Save with homemade spice blends -- Savings Experiment

We all like jazzing up our food with a little seasoning, but buying all those herbs and flavors can quickly swallow up your savings. Here are some easy recipes using ingredients you can get from the dollar store.

Let's start the fiesta with some taco seasoning. Get the list of spices below, measure them out, put them in a jar and mix them up. In addition to tacos, this mix is great for popcorn, soup and scrambled eggs.

For a delicious chili seasoning that will heat things up, just mix paprika, ground cumin, cayenne pepper, oregano and garlic powder. You'll love the added flavor this adds to your chili, burgers and french fries.

For that New Orleans kick, try some Cajun seasoning. This seasoning will give an edge to your jambalaya or shrimp dishes that will be absolutely irresistible.

And finally, no party dip is complete without Dill Seasoning. This mix is perfect for Mediterranean dishes that call for Tzatziki sauce along with tuna and chicken salads.

All this might seem like extra work for some, but buying spices at the dollar store and mixing at home can save you up to 90 percent compared to store bought blends. Give these recipes a try and you'll see that making your own seasoning can spice up your savings.

Taco Seasoning:
1 tbsp chili powder
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp onion powder
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
¼ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp paprika
1 ½ tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Chili Seasoning:
1 tsp paprika
2 tsps ground cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp oregano
2 tsps garlic powder

Cajun Seasoning:
1 tsp cayenne
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 ¼ tsp dried oregano
2 ½ tsp paprika
1 ½ tsp cumin
2 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper

Dill Seasoning:
1 tsp dried dill
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tbsp dried onion flakes
1 tsp salt

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