Ahh the price of soda and other prepared drinks!

There are frugal alternatives to soda, what are your choices?

Water.  I've always been a water lover and I take it straight, no flavoring, lemon, or anything.

My vice is coffee, but since DH and I own a coffee shop, we get fair trade organic coffee for less than $5/lb.

I have never been a pop drinker (that's what we call it here in MI) but do have it on hand for guests when we have parties or dinners.

Susan in MI

ORANGE JULIUS

16 oz orange juice
ice
water
1 oz simple or vanilla syrup.
1 t instant vanilla pudding mix

Fill blender with orange juice and ice to 3/4 full. Add water to just cover ice.

Add syrup and instant vanilla pudding mix.

Blend until smooth.

Any of these creamer recipes may be made into an instant flavored coffee mix by adding a 1/2 cup (more or less) instant coffee to the mix.

Mix up the flavored coffee creamers for your regular brewed coffee.

Mix them and store in an airtight container. I use canning jars or some other recycled jar for mine.Add a couple of spoonfuls to your mug of hot coffee. Yum!

Fireside Coffee Creamer

2 C hot cocoa mix
2 C dry non-dairy creamer
1/2 C powdered sugar
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Amaretto Coffee Creamer

3/4 C powdered non-dairy creamer
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 C confectioners' sugar
Toffee Coffee
1 C powdered non-dairy creamer
1/2 C brown sugar

Mocha Coffee Creamer

1/2 C sugar
1 C nonfat dry milk
2 Tb cocoa

Creamy Mocha Creamer

1 C dry non-dairy creamer
1 C chocolate mix for milk
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Cinnamon Coffee Creamer

2/3 C sugar
2/3 C nonfat dry milk
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Orange Coffee Creamer
3/4 C sugar
1 C nonfat dry milk
1/2 tsp dried orange peel

Cappuccino Coffee Creamer

1 C hot cocoa mix
3/4 C dry non-dairy creamer
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Mocha Coffee Creamer

1 C sugar
2 C nonfat dry milk
4 tsp cocoa

I have to agree with water! I try to drink mostly water, but I do keep some cans of pop at work to beat the afternoon blahs. To save money on pop I buy the generic brand (Meijer makes a great diet cherry cola as well as a very good diet cherry "Dr M" (Dr Pepper flavor)). $2.50 for 12 cans (plus $1.20 deposit) is a much better deal than paying $1 for a can of pop from the machine at work.

Another alternative to pop: I like to get the generic kool-aid mix, usually lemonaid or fruit punch, and make it with artificial sweetener. Much less expensive than making something like Crystal Light.

Water here too! But I do make a lot of iced tea, usually a gallon every other day (we drink A LOT of iced tea).  I also love coffee and hot tea.  Use coupons for those as much as possible and watch for the sales so I can stock up.

We don't drink a lot of soda's here.  Right now we have a couple packs of "throw-back" Mountain Dew (made with sugar NOT corn syrup) but those are DH's vice not mine. They will last him for several months. 

Drinklable yogurt

3 containers yogurt

3 containers of  milk

3 teaspoon

put the yogurt in the and add the milk add the sugar mix well . 

I do this all the time and the kids love it 

Ice tea, it is cheap and easy. I look for Lipton tea coupons then stock up on tea bags, We drink 1/2 gallon a day, Babs

I agree about the tea, hot of cold it's delicious and even better when you can invest in growing your own herbs and seeping your own. After harvest happens, it will save you a lot of money on tea supplies.

There is also the option of hot apple cider! Lemon water or lemonaide if you have a lemon tree or a friend willing to spare or barter lemons. Lemon is a great detoxer too.