Let's talk about milk!

**Daisygirl** · 03-06-2011, 08:23 PM

Milk is the item that is increasing the most drastically in price for us right now.

This week I paid $4.47 for a gallon of milk, vs. $3.97 last week.

I want to switch to a dry milk (at least for my coffee). Does anyone use powdered milk? How much do you mix up at a time? Do your kids notice the difference? What kind do you get and where do you get it?

Thanks in advance!

**pat in east texas** · 03-06-2011, 08:27 PM

I use nonfat dry milk all the time. We don't drink much milk here, and I can make up just what we need. I use the store brand. If it is in the fridge overnight, I don't find any difference in the taste.

**nodmicks** · 03-06-2011, 08:44 PM

My boys drink 4-5 gallons a week of whole milk. I tried dry and they all disliked it. My best solution has been to buy on sale and freeze. I'd love a better solution!

I know I could limit their milk but I really hate to because we don't have soda or juice in the house due to sugar content and glycemic load. Besides they are all tall skinny still growing boys.

**monkeywrangler71** · 03-06-2011, 08:49 PM

I used to buy powdered milk for a drink mix when I was in Ontario, I believe Price Chopper had the best price at the time, it was the Sobey's store brand (Our Compliments). Bulk Barn was the worst price IIRC. That was a few years ago so I'm sure prices have fluctuated.

Liquid milk was cheaper though.

**Palooka** · 03-07-2011, 12:16 AM

Aldi has the nonfat for 5 something. Thinking I should buy another for the kids. They don't mind it with cereal.

My jaw dropped the other day at HyVee when I saw their milk over 4 dollars. And I thought 3.65 was high.....

**greekislandgirl** · 03-07-2011, 03:47 AM

Yep, here it's $8.28/gallon. But strangely the price hasn't gone up. I wonder if they're already making such a huge profit that they don't need to push it up any higher. (I shouldn't push my luck, or next week it'll be $10.) Anyway, I'm going to try UHT milk which is a little cheaper. We don't have powdered milk here.

**Ceashels** · 03-07-2011, 07:53 AM

I just "caved" and bought a box of Aldi's dry milk for $5.99 a few days ago. It only makes 8 qts though... that's 2 gallons. They have 2% fresh milk for $2.49/gal. which is my usual purchase. I just got tired of being out of milk for my morning coffee so I want to have something on hand in for my "morning emergency"

**savvy_sniper** · 03-07-2011, 10:09 AM

I use powdered milk for cooking. It should state on the box how much powder and water to mix. Everything tastes just fine. I also buy whole milk and water it down. That stretches a gallon MUCH further and lowers the cost.

**xtena** · 03-07-2011, 10:15 AM

I avoid dairy milk these days, in favor of almond milk which is even pricier than cow's milk, but my body is becoming increasingly intolerant of the real thing so I don't have a choice. I sometimes used powdered in the past for my coffee. Made to proportion it tasted nasty so I would make it extra strength and it was passable.

**Dancing Lotus** · 03-07-2011, 11:03 AM

I use anything but dairy milk so I haven't even notice the price.
The cheapest milk alternative I can think of is rice milk. Super easy to make yourself for pennies and batch.

**Ali Lee** · 03-07-2011, 11:51 AM

I must have 2 servings of milk dly for Vit D deficiency. I put 2/3 (2servings) dry in a lg to-go cup every morning, then pour coffee on top. I've used Aldi's for couple of years till I found a bulk food store, near by, that sells it a heck of a lot cheaper. To me, the secret is drinking it really cold & after mixing storing it in a glass jar.
I use only dry milk...and pleased with it.

**HappyMama** · 03-07-2011, 11:59 AM

I do buy milk, but also make my own coconut milk, almond and rice so I don't have the additives , they taste great. I do also buy Tai Kitchen Coconut milk in the can as it has the least amount of additives.

I only use dried milk to add to yogurt with milk for thickening, or baking but I am sure you can mix as others said and would be cheaper for you.

**FrabjousDay** · 03-07-2011, 01:10 PM

If you're serving dried milk to the kids make sure to mix it really well and keep it cold. We used to tease my mother to no end about her "crunchy" milk.

She would sneak it into the regular milk to help stretch the gallons.

**low-1** · 03-07-2011, 01:51 PM

We drink a lot of milk at home, always did and I imagine we will continue to. I was up in Churchill, MB on the weekend, and happened to check the price on a gallon there at the Northern Store. $9.89. It is a community serviced by rail, plane and barge. Ours is a little over $5/gal and we have an all-weather road (not a good one, but technically it's classified as an all-weather road).

I imagine the prices aren't as bad as other places I've been because they have regular rail service. I've visited some remote fly-in only (or winter road) communities where a gallon of milk was over $15. Coke and chips were cheap though. We had to get some test equipment flown in so we waited at the airport for the plane to land. I remember very vividly seeing one plane unload: All of the seats had been removed and box after box of potato chips came off the plane. It's not hard to see how health conditions are so horrible in some of these places.

We use powdered milk in some recipes, but I've never actually mixed up some to just drink. I think I'll have to give it a try, just to see what it's like.

**Daisygirl** · 03-07-2011, 06:13 PM

Thank you all for the input! I'm going on the search on Wednesday during my lunch break to see what I can find. I think I'm not going to mention to the girls that I'm getting this type of milk - I'll just put it in a nice looking carafe and keep a bag of regular milk in the freezer.