Want to save money on your favorite store-bought foods?

Try making it yourself.

Mixes for biscuits, pancakes, waffles, gravy and other sauces, seasonings and salad dressings are plentiful on the Internet, says Virginia “Ginny” Garnard, K-State Research and Extension nutrition educator in Riley County.

They’re almost always cheaper than buying the ready-made types from the stores.

One example is an old standby — the Master Mix, an economical homemade mix of flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, nonfat dry milk and shortening that is used for biscuits, pancakes, waffles or coffee cake.

The cost to make Master Mix varies with the quantities of the staples purchased. Buying a 10- or 20-pound bag of flour is, for example, generally less expensive per pound than buying a 5-pound bag.

Another go-to mix is taco seasoning. The cost of a homemade mix is about 14 cents, compared with commercial mixes priced from 69 to 99 cents per package.

And an added benefit: The mix recipes often are lower in calories, carbohydrates and sodium than their commercial counterparts, Barnard says.

MASTER MIX

4 cups all-purpose flour

4 cups whole-wheat flour

1 1/2 cups nonfat dry milk

1/4 cup baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup vegetable shortening or margarine

Stir dry ingredients together until well-mixed. Cut in vegetable shortening or margarine until well-mixed. Store in closed, covered jar or can. Refrigerate to keep longer than one month or if margarine is used. Stir lightly before using in recipes. Makes 10 cups.

— Shawnee County Research & Extension

TACO SEASONING MIX

1/3 cup instant minced onions

1 tablespoon crushed dried red pepper

3 tablespoons salt

1 tablespoon instant minced garlic

1 tablespoon curry powder

3 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 teaspoons oregano

Combine all ingredients. Store in a jar and cover tightly. To use, measure 2 tablespoons to equal a package. Makes eight packages or 1 cup of mix.

— University of Maine Cooperative Extension

SPAGHETTI SAUCE SEASONING MIX

1/2 cup instant minced onion

1/2 cup parsley flakes

1/2 cup cornstarch

3 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Combine all ingredients. Store in a jar and cover tightly. Recipe makes eight packets of mix. Measure out 1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon mix for each packet.

— University of Maine Cooperative Extension.