Instead of buying expensive potting soil – I can’t even bring myself to buy it at Big Lots – I make my own. I start with peat moss which I do buy, but it isn’t very expensive, and it goes a long way when I mix it with my free ingredients. If I can get dry manure free all the better, but if not then I purchase it at my local nursery.
I then layer equal layers of peat moss, dry manure, and dry leaves and/or grass clippings (collected and saved throughout the year) in whatever container(s) I’m planting in. I crumble the leaves between my fingers but the grass clippings are fine as is. After filling the container to the level I want my soil, I mix it well. Then, I place my plants into my new “soil”. They love this mixture, and eventually the pot is full of rich soil that has composted from the mix I made.
This method works well on a larger scale if you’re needing to supplement the soil in a garden.