Cook Fast, Live Young: Spice it Up and Save Money with Homemade Seasoning Recipes

Did you know that spices lose their strength after just 6 months? You can make better use of them at their peak by creating your own seasoning mixes instead of spending an extra $2 to $10 at the store. You'll be doing good for the environment by eliminating the amount of food and packaging you waste while also going easy on your wallet, since chances are you'll already have the ingredients you need at home.

If you don't have one or two of the ingredients, you may be fine to skip it, or you can check the Cook's Thesaurus ingredient substitutions.

To store the spices, you can use plastic bags or purchase reusable tins. Whatever container you use, be sure it is airtight to keep the mix fresh!

With only 18 spices, you can make these 6 common seasoning mixes.

Blackening Seasoning

1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Italian Seasoning

2 tablespoons dried basil
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon thyme
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Meatloaf Seasoning

2 teaspoons dried mustard
2 teaspoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons basil
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder

Seafood Seasoning

1 tablespoon black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons dried mustard
1 tablespoon ground bay leaves
2 1/2 teaspoons celery salt
1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Sloppy Joe Seasoning

8 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon allspice

(To make the meal, simmer 2 ¾ tablespoons of the mix, a 6 oz. can of tomato paste and 1 cup of water for 15 minutes. Add to fully-cooked ground beef.)

Taco Seasoning

1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin

Have a favorite mix of your own? Share a link to the recipe--or the recipe itself--in the comments.

Juliana Weiss-Roessler has ten years of professional writing and editing experience. For four years, she managed the web content for the star of an Emmy-nominated reality series. Currently, she is an editor for the geek girl e-zine PinkRaygun.com, a contributor to the career blog at Resumark.com, and owner of the food blog CookFastLiveYoung.blogspot.com. Follow her @cookfast on Twitter and learn more about her work at WeissRoessler.com.