One of my habits is seeing a picture on Pinterest and thinking, “I could make that!” Whether it’s something as straightforward as a recipe or something that would take a bit of guesswork, like a Halloween costume, I believe that I could successfully replicate it. Maybe it’s naïve, maybe it’s self-sabotaging, or maybe it is just the way I was raised.
I have so many people in my family who are incredibly gifted creators. There are knitters, quilters, bakers, sewers, and professional artists. One of my cousins even illustrates her own designs and letterpresses them herself on her own press. And they’re all very good at what they do.
With a family culture built around homemade creativity done well, I have become someone who thinks homemade is often the best.
There is a time and place for the store bought, and having the time and resources to make anything, from food to decor, is a privilege lots of people don’t have. But if you’re lucky enough to have the resources, often the homemade really does look, taste, and feel better. And more often than not, it’s actually even less expensive.
So whether you’re feeling crafty or you’re looking to save a few dollars, here is a list of things to try making yourself instead of buying at the store.
Bread and Rolls
My grandma’s crescent rolls are legendary, and luckily all of us in the family have the recipe. I don’t care how much of a Rhodes roll devotee you are, these are better. They’re dense while also feeling light and buttery, and they’re absolutely perfect thing to slather with jam or to stuff with the leftover turkey the day after Thanksgiving. I could eat them by the pound. Plus, I can make the dough ahead, freeze it, and pull it out any day I want hot, fresh rolls.
One of the great things about making bread and rolls from home is that they take very few ingredients: often all you need is flour, water, yeast or starter, and a little salt. Some rolls call for sugar or butter, and the really fancy bread may add in extra ingredients for flavor, but generally, you can expect a short ingredient list.
And there are few things as delicious as warm bread with a bit of salty butter.
Tortillas
The texture of homemade tortillas is completely different from store-bought tortillas. There is no way to mimic the crackle you get of a homemade tortilla cooked on the stove because it still preserves a bit of fluffy softness too. Make them for your next burrito night or even just to have on hand for a quick quesadilla lunch.
Laundry Detergent
I don’t know about you, but I always feel a tiny bit grumpy when I have to buy lots of cleaning supplies at the store. They’re so expensive, but there is no getting away from the fact that they’re necessities. Such is life!
If you’re like me and looking to save where you can, try making your own laundry detergent. Whether you’re making powder or liquid detergent, the ingredient list is simple. Most detergents require washing soda, Borax, and a bar of soap like Fels-Naptha or Dr. Bronner’s.
One of the benefits of making your own detergent is that you can also personalize the scent. Add a few drops of essential oils to your detergent for a fresh smell on your favorite blouse, or keep it fragrance-free for sensitive skin!
Pasta
Some people make the mistake of thinking they can’t make their own pasta if they don’t have the right attachment or a dedicated pasta machine. Sure, those tools might make it easier, but if you have a rolling pin and a knife, you are just as capable of making your own chewy, delicious pasta. Like bread, making pasta only takes a few ingredients: flour, eggs, olive oil, and salt, so give it a go!
Seasoning Blends, like Taco Seasoning
I was halfway through making our taco dinner a couple weeks ago when the dreaded happened: I didn’t have the taco seasoning I swore was sitting in the cabinet. The meat was already cooking in the pan, and we were on a deadline before baseball practice.
Before loading my kids into the car and hauling us to the store in a frenzy to get what we needed, I looked up if I could make the seasoning myself at home. Turns out taco seasoning was a simple mixture of other spices I already had on hand and people had been doing it for years.
Making your own seasoning blends was popular because it helped you avoid preservatives and MSG in your mixes. It felt like something that should have been obvious; I just hadn’t thought of it before. Now I know, and now so do you.
Crackers and Croutons
Croutons are not just a delicious addition to your salads but are also a great way to help you not waste your leftovers. That bit of baguette or the end of the sourdough loaf that didn’t get eaten last night? Cut it up into one-inch cubes. Toss those cubes in a mixture of olive oil, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Optionally, add butter or parmesan. Then, bake your bread on a parchment-lined pan for about 20 minutes at 375 degrees, or until your croutons are golden and crispy. That’s it! Salad and soup night just got upgraded.
Jams and Preserves
I still dream about the peach raspberry jam my mom makes. She has a perfect peach tree beside the back porch and a bush of raspberries in the back corner of the yard, so she’s spoiled with fresh ingredients, and most years, there is an abundance of leftover fruit that gets made into the world’s best jam. This jam has been a family recipe since my great-grandma Dorothy, who also had her own peach tree.
Preserving and canning was a common family tradition in the past, since it made it possible for families to enjoy their produce all winter. As someone who has benefitted from those who make their own jam and who preserve their garden harvest, I can tell you it’s worth it!
Ketchup, Mustard, and Barbecue Sauce
Many of your favorite condiments are made with some combination of tomato, vinegar, and spices! For full impact on flavor and budget, give this one a go.
Broth & Stock
Making your own broth or stock is maybe the easiest item on this list. It’s all just a matter of tossing your ingredients in a pot of water, bringing it to a boil, then letting it stay on a simmer.
