15 Grocery Store Items That Are Cheaper to Make Yourself

You might expect spaghetti sauce and other tomato-based pasta sauces to be difficult to make, but they're actually quite easy and use cheap, on-hand ingredients. Plus, letting all those delicious flavors and seasonings go bland on a grocery store shelf is such a waste.

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It's not just grocery stores; certain fast food chains love charging you extra for guacamole as if its some sort of premium luxury item. If you crave avocados as much as the next person, you'll be glad to know that's just not true. 

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Do you have any idea how simple pancake mix is? You almost certainly have everything you need in your fridge and pantry to make better, fresher, healthier pancakes at home for less. 

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Luxurious buttercream frosting. Truly a luxury, right? Wrong! Frosting is super simple to make from scratch. 

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Granola bars are reasonably healthy snack alternatives but they can be quite expensive, even if you’re buying the cheaper, store-brand stuff. No one should have to go without their afternoon energy booster, so it's a good thing granola bars are actually some of the easiest grocery items to make at home.

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Yogurt is a great way to start your morning off right. You won't need a decked-out chemistry lab to make it from scratch either. If you've got an oven, you've got all you need to take another step toward skipping the checkout line. 

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Cinnamon rolls are such a tasty weekend breakfast, but they sometimes seem daunting. That's probably why so many people turn to overpriced store-bought cinnamon roll packages for help. Thankfully, this recipe only requires six ingredients and is done in 20 minutes. 

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The frozen section can seem like a bargain, but it's often full of small amounts of subpar food in deceptively-large packaging. The homemade version of french toast sticks is super simple to make, absolutely delicious, and shockingly cheap as well. 

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Why buy expensive, lukewarm, slimy deli salad when you can make it quickly and easily in your own kitchen?

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As long as you have a food processor, homemade butter doesn't have to be a pioneer-era relic. You'll only need 20 minutes before you can try this creamy, soothing homemade staple for yourself.

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There are so many problems with grocery store hamburger buns: it's hard to find the perfect size, you usually end up wasting a few because you can't buy the exact number you want, and they just don't taste very good. This recipe fixes all those problems. 

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Toaster pastries are super addicting, and they go fast. Before long, the cost really starts adding up. This homemade version is just as tasty, but it's healthier for you and for your wallet.

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If you've never tried homemade peanut butter before, you're in for a real treat. It might be a little different from the stuff everyone remembers growing up with, but if you give it a real shot, there's no way you'll end up regretting it. The flavor and texture are out of this world!

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For the amount of quality it sacrifices, frozen pizza doesn't even save you too much money. Homemade pizza is simple, easy, and oh so delicious.

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Child entrepreneurs have been capitalizing on how cheap lemonade is to make for decades now. If they can figure it out, there's no reason you should be stuck paying the retail price. Plus, homemade lemonade is so much better than the watery stuff you can buy at the store. 

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