday.  The batch in the machine right now is Green Tea Ice Cream.  I'm making it because a friend suggested I did. She said Baskin Robins in Japan sells it and that it was delicious. It's not available in the States.  There was a recipe in my book but the problem is that I can't get Matcha powder in Sedalia.  However, I love Starbucks Green Tea Lattes.  That is the only thing I drink from Starbucks.  So I asked the barista how much Matcha powder goes in a Grande latte (the amount of  milk I needed in the recipe). So I bought a Grande latte with whole milk, an extra scoop of Matcha, and no sweetener.  I then substituted this for the 1 cup whole milk and 4 teaspoons Matcha powder that the recipe called for.  I is smart. :-)

So how much does my ice cream cost in comparison to the competition?  I still have my list I made last year with ingredient costs per 1/2 cup of the items I used to make my cookies for farmer's market.  I added a few more items based upon my receipts from ice cream ingredients.

Here's the Aztec Chocolate break down:
heavy cream $2.12
dutch process cocoa, I don't know because I haven't taken the time to measure out how much is in the container so I'm going to say it's too small to call
sugar $.18
Ghiradelli chocolate $1.65
milk $.38
Total $4.33 for a batch that made just over 2 pints.  So lets say it only made 2 pints to account for that chocolate and it is $2.17 a pint.

Here's the breakdown of Matche Ice Cream
one Grande latte $3.95
sugar $.18
heavy cream $1.88
egg yolks $1.14
Will make just over 2 pints so if it was just 2 pints  it would be $3.58 a pint.  So because of that latte at Starbucks this one is over the price of Ben and Jerry's at WalMart. I'm going to order myself some Matche powder online.  That should lower the cost.

Ice Cream at the Farmer's Market in Lee Summit: $5 for a half pint
Ben and Jerry's and Haagen Daz: $3.48 a pint at WalMart (though Haagen Daz is no longer a pint, it is 14 ounces)
Talenti Gelato in Sea Salt Caramel flavor that I saw for the first time today in the WalMart isle was $3.77 a pint.  It comes in a nice reusable container with a screw top lid.  Couldn't help it, I had to buy some. I want to make this flavor next.

So I'd say the answer is yes, it is worth it to make your own ice cream.