DIY Convenience Foods That Save Money

This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.

There’s something comforting about opening your pantry and seeing meals already halfway done. DIY convenience foods let you stock your shelves with homemade mixes that save money, reduce stress, and make everyday cooking easier—without relying on expensive boxed foods.

Let’s be honest—we all need convenience sometimes. Cooking everything from scratch every night can be super hard. Sometimes we just need to make life easier without overspending. DIY convenience foods strike that balance perfectly, giving you quick meals made from simple ingredients you already trust.

Why January Is the Perfect Time to Make DIY Mixes

• Budget reset. After the holiday rush, most of us are watching our budgets more closely. We need to make what we can from the pantry!
• Frugal life. Everyone is looking for ways to restock pantries inexpensively right now. Homemade mixes let you prepare quick meals without expensive pre‑packaged items.

Why Make Your Own Convenience Foods?

• Healthier ingredients. Boxed convenience meals such as Hamburger Helper contain enriched pasta, partially hydrogenated oils, MSG (autolyzed yeast extract), and corn syrup. DIY mixes let you avoid artificial colors, preservatives, and high sodium among other ingredients.
• Cost savings. A box of Hamburger Helper sells for about $2 or so on sale, while a homemade jar of mix costs about $0.75. Similar savings can be achieved for muffin mixes, condensed soup, and other DIY mixes.
• Customization. When you make your own mixes, you control spices, sugar, salt, and add‑ins. Gluten‑free or dairy‑free swaps are easy, and you can add dried vegetables or herbs without paying for premium “deluxe” versions.
• Convenience without waste. Homemade mixes sit on your pantry shelf just like store‑bought boxes, but you only pay for ingredients you use. Most of these mixes fit in a quart‑size mason jar and last months when stored in an airtight container.

Supplies Needed for Making Homemade Mixes

Here are a few things I find very helpful when putting together these mixes.

• Long Handled Measuring Spoons
• Half Gallon Jars (and their lids)
• Canning Funnel
• Stainless Steel German Bowls

Making your own convenience foods is a smart way to stretch your grocery budget, reduce unwanted additives, and enjoy the satisfaction of homemade cooking. In January, when many of us resolve to save money and eat better, DIY mixes such as Hamburger Helper, muffin mix, and cream‑of‑soup mix offer an easy, shelf‑stable solution. Using everyday pantry staples, you can assemble jars of mixes in minutes and can save more than half compared to store prices.

Cost Comparison Summary

Here are a few simple cost comparisons of homemade mixes versus their store counterparts.

Mix	Homemade cost (approx.)	Store‑bought price	Savings*
Hamburger Helper mix (4–5 servings)	~ $0.75 per jar (spices ≈ $0.25; pasta ≈ $0.50 for 1 ½ cups)	$1.68 for a 6.6 oz box of Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger Macaroni at Walmart	About 55 % cheaper per meal
Basic muffin mix (24 muffins)	~ $0.97 (flour ≈ $0.59, sugar ≈ $0.15, baking powder/spices ≈ $0.23)	$0.98 for a Jiffy Blueberry Muffin mix (7 oz, makes ~6 muffins)— $1.96 for 12 muffins	Homemade muffins cost about 75 % less than boxed mix
Condensed soup mix (equivalent to 10 cans)	~ $2.40 to make a quart of dry cream‑of‑chicken mix (dry milk, flour, broth powder, onion) — about $0.24 per can	$0.70 for a Great Value Cream of Chicken condensed soup (10.5 oz), Campbell’s costs about $1.00 per can	Homemade mix saves ≈ 65–75 % per “can”

*Savings estimates compare the price per recipe/serving and do not include additions like cheese or fresh ingredients. Prices are from Walmart’s online store in December 2025.

DIY Hamburger Helper Mix

Homemade Hamburger Helper Mix is a jar of pasta and seasonings that you add to browned ground beef and milk to create a creamy, cheesy dinner. Boxed Hamburger Helper from the store contains a long list of ingredients — enriched wheat flour, artificial colors, hydrogenated oils and MSG — while my mix includes only elbow macaroni, corn starch, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and sugar. You can also find this recipe (and more!) in my book, Little House Living.

