DIYing things you'd never think to DIY

Upon the untimely coinciding of our main vehicle dying right when we were in the process of moving to a new (and slightly more expensive) rental we decided our food and household budget was the only place that could take a hit. I poured over the previous few months receipts and identified some things we could simply cut out--such as my beloved Propel water packets. Those cuts weren't enough still, though, so I launched into the great "what all can I DIY?" scheme. I kicked the natural laundry detergent and dish soap off the list, replaced with a homemade mix of borax, washing soda and fels naphtha soap that I grate in my food processor. Frozen broccoli turned into a couple hours of chopping, blanching and freezing monthly. Most of our meat-analog budget turned into potatoes and other soup ingredients to process and freeze monthly. Instead of Idahoan cans in my cart there's now bulk bags from Winco with powdered potatoes. Several gallons of milk a week turned into a giant box of milk powder from Walmart. After more painful cuts than I could believe, we got it down to the point we could afford the new vehicle as well as the new house. It takes some real creativity at the end of the month to keep the troops happy with the by-then meager options, but what other option is there really!