Does your allotment really save money vs supermarket produce.

Allotments are a tradition with genuine appeal — community, exercise, fresh produce. Whether they save money vs supermarket is more complicated than the romantic version suggests. Annual rent 50-200, setup 200-600, supplies 50-150, plus 100+ hours of time. Produce value 200-800 depending on productivity and what you grow.

The honest math: time dominates. 100 hours × 15 = 1,500 opportunity cost. Against 400 produce value, the allotment produces net -1,100/year at that framing. Without time cost, net is often modestly positive — 200-300/year after rent and supplies.

The reframe most allotment holders use: allotment is recreation that produces food, not a cost-saving strategy. The value calculation then flips — 100 net cost for 100 hours of outdoor exercise and community is 1/hour recreation, which is excellent value. The tool supports both framings by letting you set the hourly value.

How to use it

Input annual allotment rent, setup cost (spread over lifespan if first year), annual supplies, honest hours per year, hourly value (set to 0 for pure hobby framing, real value for cost comparison), and estimated produce value. The tool calculates ROI.

What the result means

Positive ROI means allotment saves money accounting for time. Negative means it costs more than equivalent supermarket produce once time is valued. Most allotment holders show negative ROI on strict financial accounting but positive life value — which is a legitimate reason to continue.

Decision tool, not financial advice.

Quick example

With annual allotment rent of 80 and setup cost of 100 (plus annual supplies of 100 and hours per year of 120), the result is -1,030.00. Change any figure and watch the output shift — it's often more useful to see the pattern than to memorise the formula.

Which inputs matter most

You enter Annual Allotment Rent, Setup Cost (Annualised), Annual Supplies, Hours Per Year, and Hourly Value. Two inputs usually tip the answer one way or the other. Identify which ones matter most by flipping each value past a round threshold and watching whether the winning option changes.

What's happening under the hood

Net value is produce value minus all costs (rent, annualised setup, supplies, time opportunity cost). The formula is listed in full below. If the number looks off, you can retrace the calculation by hand — that's the point of showing the working.

Reading payback vs outright cost

Payback tells you when you're break-even, not whether the purchase is a good idea. A short payback on something you barely use is still a loss. Pair the number with an honest count of expected usage.

What this doesn't capture

Purchase decisions rarely come down to payback alone. Reliability, time saved, enjoyment, and alternatives outside the calculation all matter. The figure gives you the money side cleanly so you can weigh it against everything else honestly.