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Trying to be frugal: Drinking cheaper

By Meg | February 6, 2008

This post is part of a series on the frugal things that my husband and I do — as well as some things we’re still working on. For more background information, please check out the introduction to the series. Other posts in the series will appear as links in the comments section.

The money you spend on drinks can very quickly add up, almost invisibly. If you’re trying to cut costs like us, it’s a good place to look for extra money.

Kick the habit

Fortunately, I hardly ever drink soda. That’s a habit that I am proud to have kicked a few years ago and I really don’t miss it. Soda is unhealthy on so many levels and it’s not cheap. I highly suggest cutting down on it whether you’re concerned about your health or finances. (Same goes for frou-frou coffee drinks, milk shakes, smoothies, and so on.)

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not the easiest thing to cold turkey, but take it slowly and it’s very easy to do.

Yes, water has different flavors

Originally, I tried to just drink tap water chilled in the fridge. However, the taste of the water at our last two apartments was pretty awful. I switched to Evian water because I liked the taste. It wasn’t cheap, but it was a lot healthier. Then I eventually switched to the generic bottled water at Publix, our local grocery store.

The water at our house is actually pretty good so I did finally switch to tap. We used a filter for a while, but then I got used to the taste. When we got a new faucet, it wasn’t compatible with the filter and we just gave the filter away (our water is really clean here, anyhow).

I’m so in love with homemade tea

Plain water can be pretty nasty in the morning, though, and sometimes I do want more flavor. For a while, I’d add a little bit of Publix sweet tea or some pomegranate juice to flavor the water. However, nowadays, I mostly drink tea thanks to our completely dummy proof teapot.

Tea is pretty cheap, especially if you buy it loose in bulk. Right now, I mostly use bagged tea, though, because we have so much of it that we’ve collected over the years. We’re hardly making a dent in it because I reuse one teabag throughout the day (then save it in the fridge to use when my under eye area gets puffy).

Even my picky husband is drinking better

My husband has been slower to give up the soda, though he’s also drank a lot of milk and juice, too. He still buys Coke in bulk at Sams Club, but now thanks to that teapot, he’s been drinking a lot more tea and a lot less of everything else. He particularly likes the decaf Twinnings green tea. Fortunately, it’s just $2 for a box at our local Big Lots. He did try some loose green tea that we bought a large bag of. He didn’t care for it, though, so now it’s mine. It will probably take me a year to go through, so it’s a good thing that I do like it.

When we’re not home

When I go out, I usually bring a water bottle from home. If I don’t want to carry the extra weight, I take it with me empty and fill it up a little at a water fountain.

And when I eat out, I always order water first. Typically, that’s all I end up wanting and it’s hard to argue against free water. (If you don’t know how much your typical drink costs, perhaps it’s time to check.) If I do get anything else, it’s usually a single mixed drink. Those definitely aren’t cheap, but they settle my stomach, are relaxing, and taste yummy. I don’t drink a lot at home, so it is a treat. And of course, I always make sure that I have a designated driver.

Free lemonade

If you don’t like plain water at a restaurant, my mom taught me a little trick. Squeeze a bit of lemon into your water and add sugar or artificial sweetener. Voilà! You have lemonade! Often, packs of sweeteners are available at each table and the water comes with a lemon slice. If not, ask your waiter because you can almost always get both for free (at least here in the U.S.).

Tastes like Starbucks but cheaper

I can’t say that I have ever developed a coffee habit, but I do like the occasional frou-frou coffee drink. I did make the mistake of trying a Starbucks café mocha, though. That was yummy but expensive. So, I tried to replicate it at home. I got a Cuisinart coffee maker from a discount store, then experimented with various coffees and flavorings. Nothing came close.

Then I found the Aerobie Aeropress coffee maker. I experimented some more and found the perfect combination. I used it with a scoop of the Starbucks espresso roast, then added a pack of Swiss Miss Marshmallow Lovers hot chocolate mix to my cup. It’s yummy in that same way, even if it’s not exactly the same taste. It’s also still far from free, but still cheaper and great when I have a chocolate or coffee craving.

Of course, giving up everything we drink except tap water would be the cheapest solution, but I think we’re doing pretty good so far.


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6 Responses to “Trying to be frugal: Drinking cheaper”

Susanna Says:
February 6th, 2008 at 4:18 pm

I’m trying to drink more frugally, too, since in addition to being cheaper, water and tea are healthier choices than soda. My husband has started making his own iced tea to replace the 2 sodas a day he usually drinks.

Not as hard as it sounds: throw a few Mandarin Spice tea bags in a giant water bottle, fill it up and put it in the fridge. Voila! Decaf orange tea that tastes a little sweet but contains no sugar.

Meg Says:
February 7th, 2008 at 1:37 am

Hi Susanna,

Wow, that does sound easy! I’ll definitely have to tell my husband out that one.

I’ve been doing sort of the same thing with my teabags after I have my hot tea in the morning. I just fill the pot back up with water and let it sit all day. It’s not quite “iced” tea, but it’s still quite refreshing (and of course I can add ice if I want).

Sometimes in the evening I’ll refill it again with hot water to squeeze the last bit out. I’ve been really amazed by how much tea I can get out of a single bag.

shopaphilia Says:
February 9th, 2008 at 10:15 am

I love frugal series! Can’t wait to see more!

I’ve definitely been trying to drink more tea too.

We like to have juice in our house as a water alternate. So we buy the concentrate that’s in the frozen section of the grocery store (it’s usually cheaper). We try to find the stuff that uses sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup (which is definitely not good for you).

When we add water, we add extra so that it’s a little more dilute (less sugar), but there’s still some flavor.

Also, it’s fun to mix a little fruit juice with tea to create different fruit flavored teas.

Meg Says:
February 9th, 2008 at 2:33 pm

Hi Shopaphilia!

I’m glad you like because I have a ton of posts planned : ) While this blog started as more of a fashion/beauty/etiquette blog, it’s quickly becoming a frugal blog. Granted, it’s still about the general topic which is looking classy, not trashy, despite not having a lot of money.

I love your idea of creating flavored tea! It’s one of those things that seems really special, but is easy and cheap. And I never think to get frozen juice! I should, especially because I don’t drink a lot at one time.

We’re also anti-HFCS here. My husband is still holding onto his Coke, but he’s figured out a few ways to get the real sugar Coke, he just hasn’t had the opportunity yet.

shopaphilia Says:
February 9th, 2008 at 10:13 pm

If you ever find a good/not terribly complicated source of real sugar coke…let me know - that would be certainly be a treat!

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