Similar to making croutons, making broth or stock helps you to avoid waste, since you can use the scraps from other meals. Use leftover scraps like vegetable peelings, onion ends, or herb stems to make vegetable broth. You can also use carrots or celery with your herbs and onions. Plop the ingredients in your water and let it simmer for an hour.
Vegetable broth is generally considered the easiest because it doesn’t require any bone or meat cleanup. For chicken or meat broth, throw your leftover rotisserie chicken carcass and meat scraps in the pot and let it simmer for two hours. If you want bone stock, simmer raw or roasted bones for four to six hours to extract the collagen and gelatin.
Hummus
When my nephew was a toddler, he could eat hummus by the tub full. Who can blame him? If only my sister had known making creamy, delicious hummus is as easy a blending up a few ingredients, she could have had fresh hummus in a matter of minutes.
Granola
I am dedicated to the Good & Gather Double Chocolate Granola. It’s perfect when you need a chocolatey treat. But my friend Heather keeps a stock of homemade granola ready to take to anyone who moves in or who needs a pick-me-up. It’s a good day when she shows up on your porch with a jar of this granola. It’s nutty, toasty, and just the right amount of sweet.
I’ve since snagged the recipe from her, and I have to admit that this homemade granola is much, much better than any granolas I can buy at the store.
Like all homemade things, making your own granola also gives you the freedom to personalize it to your own diet and tastes. Need grain-free? You got it. Want no added sugar? It’s all up to you!
Holiday Decorations
Let’s take it back to the days of handmade tree ornaments, paper mache pumpkins, and handwritten place cards. Martha Stewart is proof that handmade decorations are classy and fun and often long lasting. Every year you pull it out for the season, you’ll also get to reminisce about years past. So make it a funny craft with your kids or grandkids and you’ll enjoy not just the craft but the memory.
Halloween Costumes
I have gotten myself into deep water with this one. What started out as an aversion to fully store-bought costumes (where is the creativity in that?!) has become a months-long project each year of making my children’s Halloween costumes. This year, my kids wanted to be the Pevensie children from The Chronicles of Narnia, so my spare moments of early fall were all about painting EVA foam for armor and sewing and embroidering Renaissance-style dresses. Everything turned out well, but even I am going to have to turn it down a notch next year.
Don’t let me lead you away from making your own costumes! It doesn’t need to be intense. But almost without fail, if you make the costume, it will hold up better than any cheap alternative you might buy online.
Soap
Imagine how satisfying it would be to pick up the bar of soap, to smell it as it lathers, and think, “I made this!” It’s a gift to yourself that keeps on giving.
Clothing
Sewing is not the easiest place to start on this list, but it may be one of the most rewarding. So much of today’s clothing is made with synthetic material, like polyester, which doesn’t hold up the same as high-quality natural fibers like cotton, wool, or linen do; and, somehow, you still pay a premium for plastic clothes.
By sewing your own clothes, the items in your wardrobe will not only be made out of better material, but will fit to your exact proportions and style. No more relying on generalized sizes and mass-marketed trends that are awful for the planet. You can help slow down fast-fashion overconsumption by making and mending your own pieces.
Candles
Candles are one of the easiest ways to add a bit of cozy to your home, but hunting down a scent that feels just right can be hard. So why not just make the perfect combination yourself? Making candles is actually easier than you might think, and it would be the perfect activity for a family evening, date night, or girl’s gathering.
Salad Dressing
Salad dressing is incredibly easy to make at home, and making your own helps you avoid the gooeyness of store-bought dressing.
Dish Scrubbers
I still have a stack of crocheted dish scrubbers that I used every day. They’re the perfect rag for wiping up table messes and for scrubbing away the remains off the plate after a meal. I swear that every grandmother knows how to make these, and they are a great introduction to knitting and crocheting.
Rag Rugs
One of the great things about rag rugs is that you can pick exactly what colors you want for your space. Rag rugs are also durable, soft underfoot, and bring wonderful natural texture to a space. Growing up, I had one in my bedroom, and now my son has one in his. It adds a little funk to his room while also feeling special.
Body Scrub
One summer while visiting my grandparents, my paternal grandma suggested we make a sugar hand scrub for fun. I had never even heard of sugar scrubs, so I didn’t really know what to expect. What I did know, however, was that my skin was not at its best. I lived in a much more humid place, and visiting the Utah desert had dried me out.
I’ll always remember my grandma’s hands, spotted with age but soft and elegant mixing in a bit of lavender scent to the scrub and gently massaging it into my little hands. The shock I felt after rinsing away the scrub was pretty big for a kid. My skin was actually smooth and moisturized! It felt like a little miracle.
A Refocusing on Creativity and Underconsumption
No matter how many of these you try, the mindset of making over spending brings with it a healthy rewiring of our brains. We recognize what we really need and what we don’t. We realize how capable we are of creating with our own minds and hands. We take our spending into more careful consideration. We get mindfulness and beauty and function all at once. I’d call that a win.