DIY Muffin Mix

My Homemade Muffin Mix is an old‑fashioned muffin base inspired by a 1963 edition of The Joy of Cooking so you know it’s good! It stores well in a quart jar and makes 24 standard muffins. I also have a Gluten Free Muffin Mix here.

DIY Cream‑of‑Soup Mix

The Cream of Soup Mix replaces cans of condensed cream soups with a dry mix. Most canned cream soups are often high in sodium, MSG, and are expensive. This mix lets you control ingredients and store the powder in a quart jar. I also have several other ideas (9 total!) for DIY soup mixes on that recipe post if the main one doesn’t work for you.

Homemade Rice‑a‑Roni Mix

Rice Roni or Rice a Roni is an easy side dish to make, and you can even make it a base for your meals depending on what you are making. I’m not sure what the boxed version costs, but you can make your own version so easily! You can either make this up quickly before dinner or put the dry ingredients in a jar and have them ready to go.

Frugal Dried Bean Soup Mix

Every homestead needs a good Dried Bean Soup mix in their pantry for those nights when you need a good hearty meal but aren’t sure what to put on the table. This is a good crock pot meal.

Chocolate Muffin Mix

There is just something about a chocolate muffin that makes it so much more tempting to me than all of the rest. I have a feeling that thing is….. chocolate. When I imagine the perfect Chocolate Muffin, it is full of rich chocolate flavor in a moist muffin. I’ve spent many years trying to figure out how to make the perfect Chocolate Muffin Mix!

Lemon Poppyseed Bread Mix

I’ve put this lemon bread recipe into a simple mix so that you can keep this delicious treat in your pantry and make it whenever you feel like it. 

Carrot Cake Mix

This easy mix is something new you can add to your pantry to have a delicious dessert any time you like! Carrot Cake Mix is sure to become your next pantry staple.

Fall Baking Mixes

We love all of these recipes for Pumpkin Muffin Mix, Apple Cinnamon Pancake Mix, Spiced Oatmeal Cookie Mix, and Autumn Spice Mix!

Homemade Brownie Mix

My favorite brownies can be made into a simple homemade Chocolate Brownie Mix! If you’ve ever wanted to replace those store-bought brownie mixes with something a little more frugal or with something that has all pronounceable ingredients, this is the recipe for you. The best part is that you make it and store until you really need a delicious brownie treat. Because who really wants to start from the beginning of the recipe when you just REALLY need some chocolate?

Here are a few more cost comparisons from the recipes above. (And a few below)

Mix	Homemade Cost	Store Cost	Savings
Rice-A-Roni Style	~$0.38	$1.33	~71%
Bean Soup Mix (1 lb)	~$1.30	$2.26	~42%
Carrot Cake Mix	~$1.15	$1.98	~42%
Fajita Seasoning	~$0.18	$0.98–$1.18	~80%
Sloppy Joe Seasoning	~$0.20	$1.18–$1.28	~80%
Fall Baking Mixes	~$1.10 avg	$2.75 avg	~60%

Each of these mixes follows the same formula: simple ingredients, lower cost, and freedom from additives. Together, they can help you create a pantry full of frugal convenience foods.

DIY Seasoning Recipes

I also believe that creating your own homemade seasoning blends can be just as helpful as homemade mixes! Here are some of my favorites that I have here on the blog. I do have more in my book, Little House Living.

• Homemade Fajita Seasoning
• Homemade Sloppy Joe Seasoning
• DIY Onion Soup Mix
• Recipe for Taco Seasoning
• Homemade Seasoning Salt
• Ranch Dressing Mix
• Homemade Popcorn Seasonings

Even More Mix Recipes

Are you looking for even more mix recipes to add to your collection and save you money? I’ve put together an ebook with printable recipes from my 28 favorite DIY mixes!

I hope this helps you save money on your grocery budget and have a little fun in the kitchen in the process!

Support Little House Living by Sharing This