u/Friendly-Feels

I keep seeing posts where people discuss whether it’s actually cheaper to buy weed or grow your own, and it got me thinking.

For me, I think growing yourself probably wins in the long run. Not even just because of money, but because you get to choose the genetics, control what goes into the plant, and there’s something really satisfying about smoking something you grew from seed.

That said, I still don’t fully know how to calculate the “payoff” properly. Like, do you count only the first setup? Electricity? Failed runs? The time you spend checking plants like a nervous parent? 😂

I’m in the US, and for a basic indoor setup, something like this seems pretty realistic. My own numbers are a bit approximate, because some stuff my brother gave me, some I bought new, and some I picked up used.

3x3 grow tent, Mars Hydro: around $130

LED light, Mars Hydro FC-E3000 300W: around $160

Inline fan: around $105

Clip fans / airflow: around $45

Fabric pots: around $20-30

Soil, like FoxFarm Ocean Forest or similar: around $30-40 per bag

Perlite: around $15-25

Basic nutrients, like GH Flora Trio or similar: around $40-60

pH test strips: around $8

Seeds: I ordered from herbies, bought 16 seeds total, including 6 freebies with the orders, for about $119

So the first setup could easily land somewhere around $650-750 before electricity, depending on brands, deals, used gear, and what you already have. The first run definitely doesn’t feel “cheap” because you’re buying all the gear at once.

But after that, the tent, light, fan, pots, pH test strips, etc. are already paid for. Then each next grow is mostly soil, nutrients, electricity, and seeds. That’s where it starts making more sense to me.

Even with a modest harvest, it feels like the setup can start paying itself back after a couple runs, especially compared to buying decent quality flower all the time. Plus the quality control and the fun of the hobby are hard to put into the math.

I’m curious how other people calculate it. Do you actually track cost per gram, or do you just call it a hobby and pretend the math doesn’t exist? haha

Lately I keep seeing people hunting for those old loud classics like Skunk and similar, but I’m kinda on the opposite side right now… I get that any plant will smell to some extent and you can’t fully avoid it (besides the obvious stuff like ventilation, filters, etc), but still wondering if there are strains that stay a bit more low-key.

So far I’ve only really seen stuff like northern lights and maybe blue mystic mentioned as more “quiet” options. Right now I’ve got a mimosa shot going… still too early to fully judge, but so far it actually seems pretty chill on the smell side.

Curious what you guys would suggest 👀

Being high turns me into a professional seed collector real quick… like why do I suddenly feel like I NEED GG#4, mimosa shot, panama red and something random I’ve never even heard of before 😭

And it’s not even just seeds… next thing I know I’m buying games on Steam I’ll never open, random snacks I didn’t even want, and somehow convincing myself all of it was a great idea at the time lol