Ben and Jerry’s vs. Breyers

We love Ice Cream! Easily in the top 3 desserts, no question. Tell us in the comments what your other top two are! We love the good stuff and definitely don’t want to skimp on such an important piece of any fine meal. But will splurging on the good stuff be worth it in the long run for all of you personal finance heroes out there? Read on to find out for yourself!

RE ice cream brands, to each their own but here at the free times we can’t get enough Ben and Jerry’s. Seriously. Breyers on the other hand is also ice cream, so of course it is good, although generally considered a tad lower quality. In this post we will determine if indulging in our Ben and Jerry’s habit is worth it.

Cost:

• Breyers
  • Quantity: 1.5 quarts
  • Price: $4.49
  • Dollars/Quart = $2.99

• Ben and Jerry’s
  • Quantity: .5 quarts
  • Price: $5.49
  • Dollar/Quart = $10.98

We will estimate that the average ice cream lover’s household will consume 1 quart every other week, or 26 quarts in a year. The marginal cost savings then of choosing Breyers over Ben and Jerry’s in this case would be $207.74 annually. Using the free times framework methodology as outlined in this post, adopting Breyers ice cream to cure your sweet tooth instead of Ben and Jerry’s for 20 years would result in approximately 75 fewer work days at the back end of your savings journey.

Free Time: 75 days

Worth it rating:

⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 3 out of 5.

We give this financial decision a three star worth it rating. Seventy five days of working for something only marginally different than another product seems rather steep. However, it might just be worth it if Ben and Jerry’s makes you as happy as it does us. Realistically, this is a decision that does not have to be made in one fell swoop. Our advice? Get the good stuff when you want to treat yourself, but maybe don’t make it your default. At the end of the day you now have the information to make an informed choice. What is right for you? Ben and Jerry’s or Breyers? Would you trade 75 working days for a consistent 20 years of Ben and Jerry’s indulgence? Let us know!

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