Started Drinking Non-Fat Dry Milk

**frugalityisgood** · 07-31-2007, 09:40 PM

I've always liked dry milk. When it's milked right and cold it's hard to tell the difference between a glass of dry milk and real milk. I've always just grabbed the gallon milks out of convenience. I have to spend time milk dry milk but I've got a system now, so it's not to bad.

I've had to start buying and drinking Non-Fat Dry Milk to save money. I was paying about $2.00 to $2.50 per gallon. Then in recent months it shot up to $3.39 at Aldi's. The Only option I had was to start mixing and drinking dry milk. Thankfully Aldi's still has that for $9.99 for a large box that makes 5 gallons if mixed according to the directions, 5 cups per gallon. I however have slowly decreased the amount I use so I only use 2.5 cups per gallon.

I drink a lot of milk because I eat a lot of cereal. I eat bowls of cereal for a snack. So I drink about 3 to 4 gallons of milk a week. At $3.29 a gallon that can add up to about $40.00 per month for milk or about $480.00 per year for milk!!! UGH. Never realized. However if my calculations are correct and I use only 2 boxes of dry milk per month. I will only spend $20.00 per month. So I should end up saving about $240 per year.

The added benefit is I don't have to deal with all the gallon milk jugs. Plus by cutting the amount of dry milk I use per gallon, I'm lowering the number of calories and fat per serving. Now most of it's now water, so I'm inadvertently drinking more water.

**Jskell911** · 07-31-2007, 09:50 PM

Hubby and I were just discussing this tonight. I am not a milk drinker but he and my son are. Hubby doesn't like dry, but has agreed to use it in coffe which we drink ALOT of, so it's a small but worthwhile step.

**catmom** · 07-31-2007, 10:05 PM

I have used powdered milk for quite a while now. I don't really drink it by the glass, but the kids do with no problem. I use it in cooking and in coffee. The kids use it in cerael, they have never said anything about the taste or anything.

**Domestic Gal** · 07-31-2007, 10:42 PM

I use it for all of my cooking and baking. The kids will use it to make choc. milk.

**IntlMom** · 07-31-2007, 10:48 PM

I use it in my homemade pudding....yum-o!

**frugalityisgood** · 07-31-2007, 11:39 PM

I've tried both name brand dry milk (Carnation) and generic store brand. I found Aldi's has the best taste and is cheapest. Wal-Mart wants $13+ for the largest box. The same box at Aldi is $10.

Best way to mix for best taste I've found.

Tools

1 Large Gallon Pitcher
1 One Large Funnel
1 2 1/2 Cup Measuring Cup (Makes Mixing Easy and Less Messy).

Fill gallon pitcher to gallon mark with filtered water. Put funnel over 2 1/2 measuring cup and poor in 2 1/2 cups dry milk. Put funnel over pitcher and poor in the 2 1/2 cups. Then repeat with 2 1/2 more cups.

Stir in the dry milk with a mixing spoon. Put lid on pitcher and put in fridge and let get cold.

For immediate drinking use a gallon of water that was previously in the fridge.

I found the milk tastes best after it's been in the fridge for a day. I found it very difficult to determine the difference between it and a regular skim milk when mixed as described.

I think filter water also makes a big difference.

**Odilia** · 08-01-2007, 09:01 AM

Good job beating the high milk prices!

We used to drink dry milk, too. Now, we have a milk cow.

She's in her dry period, and I'm in sticker shock over the price of milk. Even the whole milk from the store doesn't taste good to us after rich, fresh Jersey milk. I think we need another cow!

(Whole milk has been $4.01 - $4.26/gallon here.

)

**bibliomane** · 08-01-2007, 12:35 PM

**PrairieRose** · 08-01-2007, 01:41 PM

You remind me of my son, whose probably about your age...he eats lots and lots of cereal, always has. Good for you in finding the better for the budget alternative to fill your milk needs.

**Luv2BeFrugal** · 08-01-2007, 03:14 PM

Originally Posted by frugalityisgood

I've tried both name brand dry milk (Carnation) and generic store brand. I found Aldi's has the best taste and is cheapest. Wal-Mart wants $13+ for the largest box. The same box at Aldi is $10.

