"Instant" Mac N Cheese and why it's better to just buy the darn box!

I've seen other people make quick mac and cheese on their sites and I've always thought....how can that possibly be cheaper?  I guess if you're buying the big name brand, it could be cheaper.  We buy ours at Aldi every day for 35c a box, so that's hard to beat.  I thought I'd try it out to see. Here's the deal...

I started out with what I thought I'd need for ingredients:
1/4C Milk (Ended up using a whole cup)
2T Butter
2T Flour
1 1/2C Macaroni Noodles
2 Pcs of American Cheese (I was trying to be frugal as possible with it)

So, everyone knows how to make mac and cheese from the box, right?

You boil your water and add your noodles.

You drain your noodles after 8 minutes. 

And here's where we're gonna do something different.  Leave the

noodles in the strainer and put the same pot back on the stove.

Add in two Tablespoons butter and allow to melt.

Sprinkle 2T Flour over that and mix well.

Cook for a couple of minutes to get the raw flour taste out.

Here's where I (stupidly) thought I could get away with adding 1/4C

of milk in, like the box calls for.  

And here's what I ended up with.  A seized up glob of roux glue, lol!

So, I ended up adding 3/4C more milk.  Much better.  This is just

your basic white sauce, or Bechamel sauce.  Sounds fancy, huh?

Turn heat to low. Even though I am not a fan of processed cheese, I

added two pulled-apart pieces of American Cheese.  I figured 

Tommy would like it and that's more important than if I did.

Stir until melted.  Remove from heat.

Add in that now-congealed mass of noodles and give it a good stir.

You now have homemade "instant" mac and cheese, sorta.

Notes:

So, here's the dealio.  I didn't care for this at all.  Tommy thought it was good, but half way through, decided he didn't want any more.  This homemade version cost me $1.02 to make.  I considered using cheddar, but then it would have cost even more.  I can buy a box of Cheese Club Brand Mac N Cheese every day at Aldi for 35c.  With the added (1/4C) milk and butter (I only use 2T), it comes in at 54c, so almost half price.

Is it healthier?  No, I guess not.  It does have a lot of sodium...1890, whereas mine comes in at 790.  Of course, mine was so bland, it needed salt sprinkled on when served, so my number should technically be a little higher.  I am not a big fan of sodium (or the added chemicals), but budget-wise, the box wins.  Now, if you're one of those people who will pay $1.39 for the Kraft version, then making it at home would be a cheaper alternative.  But I gotta tell you, the Cheese Club one from Aldi actually tastes better!  Yup, it's true!  So, I'm sticking with the box for now.

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