Well, you don’t have to mix it one to one with water. And usually I will toss in some fresh spinach leaves, or maybe half a chopped up onion. Toss in some bacon bits! Use your imagination!
My point is that if you use a crock pot with fresh ingredients, you get a lot more soup for less moolah. Fresh ingredients tend to be cheaper, and if you like adding your own ingredients to taste, it isn’t too much trouble to start from scratch and get an infinitely better soup.