Best way to mix for best taste I've found.

Tools

1 Large Gallon Pitcher
1 One Large Funnel
1 2 1/2 Cup Measuring Cup (Makes Mixing Easy and Less Messy).

Fill gallon pitcher to gallon mark with filtered water. Put funnel over 2 1/2 measuring cup and poor in 2 1/2 cups dry milk. Put funnel over pitcher and poor in the 2 1/2 cups. Then repeat with 2 1/2 more cups.

Stir in the dry milk with a mixing spoon. Put lid on pitcher and put in fridge and let get cold.

For immediate drinking use a gallon of water that was previously in the fridge.

I found the milk tastes best after it's been in the fridge for a day. I found it very difficult to determine the difference between it and a regular skim milk when mixed as described.

I think filter water also makes a big difference.

We only drink powdered milk, too. It's WAY cheaper. We also water it down a bit. Sure does make a difference. We've got it down to a science...a measuring cup, funnel, and 2 glass jars with metal lids. Powder in, water in, lid on, shake hard. Done. Takes less than 2 minutes to mix both jugs and scald the measuring cup and funnel. No mess.

The amount of garbage the regular jugs were producing was phenomenal! We also drink a lot of milk. I'm feeling much more "environmentally friendly" doing this.

**frugalityisgood** · 08-02-2007, 12:38 AM

Yeah and I've been reading and seeing news that is saying it could get as high as $5.00 by summers end.

Do a search on Google for "Milk Prices" there's a bunch of news about it. Can't post a link yet, need 15 posts before I can.

It's to bad I'm not in the milk business, I'd could make some nice mulah right now.

Originally Posted by Odilia

Good job beating the high milk prices!

We used to drink dry milk, too. Now, we have a milk cow.

She's in her dry period, and I'm in sticker shock over the price of milk. Even the whole milk from the store doesn't taste good to us after rich, fresh Jersey milk. I think we need another cow!

(Whole milk has been $4.01 - $4.26/gallon here.

)

**frugalityisgood** · 08-02-2007, 12:47 AM

I noticed a big reduction in my trash too! I was having about a bag a week, now I have about a bag every two weeks (single person, living alone).

I shop exclusively at Aldi so no plastic bags ending up in the landfill.

Recycling is a real pain. They make you wash the jugs out before they'll recycle them. Which I never did, I just tossed them in the trash. Now I'm saving money and saving the environment.

Originally Posted by Luv2BeFrugal

We only drink powdered milk, too. It's WAY cheaper. We also water it down a bit. Sure does make a difference. We've got it down to a science...a measuring cup, funnel, and 2 glass jars with metal lids. Powder in, water in, lid on, shake hard. Done. Takes less than 2 minutes to mix both jugs and scald the measuring cup and funnel. No mess.

The amount of garbage the regular jugs were producing was phenomenal! We also drink a lot of milk. I'm feeling much more "environmentally friendly" doing this.

**Neeley** · 08-02-2007, 12:50 AM

Milk is already ove $5 a gallon here. We live in an area where the cost of living is lower than most places and I figured we would be one of the last places for the prices to get that high. Guess I was wrong - about a month ago I found it priced at $5.42 a gallon.

We have been using only powder/dry milk for ages. My kids (ages 12 and 14) drink it just fine with no complaints. The price of powdered milk has gone up here also. Early June it cost $4.88 a box. Tonight it was up to $7.88 for the same box. Still cheaper than "regular" milk though.

**Libby** · 08-02-2007, 06:49 AM

I dont know - when I tried using the skim milk powder it just didnt taste right to me. Maybe I didnt mix it correctly? I did find that if I left it in the fridge overnight, the taste wasnt as harsh but its still not my fave. I have used it on occasion for cooking or baking vs the real deal but for the most part nowdays I drink soy milk instead. Its pasturized so its more shelfstable until Im ready to drink it and tends to be able to last longer in the fridge vs the reg milk. I dunno .... maybe its just me?

**mickee311** · 08-02-2007, 07:44 AM

Milk on sale here is $2.50....On sale!!! WTF that is nuts. I can't wait for one of the 10 for $10 sales on half gallons goes on at Kroger. You know I'll be freezing some.