I keep jars of Orrington Farms Broth Bases on hand, which taste better than granules and canned broths, and are much cheaper. You get 56 cups of broth per Orrington jar (about $3.50 per jar), compared to $1.00 per can of Swanson's canned broth.
This recipe I made with their beef broth base, which contains little salt and no msg. I don't know how granules will work, as they are salty, but don't use bullion cubes.
This recipe yields the equivalent of 2 boxes or 4 packages (cost $3.20) and it costs about $1.50.