Pickles are so easy to make you really can't mess them up. We make them all the time and never buy store bought. It's as easy as filling a jar with water, vinegar, and spices, all very cheap ingredients. The store bought one's have stuff I can't pronounce in it that isn't even needed to make a pickle, so we make our own. For what a jar of pickles cost at the store I can make about 4 jars of homemade pickles.