To me, they were delicious, but with minor caveats. Don't get me wrong- I ate the whole box and will be getting more, post-haste. Also, I've never had a proper French one, and have only tried my own hand at them twice with varying success. Here's what I thought of Trader Joes' macarons:

1. The vanilla ones were good, but powerfully sweet. The chocolate ones rich and less buttercream-y.

2. Their taste gave me the impression of astronaut ice cream, but in a good way. Is this how actual ones are supposed to be?

I was curious after reading this article on Slate (http://www.slate.com/id/2216611) about doing a cost/benefit analysis of the effort involved to make staples at home versus purchasing at the supermarket.

She covered bagels, cream cheese, yoghurt, jam, crackers, and granola. I make my own staples at home but have never done a price estimate. Has anyone else done something like this?

I'd be interested in gathering other peoples results and opinions - perhaps even to start a compilation for reference! Many thanks!