True. Price is dependant on many factors, none of which seem to be driving prices down. fox farms, basically all of thier soils, get the job done great and it is a really easy way to go. If you want to go DIY be sure you know what you are doing. I personally have a slightly different recipe than the one i listed above, Ive changed it very slightly it to suit my personal needs. this last time around i did the math and i saved a little less than 25%, but prices for fox farm can vary a great deal. i have a grow company product catalog and they list MSRP for the fox farms ocean forest as between $11.99 - $16.99, so if you have a store that sells at the low end of the spectrum, by all means buy the pre-mix. but if your local store sells it for almost $17 bucks (like the douch-nozzle at my local hydro shop) then mix it yourself.