When my daughter was early on in trying solid foods, I pureed many of my own fruits and veggies, which is much, much cheaper than buying the purees from the store-plus had no additive ingredients. If you don't want to do that, however, there are still great ways to save money and avoid being scammed.

Buy "adult" applesauce with no sugar added, rather than paying a dollar for two tiny tubs of applesauce-with less waste to boot.

Never buy "toddler" entrees or even the cookies and crackers aimed at toddlers. They are just more expensive versions of canned and convenience foods. If you don't mind your child eating those, just buy the adult versions. Open a can of your own green beans (you can rinse the salt), or boil your own pasta, better yet.

Buy cereals that seem easy to hold, and are low in sugar, such as Kix or Cheerios, or similar. Your child doesn't care that the packaging doesn't say "for new eaters" or something on it.

Puree whatever you are having, as long as it doesn't contain something your child can't eat. The little jars that call themselves things like "macaroni and cheese" tend to have lots of other random ingredients thrown in as filler. If you make macaroni and cheese, or some chicken, toss some in the food processor. You can also freeze the results, to keep them longer.