Over the years, I’ve found that making certain things myself has become one of the simplest ways to not only save money, but also make everyday life feel a little richer and more beautiful. There's a unique blend of accomplishment, satisfaction, and quiet confidence that comes from making things with our hands. It's such a deeply human skill.
At the same time, as someone who greatly values simplicity, anything I make instead of buying has to be simple and/or enjoyable enough to become part of my routine. I'm definitely not making everything from scratch, but the things below are the ones that have stuck over the years and genuinely made my life better in the process. I’d love to hear about yours as well!
Bread - I learned to bake sourdough back when everybody else did, during Spring 2020, and it’s become such a cherished weekly ritual. Around here, our homemade bread is every bit as good as, if not better than, what we'd get from the local bakeries, so making it ourselves is an easy choice. It saves us money, gives us incredible bread, and is an such a relaxing, tactile experience. I wrote a more in-depth post about my sourdough routine, recipe, and tips here.
Salad dressing - Salad dressing is so easy to make at home, and as a huge bonus, you have complete control over the ingredients and don't have to deal with all the preservatives, stabilizers, emulsifiers, and other additives that are so common in store-bought dressings. Learning the ratio for a simple vinaigrette alone can change your cooking life for the better, it’s such a versatile dressing: 2 parts oil to 1 part vinegar, plus a spoonful of Dijon mustard, sweetener to taste if preferred, minced shallot or garlic, salt & pepper.
Broth and stock - I got into the habit of saving stock-friendly scraps like onion skins and ends, carrot peels, celery tops, herb stems, mushroom stems, garlic skins, chicken bones, and leftover meat bones in a bag in the freezer. Once the bag is full, I simmer everything with a whole onion and carrot or two into a rich homemade broth that’s worlds better than what’s at the store.
Granola - Amanda’s recipe is my favorite, and is great for gifting, too. I love that I can control the amount of sweetener when making granola, as I find most store-bought ones a little too sweet.
Ghee - Homemade tastes so good, and I’m able to infuse it with different spices/herbs if I want.
Certain seasonal condiments like preserved lemons, apple sauce and apple butter, pesto to freeze, etc. - These come out cheaper than store-bought, yes, but I especially love how these small preserving projects help me mark and celebrate the seasons and the passage of time.
Cleaning spray - A 1:1 mixture of vinegar and water, sometimes infused with citrus peels or pine needles, is what I use as an all-purpose cleaning spray. It's so simple, very inexpensive, and works well for nearly all of our everyday cleaning.
Dishwashing spray - A drop of Sal Suds in a spray bottle full of water is how we wash our dishes. For anything that needs to soak, I add a drop of Sal Suds to a sink full of water instead. It's a very concentrated product, so a little goes a very long way. As a bonus, I love how an amber glass bottle looks on the counter vs a branded bottle of dishsoap.
Seasonal decor - This is where I either lean heavily on treasures gathered from nature or go all out making family heirlooms. For example, last winter, I quilted and cross-stitched Christmas stockings for our family, pictured above.
Play dough - I use this recipe, and making the play dough has become a fun activity in itself.
Crafts - I rarely buy craft-specific materials, and instead, we get creative using what we have, which is usually old packaging material, scrap paper, gift wrap, and Washi tape.
Simple summer tops (within reason) - We love linen bedsheets, but I’ve also found that they have a shorter lifespan than cotton and end up tearing a few years in. I like using the old sheets to make flowy tops for myself - they often end up being my most worn and favorite summer pieces.
Sweaters - Ever since I learned to knit, I usually look at a cute sweater in a store and think, I could probably make that. That feeling is especially strong when it comes to sweaters for my son. Children's clothes are tiny, don't require much yarn, and are therefore relatively quick to knit. While I might still buy some sweaters, knitting has become my first instinct whenever I see one I'd love to have.
Facial masks - There are so many common kitchen ingredients that make for the most lush facial masks. My favorites are honey and yogurt.
Herbal infusions and tea blends - I love buying loose leaf herbs (either from our local herb store, Mountain Rose Herbs, or even Amazon carries brands like Starwest Botanicals and Frontier Coop) to make custom tea blends and blends for the nutritive herbal infusions that I drink almost every day. They taste so much more flavorful than tea bags and are far more cost-effective than buying specialty loose-leaf teas. Homemade tea blends also make for thoughtful gifts!
Thank you so much for reading! I’d love to hear what things you’ve come to like making instead of buying.
Follow along on Instagram for more ideas on simple living and mindful spending. This is the budget spreadsheet I use to track our spending in one calm, organized place (MASHA10 for 10% off).
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