"I Used To Spend $100 A Month On It": People Are Saving Tons Of Money By Making These 16 Pantry Staples From Scratch

If you've ever felt like you're constantly spending a fortune at the grocery store just to keep running out of the same simple items, you're not alone. The truth is that we're all so accustomed to the convenience of store-bought basics that we overlook how truly easy it is to make them from scratch — and in much larger quantities!

However, it's difficult to know where to begin with this cost-saving pantry overhaul. That's why we asked the BuzzFeed Community to share the store-bought basics they've ditched for homemade alternatives to get more bang for their buck. Here are 16 suggestions that I guarantee will shrink your next grocery bill:

1."Mayonnaise. Homemade mayo is way more delicious than anything store-bought, in addition to being way cheaper and super easy to make. The texture is more pleasing, and an immersion blender makes it a breeze to make!"

—Anonymous

2."I make bone broth in the Instant Pot with rotisserie chicken carcasses — I get mine for cheap from Costco. You pull all the good meat off for soups, salads, and snacking, then dump the leftover bones in the Instant Pot with some carrots, celery, onions, peppercorns, one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, and whatever herbs you have on hand. Add water to cover everything and pressure cook — it's that easy! I usually get eight to nine cups of truly amazing broth."

3."You can make hummus in a blender with canned chickpeas, garlic, olive oil, and tahini. Once you have the tahini and olive oil on hand, it ends up being about $2 to make the same amount as the $10 store-bought tub."

—Anonymous, 37, Michigan

4."Salad dressing. With a few vinegars, oils, dried herbs, and spices, you can make any salad dressing you want at home. Plus, investing in nicer oils, vinegars, and balsamic glazes is more cost-effective when you're using them to make other sauces as well. In addition to dressings, you can easily make BBQ sauce, teriyaki, marinades, and glazes. The possibilities are literally endless."

5."Marinara! It's so simple and tastes so much better when you make it yourself. "

—Anonymous, 25, Kentucky

6."Vanilla extract. Store-bought vanilla extract costs $10 for one 4-ounce bottle. I bought a 750ml bottle of cheap vodka and a package of vanilla beans, and was able to make 12 4-ounce bottles for less than $20. Much cheaper!"

—Anonymous, 60, Lubbock, Texas

7."Spice blends (like taco seasoning or pumpkin pie spice) are so simple to make, and much cheaper than store-bought because they don't have the convenience cost added in."

—jessethecowgirl

8."Basic life-hack here: if you use the oven to cook anything, it heats up the house. That can save you a bit of cash by not having to put the heat on as high for hours during winter."

—Anonymous, 33, USA

9."Not a staple necessarily, but you can make amazing homemade ricotta with milk, cream, salt, vinegar, and lemon juice. Extremely easy, and infinitely better than store-bought!"

—Anonymous

10."PICKLES! I love to snack on pickles — especially fresh, deli pickles — but the good shit can cost upwards of $10 a jar. Making pickles at home is a fraction of the cost. All you need is cucumbers, salt, sugar, and vinegar — and you've got a pickle, folks."

11."Tortillas! All you need is flour and corn. Even though a bag of nixtamalized corn flour (like Maseca) has gotten more expensive, it's still WAY cheaper to make tortillas from scratch than buy the pre-made stuff. Plus, it tastes better. Flour tortillas take some work, but once you get the hang of it, they're so easy and SO delicious when fresh."

"You can make corn or flour tortillas. Corn tortillas are made with nixtamalized corn flour, water, and salt. Flour tortillas are made with all-purpose flour, water, oil or butter, and salt."—Anonymous, 25, Virginia

12."I switched from shaving to waxing, then to sugar-waxing with DIY wax. The only ingredients are sugar, water, and some type of acid, be it lemon/lime juice or vinegar. I buy the cheapest store-brand sugar, and it costs me about 50 cents to do a round of sugaring, which will last me about three weeks."

13."Vinegar and baking soda for cleaning. I use vinegar in place of bleach to clean the floors, and I put it in the dishwasher instead of a cleaning pod. Baking soda works great for scrubbing stains and soap scum off dishware instead of using dish soap."

—Anonymous

14."Yogurt can be made super easily at home with hardly any effort. It's even easier to make if you have an Instant Pot. You simply have to mix a small dollop of plain yogurt as your starter with milk, and keep it incubated at a steady warm temperature. Once set, I mix vanilla and berries into mine before refrigerating."

15."Homemade coffee ingredients. I used to spend $100 per month on milk and coffee beans. Then, I bought almonds in bulk and a $35 milk maker on Amazon, and now I can make my own milk and grind my own beans for $18 per month."

"I also grind almonds into flour for tortillas, pancakes, etc. I travel as a nomad, and being self-sufficient allows me freedom to be away in nature for weeks."—shaysmith3

16.And finally, "Homemade whipped cream. It's two ingredients, possibly three if you add a flavor extract. Just take some cream and whip it! I used to whip it by hand — which is quite the workout — but now I use one of those cheap milk frothers. A stand mixer would also work. It's so easy, and less wasteful because you only make the amount you need."

Do you swear by any money-saving kitchen hacks we didn't include? We'd love to hear from you! Let us know in the comments or stay anonymous using the form below:

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