Make your own colored sugar

Don't spend money on colored sugar to decorate cakes and cookies! A drop or two of food coloring added to a quarter up of plain granulated sugar, then shaken vigorously, is exactly the same... and a lot cheaper. Experiment with beet juice or strong tea. If two drops won't do it, try three.

Make Your Own "Corn Syrup"

If you want to make something but you're out of corn syrup, or if you're like me and want to avoid as many GMO corn products as possible, you can make a good substitute by adding a quarter cup of water to a cup of sugar. Mix it well and cook until it's syrupy when you put a drop into cold water. Don't overcook it because it will become like hard candy. Store and use just like corn syrup.

Use it all

Always use all of everything. Turn bottles upside down and drain to get the last bit from them. Tear open sugar and flour sacks to get it all; squeeze or cut open tubes of anything to use it all before buying more. You bought it to use, not throw away.

Powdered sugar

Make your own powdered sugar: Process a cup of granulated sugar and a generous tablespoon of cornstarch in your blender until it's powder. That's one less product to buy and store.