Saving Money with Homemade Pantry Staples

Store-bought convenience comes with a real price tag – and for items you reach for every week, that cost adds up fast. In this free nutritional education class, Kelsy Baker, MS, RDN of Sound Dietitians, LLC walks through how to make your most-used pantry staples at home for a fraction of the cost, with side-by-side price comparisons, simple recipes, and storage tips so nothing goes to waste. Hosted by Kristina Wigren of Stilly Valley Health Connections, this class is part of the free monthly Budget-Friendly Series – explore more in our free class recordings library.

What’s covered in this class:

• Cost comparisons across common pantry staples – homemade granola runs about 18 cents per ounce vs. 46 cents store bought (60% savings); salad dressing costs $1.25-1.75 per 16 ounces vs. $4 at the store; hummus comes in at $1.50-2 per 10 ounces vs. $4.50; trail mix saves about 50%; DIY spice blends save up to 86% over pre-mixed jars; and homemade Kind-style bars cost about 48 cents each vs. $1.25-1.75 at the store
• Savory homemade staples and snacks – a basic spice blend formula (two parts garlic, two parts onion, one part paprika, one part black pepper) to replace expensive pre-mixed jars; roasted chickpeas (about $1 per two cups vs. $5-6 for a store bought bag); homemade popcorn seasoned with custom spice blends; baked tortilla or pita chips (a good use for bread that’s going stale); seasoned roasted nuts from bulk-bin raw nuts; and homemade oven fries
• Sweet snacks and grab-and-go protein options – energy bites (oats + nut butter + honey or dates + dried fruit or chocolate, no baking required, store in the fridge or freezer); homemade applesauce using seasonal Washington apples at roughly $1 per pound with no added sugar; banana “ice cream” blended from frozen bananas and your milk of choice; hard-boiled eggs at 25 cents each vs. $3-4 for pre-peeled packs; bulk Greek yogurt parfaits and overnight oats prepped four to six jars at a time; and block cheese cut at home vs. pre-shredded or string cheese
• Storage tips and local Snohomish County resources – use airtight jars or containers and label everything with a date; store nuts and seeds in the fridge or freezer to prevent them from going rancid; refrigerate homemade dressings and use within one to two weeks; local resources mentioned include Grocery Outlet, WinCo in Everett and Lynnwood (bulk bins), and the Snohomish County Food Bank Coalition, with a note that SNAP and WIC benefits can be used at participating stores