It's a matter of....Condensed Soup....

Cream of Mushroom or Cream of Chicken soup are such staples in many American Kitchens.  They also can be a little costly.  So, here is a really unique option for you to consider.  I love it!

The cost of a name brand can of Cream of Mushroom soup can be as much as $1.39 a can.  So, if you decided to purchase  9 cans, it would cost you $12.51.

Enter a new star to the show.....Condensed Soup Mix.  Let's take a look at the recipe:

Condensed Soup Mix (www.Budget101.com  )

2 c Nonfat dry milk
3/4 c Cornstarch
2 tb Dried minced onion flakes
1/2 ts Pepper
1/4 c Instant chicken bouillon, or other flavor
1 t Crushed basil – optional
1 t Crushed thyme -- optional

Combine all ingredients, mixing well. Store in airtight container. This makes 3 cups of mix, the equivalent to about 9 cans of soup.

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  To use: combine 1/3 cup of mix with 1 1/4 cups of water in saucepan. Cook and stir until thickened or add mix and water to browned and drained casserole meat and cook in skillet or saucepan with other casserole ingredients or use instead of canned soup in any casserole. 

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  This mix has about 1/3 the calories and sodium as purchased condensed soup

Isn't this awesome?  I have used this for some time now and it works very well.  Let's look at the cost of making the mix......

For the Condensed Soup Mix the costs are:


2 c Nonfat dry milk -- $1.32
3/4 c Cornstarch -- $.05
2 tb Dried minced onion flakes -- $.16
1/2 ts Pepper -- $.16
1/4 c Instant chicken bouillon -- $1.09

Total Cost: $2.78 for the equivalent of 9 cans of condensed soup.

Again, isn't that awesome!  So the cost savings between the mix and the actual canned goods is $9.73.  That is a 77% savings! 

You may ask, how well does it works?  I have used it in casseroles, and soups.  My family did not know I used it and there were not any complaints.  I also like the fact that is is Non-Fat, and it uses many food storage staples.

This is something I highly recommend you try, it works very, very well.