I am an addict. My poison is soda. Not store-brand or that saccharine-flavored diet stuff. Oh no, I like the hard stuff. I’m a Coca-cola girl through and through.
I’ve been pushing back against this addiction since I was in my early 20s and realized I would get killer headaches from caffeine and sugar withdrawal if I went 24 hours without my bubbly stuff. In recent years, the price has been my motivation to get off the stuff. Until the past year I’ve been failing, but I think I finally found the secret weapon combining both caffeine and sugar in less expensive and slightly healthier forms. These are my thrifty alternatives to soda.
My first defense is tea, and plenty of it. I keep a big jug of iced tea in the fridge for when I want something more flavorful than water. In summer we make sun tea, which is just four or five tea bags thrown in a jar of water then set in the sun to brew. In winter, we fill a jug with hot water and leave it on the counter to brew. It isn’t quite as strong as sun tea, but tasty and caffeine-rich all the same. Hot tea is also lovely. I like black teas with a splash of milk and a teaspoon of sugar, but sometimes I brew a bag of green tea instead.
My second defense is cherry-limeade drink mix. I use a store brand Crystal-light knock off and mix it with a bit more water than called for, as this stuff is strong! The sourness of the limeade is a fairly satisfying alternative to carbonation most of the time and there is no sugar in it, which is a plus. It is also cheap. I get six gallons of it for $1.69. It is also quite good to add a splash of the limeade to my iced tea for an extra kick.
My third and final defense is ginger ale. When I must have carbonation a splash of this goes a long way (and I seriously think I may be more addicted to the carbonation than the caffeine). I pour myself a glass of the cherry-limeade, though feel free to substitute your favorite flavor. I add a splash of the ginger ale, no more than ¼ to ½ a cup. This is just enough to quench my soda fiending for another day.
During the height of my soda days I was buying a couple 12-packs a week as well as buying at least one single bottle from a machine or convenience store each day. That’s a lot of money and life energy down the drain for something I never even took the time to enjoy. Now, when I pour myself a cup of soda alternative I am not only saving money, I’m also being mindful of what I am drinking which gives me a chance to really savor it.
What are some of your favorite frugal drinks? Let us know in the comments! For more frugal tips subscribe to my RSS feed or follow me on Twitter!
