Want to make your own trail mix? Oatmeal cups? Flavored cream cheese? Frozen taquitos? There are loads of convenience foods you can make better and cheaper yourself.

Pictured: Instant Oatmeal Packets: How to Make Your Own

There are a lot of things out there that are convenient to grab when you’re out and about. The grocery shelves are filled with snacks and goodies and premade concoctions that are easy to serve at home.

These “convenience” foods make life easier, to be sure, but they can be less than good for us, overly priced, or both.

You Can Make Convenience Foods Better & For Less Money

You probably already know that my heart belongs to homemade. Back in the day when I was young and wrinkle-free, I made lots of things homemade, from 80’s scrunchies to calico shorts, pie crust to popovers.

The casual observer might have thought I was being snobbish, but honestly, I just wanted to save money making things myself.

And have matching shorts and scrunchies. (What can I say, it was the 80s?)

And delicious pies.

And yummy popovers.

Pictured: Good Cheap Eats Cookbook

Over the years in an effort to maximize our resources and enjoy great food at the same time, I’ve slowly started making more of those things that I count as expensive junk food.

I don’t want to be held hostage by frozen foods, bottled beverages, or snack pack sizes of anything. I want fun food to reign at my house, but not at the expense of good health or high prices.

I want to encourage my husband in his desire of eating better and more economically at work, and for my kids to enjoy great homemade food so that they don’t grow up having to mend their ways.

To make cooking and eating just a little more enjoyable and a little bit cheaper?

Who can say no to that?

Make convenience foods yourself.

Making your own convenience foods isn’t exactly “convenient”. There’s a reason why these products are so very popular. They’re easy to grab and throw in your cart. The marketers have convinced you that it’s too hard or too expensive to make it yourself.

It’s true. There’s a history of food manufacturers realizing that if they can just convince the consumer that it’s too hard to mix together flour, butter, and eggs to make a cake on her own, then she will buy the cake mix.

The mix that she has to add butter and eggs to anyway!

(Michael Moss‘ book, Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us is a great read if you want to learn more.)

Pictured: Ultimate Carrot Cake

I’ve reaped numerous benefits in making convenience foods myself, including be able to:

experiment with new recipes and things I’ve been hesitant to attempt on a regular basis, like homemade bagels – they are delicious!

perfect some old favorites that we already love, like tamales

develop more strategies that will help my family eat better and cheaper, even when we crave “junk food”

make packing lunches and road trip food a little bit tastier, healthier, and less expensive

Now, there is a reason why manufacturers do so well, selling convenience foods. Some things just aren’t better to make yourself. In the sense that they take a long time or have elaborate prep steps or just don’t cost that much less homemade.

A rotisserie chicken from Costco is easier and about the same price as roasting a chicken myself, so I’m more apt to buy one than to go the DIY route.

However, there are quite a few things that are definitely better (& cheaper!) homemade. Check out these recipes and give one a try!

Convenience Foods You Can Make Better & Cheaper Yourself Homemade Corn Tortillas that Will Rock Your Taco Night The taste of homemade corn tortillas just can't be beat. You'll never want to buy the bagged variety again. And you'll be pleased to see how easy they are to make! Continue Reading Easy Cheese Pizza with Homemade Pizza Sauce Say goodbye to frozen pizzas forever. This easy cheesy pizza will become a Friday night tradition. Continue Reading Seasoned Rice Pilaf (like Rice-a-Roni but better & cheaper!) Enjoy the San Francisco treat without all the preservatives. This seasoned rice pilaf is the perfect, easy side dish! Continue Reading Homemade Onion Soup Mix to Replace that Foil Packet Soups, stews, roasts, and casseroles will be packed with flavor with this homemade dry onion soup mix you can make yourself. Continue Reading Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup for Cooking Ditch the can, man. You can make your own cream of chicken soup for cooking! It tastes delicious and has no preservatives or ingredients you can't pronounce. Continue Reading Basic Vinaigrette Better than the Bottle Homemade vinaigrette dressing mixes up in minutes, making for the ideal homemade substitute for bottled salad dressings that are full of salt, sugar, and fat. Continue Reading Delicious Ranch Dressing You Can Make in Minutes A handful of spices are all you need to mix up your own buttermilk ranch dressing at home. It's tastier and exceedingly fresher tasting than the bottled variety. Continue Reading Marinara Sauce Simple Enough for Everyday Jarred marinara sauce may be cheap, but this sauce takes just minutes to prepare yourself at home -- and it tastes so much better! Continue Reading Homemade Salsa - It's Easier than You Think! Canned salsa is for other folks. Enjoy fresher flavors for less when you make your own salsa at home. Continue Reading Orange Cinnamon Rolls that Don't Come in a Can Skip the bakery section. These orange cinnamon rolls are just the perfect start to the day. Fresh flavors and nothing artificial! Continue Reading Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits to Make at Home As cool as canned biscuits can be, these taste so much better. You'll taste the difference in the very first bite! Continue Reading Ditch the Frozen Crust with this Easy Pat in Pan Pie Crust Recipe No more frozen or refrigerated pie crusts. This one comes together quickly and easily and tastes amazing! Continue Reading

This post was originally published in September 2013. It has been updated for clarity and relevance.