Stop Buying It

25 staples you buy every month that Grandma made at home for less, each with the homemade cost right next to the store-brand price.

Boxes of mix, cans of cream soup, packs of tortillas. They add up every week. Betty's pantry didn't have them. It had flour, sugar, oats, dried milk and a row of jars she filled herself.

WHAT'S INSIDE

• Mixes and shakers: all-purpose baking mix, cream soup mix, brown gravy mix, vanilla pudding mix, oven-fry coating and cinnamon sugar

• Pantry and dairy: sweetened condensed milk, freezer beans, refried beans, sweet-and-sour sauce, homemade yogurt and cultured buttermilk

• Bakery: flour tortillas, pizza dough, English muffins, freezer waffles, freezer pancakes, soda crackers and seasoned croutons

• Snacks, sweets and drinks: brown sugar granola, chewy oat bars, crisp rice squares, fudge pops, sweet tea by the gallon and oven caramel corn

Every recipe makes the same amount as the package it replaces, so the comparison is fair. The savings run from 14% to 76%. Only the ones that are honestly cheaper at home made the cut.

Plus a one-page chart of all 25: homemade vs. the store.

34 pages made to read on your phone in the kitchen. Instant PDF download.