OK, so this isn’t something that you make that requires a stove, but it’s my new favorite frugal snack and I had to share. It’s DIY trail mix, and I could eat it as my three squares a day.

I’ve always loved trail mix, especially the ones with M&Ms in them, but I’ve found it to be expensive. In some places where you can buy it in bulk, they charge $9.99 per pound. No thanks. I’ll make my own and save the money.

No measurements are necessary when making DIY trail mix; you can just eyeball the amounts. Here’s what you need or rather what I use:

peanuts (honey roasted are a fave)
chocolate chips
dried cranberries

I just put these all into a ramekin in fairly equal parts, cover with my hand and give a good shake. I like to have a tall glass of water sitting nearby since this snack makes my thirsty.

If you want to spice things up, you could add other kinds of nuts or go for chocolate-covered dried cranberries or raisins, or splurge and add M&Ms or Peanut M&Ms.

I just finished a small helping of my DIY trail mix (which was dessert for me tonight), and I’m set for the evening. Yum.