In 2024, our family made a conscious decision to cut back on buying certain store-bought items and instead began making them from scratch. It started as a way to save money and eat fewer processed foods but quickly felt so easy I questioned why we had not been doing this before. Not only did we notice a positive impact on our grocery budget, but we also gained a new appreciation for simple, homemade alternatives.
Here are five items we stopped buying—and the surprisingly easy ways we make them ourselves.
1. Bread Crumbs
Seriously, how did this start? I often wonder if our great-grandparents would be so confused asking why we buy boxes of stale bread at the grocery store. Since we already make most of our bread at home this was a no brainer.
Any Bread that is a week old, or a loaf that just wasn’t our best gets turned into bread crumbs. Instead of tossing out odds and ends, we save leftover bread in a bag in the fridge, toast it up, and pulse it in the blender. I simply add them to a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, bake at 160 until completely dry. Usually about an hour and then you let them cool and store them in the freezer. I use these homemade breadcrumbs for meatballs, salmon cakes, and breading things like chicken cutlets. Ready to start making bread at home? Start Here
How it saves: A canister of bread crumbs can cost $2–3, but by repurposing bread that might have been wasted, we essentially get them for free. Our Blender
2. Pancake Mix
We love making sourdough pancakes each week. I realized the step that felt the most daunting was measuring out all of the dry ingredients so I simplified it. I keep 3 jars on hand at all times with the “mix” inside. Pancakes are nothing more than a simple mix of flour, baking powder, sugar, eggs, and milk. We keep a pre-made dry mix in a jar—just add the wet ingredients when it’s time to whip up breakfast. WATCH HERE
This recipe makes a large amount and we simply freeze the rest and reheat as needed through out the week.
How it saves: Store-bought pancake mix runs $4–7 per box. Homemade mixes cost pennies per serving and taste even better.
3. Brown Sugar
Running out of brown sugar used to mean an inconvenient grocery run, but not anymore. Watch how I make it here. By mixing white sugar with a bit of molasses, we’ve perfected our own brown sugar. It’s fresher, softer, and takes less than a minute to make. Be sure to add in a sugar saver to your sugar to keep it soft. We love this container and this molasses for our recipe. The ratio is about 1 cup of sugar to 1 TBL molasses for light brown sugar more for dark.
How it saves: A pound of brown sugar costs $2–3, but molasses lasts a long time and can stretch your sugar supply further.
4. Vanilla Extract
This might sound intimidating, but making vanilla extract at home is shockingly simple. WATCH ME MAKE VANILLA. All you need are vanilla beans, vodka, and a bit of patience. After a few weeks of steeping, you’ll have a rich, aromatic extract that rivals the most expensive brands. Bonus: a homemade bottle makes a thoughtful gift. You only need 4 items to make this.
How it saves: A small bottle of pure vanilla extract can cost $10–20. DIY vanilla costs a fraction of that and lasts for months. I start a new batch every 6 months so I always have some curing.
5. Frozen Waffles
Those convenient freezer waffles were a breakfast staple in our house, but now we’ve discovered the joy of making our own. WATCH HERE I make a triple batch of waffles once a month and we freeze and toast them for quick weekdays breakfast. They’re fluffier, tastier, and free from preservatives. Add in a few mini chocolate chips for fun. Here is our favorite recipe and waffle maker.
How it saves: A box of frozen waffles is around $6+ for about 8 waffles. My children can eat that in one day. Making your own costs less and allows you to control the ingredients.
Final Thoughts
In addition to those 5 items we also make our own chicken stock, most of our own bread, eggs from the backyard and if we cant make it from scratch we are trying to buy as much local as possible. All of these small changes do not happen overnight. We still have a long way to go and big goals for this year but even small steps forward can help you spend less at the grocery store, waste fewer ingredients, and enjoy fresher, tastier versions of our favorite staples. If you’ve ever thought about ditching pre-made products, these five are an easy place to start.
Have you tried making any of these at home? Let me know your favorite DIY pantry swaps in the comments!
