Build a better {and cheaper} trail mix - Eat, Drink, and Save Money (2024)

I can’t be the only one who has had the genius idea to make their own trail mix, right? It seems so easy. You buy some nuts, berries, and chocolate and put them together then, bam, you have trail mix. For some reason, every time I’ve tried to make some I end up spending way more money that I would have if I’d bought the pre-made stuff. I don’t understand how something that should be so cheap and easy ends up costing me twice as much as the packaged trail mix.

The problem for me is the same problem that I always have: I have expensive taste. I don’t want a cheapo trail mix with low quality nuts. No, I want the fancy ones with pecans and walnuts. No offense to the peanut lovers out there! I still love me some peanuts, but I like a variety of nuts in my trail mix. In fact, I like a variety of everything in my trail mix which is one of the reasons I’ve always spent too much money to make my own. A recent trip to Trader Joe’s gave me inspiration to try again and I’m happy to report that this trail mix is cheap, easy and delicious! Follow these tips to build a cheaper trail mix.

• Don’t start from scratch- go ahead and pick up the cheapest trail mix you can find. Usually they consist of peanuts, dried fruit and chocolate. This will be your base and you can usually find a bag for as little as $3.99. This is way cheaper than buying all of those ingredients separately.
• Buy nuts from the baking section, not the nut section- I don’t know why nuts are cheaper in the baking section. Maybe it is because they are plain and have no seasoning. Whatever the reason, I’m happy about it. They are usually $1-2 cheaper than the snack nuts.
• Add a splurge- My current favorite splurge to add to trail mix is dark chocolate covered almonds.
• Mix it all together and you’ve got your very own cheap and delicious trail mix.

I’d love to hear your favorite trail mix additions. What is your go to trail mix? Do you make your own or buy it pre-packaged?

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