My family LOVES cheesecake!!! We would buy it from grocery stores for anywhere from $15.00 to $20.00 for a platter. Well, times got hard after we were laid off from our jobs, so we had to learn to get what we wanted in a more frugal way so I learned how to make my own cheesecake and I'm going to share it with you now. Most of these ingredients can be found in your cabinets as we speak! Exciting right?

Preparation time: 15mins

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar
8 ounces cream cheese (I always use the softened kind)
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened

2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 graham cracker crust (I buy mines from the store)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl mix cream cheese, sugar and butter until smooth and blended well. 

2. Fold in whipped topping until blended well. 

3. Pour cheesecake filling mixture into graham cracker crust.

4. Cover and chill until firm approx 45 mins.

VOILA!!!! Your own homemade cheesecake in an hour or less!

OPTIONAL: If you'd like a chocolate cheesecake, just add 1 1/2 cups of melted chocolate chips between step 1  & 2.